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.”
Washington senior Peyton Henry contributed 16 points to the Huskies’ 40-22 defeat of Stanford in Pac-12 action in Seattle on Saturday night. The 2019 Lou Groza Award semifinalist made field goals of 47, 35, 32 and 26 yards out and made his 4 PAT tries for a career-best 16-point game. The Danville, Calif. native is 7-for-7 on field goals and 21-for-21 on extra points, tying him for third in the country for most total attempts without a miss so far. His 42 points leads all Washington players in scoring and ties him for 6th among FBS kickers.
B.T. Potter’s perfect season kept Clemson’s own going, hitting a 52 yarder to get the Tigers to overtime where they defeated Wake Forest 51-45 on the road in Winston-Salem, N.C. in ACC action on Saturday night. The long-distance kick gives him 8 for his career, extending his school record, and also marked the senior’s 60th career field goal. The Rock Hill, S.C. native also connected from 38 and 24 yards out and made his four PAT tries for a 13-point game. He is 7-for-7 on field goals and 19-for-19 on extra points this season.
Andre Szmyt, who burst onto the scene as a freshman by winning the 2018 Lou Groza Award, had a record night, kicking five field goals including the game-winner in the 22-20 win over Virginia in ACC action in Syracuse, N.Y. on Friday. With makes of 40, 32, 31, 28 and 26 yards out, Szmyt tied the Orange team record set in 1983. The senior from Vernon Hills, Ill. is tied for second in FBS with 9 field goals. He converted his extra point attempt for a 16-point game. Szmyt is Syracuse’s all-time scoring leader with 395 career points and with 41 of those this season is the team leader in scoring.
Trey Wolff’s 20-yard overtime field goal gave Texas Tech a 37-34 upset of Texas in the Red Raiders’ Big 12 opener in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday. The senior from Spring, Texas also connected from 27 and kicked a 45 yarder with 21 seconds left that looked like the winner before opposing kicker Bert Auburn tied it as time expired. Wolff also converted four extra points for a 13-point game. He is 5-for-6 on field goals 12-for-12 on extra points, totaling 27 points this season and 156 in his career.
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.
