Jonathan Ruffin capped a remarkable sophomore season at the University of Cincinnati by winning the 2000 Lou Groza Award. Ruffin led the nation with 26 field goals on 29 attempts, the sixth-highest single-season total in NCAA history. He set a school record by making at least one field goal in every game and he connected on four field goals in a single game twice, against Tulane and UAB. At the completion of his college career, Ruffin’s name was all over the Bearcats’ record book. He currently is first in school history in virtually every kicking and scoring category, including ranking as Cincinnati’s all-time leader in field goals made, with 62, and scoring, with 315 points.

Alexis Serna was an impressive 23 of 28 in field goals for the season. That combined with his perfect 32 of 32 in extra point attempts made him the NCAA Div-1A kicking leader in points with 101 on the season. Highlights of Serna’s season included leading Oregon State to an 18-10 victory over Washington by converting on six field goals, in windy and rainy conditions. Serna also kicked a game winning field goal with 1:03 remaining the in the game to defeat Boise State, 30-27. By seasons end Serna was the NCAA active career leader in field goal percentage at 83.3.

Nicholson finished the season 26-for-27 on field goals, with his only miss coming late in Miami’s MAC Championship Game victory over Toledo. With a 23-for-23 regular season, Nicholson set a new FBS record for the most field goals in a perfect regular season, topping 2012 Lou Groza Award winner Cairo Santos’ mark of 21. Add two more to start the MAC Championship Game and he made 25 consecutive field goals, matching the all-time FBS record for the longest streak in one season. Overall, his 26 field goals tied for the second-most in FBS while his 96.3% accuracy was the highest by any kicker with even 15 attempts on the year. He also set the bar for consistency by making field goals in every game of the season. Of the eight FBS kickers who made at least 23 field goals, he’s the only one who can make that claim. He kicked multiple field goals in nine games, including a trio of 3-for-3 performances. In two of those, he outscored the RedHawks’ opponent on his own, totaling 11 points in both a 23-3 win over Kent State and a 23-10 victory over Buffalo.