UK FB: Senior Kicker MacGinnis 1 of 3 Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week

Due to Hurricane Irma, we were unable to provide the “Stars of the Week” for Week 2. Thankfully, we now present the Week 3 Stars.
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.”
University of Utah senior walk-on Matt Gay has not missed a kick of any kind so far this season. He made field goals of 56, 50, 21 and 20 yards in Utah’s 54-16 rout of San Jose State in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The Orem, UT native added six extra points for an 18-point game. He is 11-for-11 on field goals and the same for extra points after three games. The 56-yard bomb is the second-longest in school history and the longest in the nation this season. He is the first Ute ever to kick two 50 yarders in a single game. With 44 points, Gay leads all FBS kickers in scoring.
Three field goals by senior Austin MacGinnis helped Kentucky to their first SEC win of the year, 23-13 over South Carolina on the road in Columbia on Saturday. The Wedowee, AL native made field goals of 44, 21 and 20 yards and added two PATs for a difference-making 11-point day. He leads the Wildcats in scoring with 26 points, giving him 283 for his career and within striking distance of the school’s all-time scoring record of 305. MacGinnis, a Groza preseason watch list selection, is 6-for-7 on field goals and has not missed on eight extra point attempts.
Redshirt freshman Quinn Nordin has had a phenomenal beginning to his college football career, making 11 of his first 13 field goal attempts after a 5-for-5 performance Saturday. The Rockford, MI native tied a school record with makes from 49, 36, 35, 29 and 26 yards in the Wolverines’ 29-13 defeat of Air Force at home in Ann Arbor. He added two PATs for a 17-point day. Nordin’s 11 field goals tie him for the FBS lead. Perhaps more impressively, they also put him halfway to the Michigan single-season record after just three games.
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 @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.
The Lou Groza Award will be presented live as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, December 7. The three finalists will be honored during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with the 26th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl, on Monday, December 4.
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. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 22 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
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
by Susan Lax