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.”
NC State kicker Christopher Dunn continued his perfect season, kicking three field goals in the Wolfpack’s 30-21 defeat of Wake Forrest in ACC action in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday. The Lexington, N.C. native connected from 33 and 25 yards, along with his second long-range kick of the year, this from 51 yards out. Of Dunn’s 18 makes this season, nine have been from 40 yards or longer, tied for the second highest total in the country. His 18 field goals are fourth in FBS and easily the most by anyone yet to miss. He also converted all three of his extra point tries to improve to 24-for-24 on PATs. He is one of only five kickers in the nation who have yet to miss a kick of any kind this season.
Senior Will Reichard kicked four field goals, including a 46 yarder with 21 seconds remaining to force overtime, but Alabama fell to LSU 32-31 in their SEC game under the lights in Baton Rouge, La. on Saturday. The Hoover, Ala. native also connected from 38, 36, and 29 yards out to improve to 16-for-20 on field goals for the season. He converted his extra point attempt and is perfect on 44 tries this year. His 92 points are tied for second in the nation among kickers and leads all Tide players in scoring.
Freshman Rece Verhoff’s four field goals provided all the scoring in Marshall’s 12-0 blanking of Old Dominion in Sun Belt Conference action on the road in Norfolk, Va. on Saturday. The native of Columbus Grove, Ohio scored from 33, 30, 26 and 23 yards to go to 12-for-17 on field goals for the season, with three of his five misses blocked attempts. It is his fourth multi-field goal game of the season. Verhoff’s 59 points are second among all Thundering Herd players.
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.