Evensen Semifinalist for Lou Groza Award

EUGENE – University of Oregon place-kicker Matt Evensen has been named as one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, according to an announcement by the Palm Beach (Fla.) County Sports Commission.

The award, named after former NFL Hall of Fame and Cleveland Browns standout kicker Lou Groza, is given annually to the top collegiate place-kicker in the country, as voted upon by a panel of over 300 coaches, sportswriters, broadcasters, conference representatives and previous Groza Award finalists.

The Portland junior leads the Ducks and is tied for fifth in the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring with 72 points, connecting on 10 of 13 field goal tries and all 42 PAT attempts.

He is one of three kickers from the Pac-10 named to the semifinalist list, joining Arizona State’s Thomas Weber and Oregon State’s Alexis Serna.

The top three finalists for the 16th annual award, presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl, will by announced on Tuesday, Nov. 20, and will be honored at the awards banquet in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The award also will be presented Thursday, Dec. 6, during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Award Show in Orlando, Fla.