Nov. 3, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Junior kicker Tyler Davis (St. Charles, Ill.) is among the 20 semifinalists for the 2016 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl. Sam Ficken was Penn State's last Groza semifinalist in 2014.
Davis, Minnesota's Emmit Carpenter and Ohio State's Tyler Durbin are the Big Ten representatives on the semifinal list.
Davis is 13-for-14 on the season in field goals and 30-for-30 in extra points. He owns the school record for consecutive field goals made with 18, breaking Sam Ficken's mark of 15 straight makes between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Davis saw his consecutive field goals made steak snapped on a first quarter blocked kick vs. Ohio State. The 18-straight made field goals were tied for the longest streak in the Big Ten since Brad Craddock (UMD) converted 24 straight in from 2013-14 and are tied for the fourth-longest streak in Big Ten history.
The native of St. Charles, Illinois, was named one of three Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week on Oct. 3, 2016, following his effort vs. Minnesota, which included a game-tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation. He is tied for No. 1 in the B1G and No. 17 in the NCAA in field goals per game (1.63 fgpg) and is second in the conference and No. 5 nationally with a .929 field goal percentage. Davis ranks second in the Big Ten and 38th in FBS in scoring (8.6 ppg).
A former Division I soccer player at Bradley University, Davis was a walk-on for the Nittany Lions in 2014. He is off to the best kicking start in Penn State history having made 21 of his first 22 field goal attempts and all 41 of his extra point efforts in two seasons. The junior was 8-for-8 in field goals and 11-for-11 in extra points last year.
Semifinalists will be presented to a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 22 and honored at the 25th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 5 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The winner will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 8.
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 setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. 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.
Earlier this week, sophomore running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) was named as one of the 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, given by the Maxwell Football Club to the National Player of the Year.
Penn State is 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play after the victory over the Boilermakers. The Nittany Lions are back in action at Beaver Stadium Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The game will also air on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com (6 p.m. airtime).
Single game for the final two home games of the 2016 campaign are still available. To purchase tickets or for more information, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.