Brkic, a junior from Chardon, Ohio, leads the nation in long‐distance field goals, connecting five times from at least 50 yards out. He got off to a quick start, with three of them in the season opener, tying the all‐time FBS record for 50+ FGs in a single game. He connected from 56 yards in each of the first two games of the year, marking the longest Sooner field goals in over 40 years. In addition to his 17‐for‐23 FG campaign, he is perfect on 48 PATs, extending his career‐long streak to 150‐for‐150.

Martin Gramatica capped a phenomenal 1997 season that saw him make 19 of 20 field goal attempts by winning the Lou Groza Award. Gramatica set several Kansas State records that year, including most field goals in a season, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. He also became the only kicker in K-State history to make two 50-yard field goals in a single game; one from 55 yards tied the Big 12 record for longest field goal. Gramatica was a finalist for the Groza Award again in 1998, but lost to Sebastian Janikowski. After his senior year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gramatica in the third round of the NFL Draft.