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.”
Texas Tech claimed its first road victory over Kansas State since 2008 with a 43-20 win that saw Stone Harrington put together his first career 3-for-3 field goal performance. The junior from Colleyville, Texas kicked a pair from 29 yards out and nearly equaled their combined total with a 55-yard blast to end the first half. Amazingly, that’s not even his season-long, having booted a 58 yarder earlier, also on the road at Utah. In fact, 8 of his 11 field goals this season have come in road games.
Army’s first three-game winning streak over Air Force since the late 1970s came off the foot of Dawson Jones, whose 27-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Black Knights to a 20-17 victory. It was the only game-winning field goal in FBS this week. Earlier in the game, the sophomore from Waxhaw, North Carolina connected from 44 yards out, marking his first multi-field-goal game since the season opener. With the winning kick, Jones ensured that this year’s Army-Navy Game will determine who takes home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy between the three service academies.
Tate Sandell put together one of the greatest kicking performances of all-time, going 4-for-4 with three long-distance field goals in Oklahoma’s 33-27 road win over Tennessee. The junior from Port Neches, Texas set a new FBS record for the longest average distance of field goals made in a game with at least four makes. With a pair of 55 yarders joined by makes from 51 and 40 yards, he averaged 50.25 yards per field goal, topping the 49.5 yard average by East Carolina’s Jeff Heath per the NCAA FBS Records Book. After missing his first kick of the year, Sandell has made 18 straight attempts, trying Oklahoma’s program record for consecutive field goals without a miss.
For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the “Stars of the Week” throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow the Lou Groza Award on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram at @LouGrozaAward.
National College Football Awards Association
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
About the Palm Beach County Sports Commission
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and a local membership program that supports its goals. Local, regional, national, and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Award program, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.
