College football’s top kicking award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three of the top kickers each week from FBS division teams as the “Stars of the Week.”
Colton Boomer kicked a 40-yard winner as time expired, one of his four field goals in UCF’s 18-16 road victory over Boise State. The sophomore from Lake Mary, Fla. opened the game with a 50 yarder, setting a personal best that lasted less than two quarters as he topped it with a 55-yard kick that also matches the longest in program history. In between the two long kicks was a 33 yarder, accounting for all of the Knights’ first-half scoring.
Caden Davis connected from 56 yards out to cap a 3-for-3 performance that keyed an Ole Miss 37-20 comeback win on the road against Tulane. The senior from Coppell, Texas also kicked field goals from 37 and 27 yards to help turn a 10-point deficit to a 3-point lead before the Rebels pulled away in the final five minutes. The 56-yard field goal is the fourth longest in Ole Miss history, and the longest by a Rebel kicker since 1988.
Twice Oregon faced two-point deficits in the fourth quarter, and twice Camden Lewis came through to put the Ducks ahead in an ultimate 38-30 road win over Texas Tech. The senior from Charlotte, N.C. connected from 23 yards out to give the Ducks a 28-27 lead early in the fourth, and then answered Texas Tech’s comeback with a 34 yarder with just over a minute to play to provide the winning points. He also kicked a 28-yard field goal earlier in the game for a 3-for-3 performance.
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.