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The career arc of Sam Ficken, the goat of Penn State football merely two years ago, kept advancing on Thursday morning as it was announced that he, along with 19 other collegiate placekickers, was named semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. The Groza Award, presented by The Palm Beach County Sports Commission, is given out annually to college football's top placekicker.
FIcken has been rock solid for the Nittany Lions in 2014, connecting on 17-of-19 field goals (89.5%) and 17-of-17 PATs, good for a total of 68 points. He has had multiple 4/4 kicking days, including the season-opener against Central Florida and this past weekend against Maryland. He was honored as a Lou Groza Star of the Week and Big Ten Special Teams Player of the week on both of these occasions.
Joining Ficken on the list is fellow Big Ten PK Brad Craddock of Maryland and 2013 Lou Groza Award winner Roberto Aguayo of Florida State.
Finalists for the award will be named on November 24th and the winner will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 11th.
Congrats, Sam! As has been customary for the past three years, Penn State fans are behind you!
