Lou Groza Award “Stars of the Week” for Week 7

Lou Groza Award “Stars of the Week” for Week 7

Oct. 15, 2024 (WEST PALM BEACH) – 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.”

Ryan Barker kept Penn State undefeated with the Nittany Lions’ first overtime winner since 2012, completing a 33-30 West Coast comeback over USC. The walk-off kick was the walk-on freshman’s fourth field goal of the game, the first Penn State kicker with such a performance since 2016. The Landenberg, Pa. native had already connected from 34, 33 and 20 yards out. Barker took over as the team’s starting kicker just one week ago, but since then has already gone 6-for-6 on field goals and scored 24 points, accounting for 40% of Penn State’s scoring over the last two games.

David Olano lit the fuse that won back The Cannon, forcing overtime and then scoring what would be the decisive PAT in Illinois’ 50-49 trophy game victory over Purdue. The sophomore from Naperville, Ill. went 3-for-3 on the day including a 38 yarder as time expired to keep things tied and give the Illini the chance for their first homefield win over the Boilermakers since 2010. He also opened the game’s scoring from 30 yards and connected from 49 yards for the first points of the second half. With 51 points this season, he’s second among Big Ten kickers in scoring.

Iowa earned Kirk Ferentz his 200^th victory as the team’s head coach with a well-rounded 40-16 win over Washington in which kicker Drew Stevens matched the Huskies scoring on his own. The junior from North Augusta, S.C. tallied his 16 points with 4-for-4 marks on both field goals and extra points to put together the nation’s top kick-scoring output this week. It’s the third 4-FG game in his career and moves him to 10-for-11 this season. Stevens connected from 51, 46, 37 and 25 yards out, notching his fifth career long-distance field goal.

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.

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. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards, and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at  @NCFAA.

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 support 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.