University of North Carolina Athletics
Barth Named Lou Groza Star of the Week
October 8, 2007 | Football
Oct. 8, 2007
Three perfect kicking performances highlighted this week's Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week selections. North Carolina's Connor Barth extended his impressive string of 19 field goals without a miss to lead the Tar Heels to an impressive defeat of the University of Miami last Saturday.
Barth was 4-4 with kicks of 33,51,35 and 20 yards in UNC's 33-27 win at Chapel Hill. The senior from Wilmington, North Carolina, hasn't missed a field goal since his freshman season. The streak includes a perfect 8-8 this season and all 11 of his tries during his junior season which earned him All-ACC second team honors in 2006.
Indiana Junior Austin Starr was 4-4 including a 47 yarder in the Hoosiers impressive 40-20 victory over the Minnesota Gophers. Star also connected from lengths of 33, 25 and 43 yards and made all 4 PAT attempts. He is 32 of 32 in extra points this season for the high powered Hoosier offense. His performance earned him Big Ten special teams Player of the Week honors and his 62 points leads the nation in kick scoring. The 4-4 day matches a school record and he is the first Indiana place kicker ever to earn conference special teams Player of the Week recognition.
The Ohio State Buckeyes rolled to a 23-7 victory over Big Ten rival Purdue Saturday and a major contributor was junior place kicker Ryan Pretorius. The 28 year old émigré from Durban, South Africa was 3-3 with field goals of 44, 39 and 23 yards. Pretorius, in his fourth year at OSU, walked on after fellow South African and NFL veteran Gary Anderson, a family friend, suggested he explore the possibilities of playing college football in the USA. The 6-0 Buckeyes are in the thick of the national championship race.
For more information on the Top Three Stars of the Week, including photos and bios, please visit http://www.lougrozaaward.com/Candidates/index.htm. The 2007 winner of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award is presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl and will be announced on Thursday, December 6, 2007 during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Award Show in Orlando, Florida. The top three finalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will be honored during the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet and Silent Auction on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott. This is an event of the Palm Beach County Sports Institute.
All Division I-A kickers are eligible for the Award named for NFL Hall of Fame Kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza. Voters for the award include Division I-A head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters, conference representatives, professional kickers, and previous Groza Award finalists.
The Lou Groza Award is presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl and is also sponsored by The Breakers, Continental Airlines, Discretion Entertainment LLC, Enterprise rent-a-car, ESPN Radio 760, ESPN Regional Television, Florida Coca-Cola Bottling, Hartless Foundation, JBS Destination Solutions, Palm Beach Kennel Club, The Palm Beach Post, Parallax Productions, Romano Law Group, Rooney's Public House, World Class Transportation Inc. For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please contact Graham Morris at the Palm Beach County Sports Institute at (561) 233-3124 or gmorris@palmbeachsports.com.
