College football’s top kicking award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl recognizes top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.”
Freshman Carter Brown had a record-breaking game in his debut as Arizona State topped Northern Arizona 40-3 in Tempe, AZ on Thursday. He is the first kicker in Sun Devil history to make four field goals in their first career game. Brown, a native of Pearland, Texas, made a pair of 44-yard field goals as well as kicks from 36 and 27 yards. He also converted all four of his extra point tries for a 16-point game, tied for the most among FBS kickers this week.
Indiana senior Charles Campbell’s three field goals were vital to the Hoosiers’ 23-20 defeat of Illinois in their Big Ten opener in Bloomington, Ind. on Friday. The Jackson, Tenn. native connected twice from 43 yards out and opened the game’s scoring with a 39 yarder as well. He has made 28 of his 34 career field goal attempts, with nearly half of those coming in his four career games with at least 3 makes. He added 2 extra points for an 11-point game.
Wyoming’s John Hoyland was the difference in the Cowboys’ 40- 37 double overtime defeat of Tulsa in Laramie, Wyo. on Saturday. Although he had a potential game-winner hit the upright, he shook off the miss with a must-make 25 yarder to force a second overtime and then the deciding kick from 30 yards. As if that weren’t enough, the sophomore from Broomfield, Colo. native also made two kicks in regulation, including a 55-yard bomb that is the longest by any kicker so far this season. His four PATs gave him a 16-point game, tied for the most this week.
Matt Ruffolo contributed three field goals to Kentucky’s 37-13 defeat of Miami (Ohio) in their season opener in Lexington, Kent. on Saturday night. The senior from Centerfield, Ohio started the day 34 and 25 yards out in the first half and then boomed a 50-yard field goal to extend his streak to eight straight makes. The long-range kick was the third of his career. He tacked on four extra points for a 13-point game that puts him into Kentucky’s top ten all-time scorers.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
