West Palm Beach, Fla.----- One of three kickers to make all his field goal tries this season, San Jose State University's Austin Lopez is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award.

            Lopez, a freshman from Euless, Texas, is 13-of-13 kicking field goals for the Spartans that have a 7-2 win-loss record heading into the November 10 game at New Mexico State. The 6-foot, 170-pound freshman is 22^nd nationally and first in the Western Athletic Conference in field goals made per game at 1.44 per contest.

            The conference leader in number of made field goals, Lopez already is the San Jose State record holder for points scored by a freshman in a season.  With 37-of-38 extra point conversions, he has 76 points and ranks 42^nd nationally in points scored per game.

            Lopez is one of two freshmen among the 20 semifinalists.

            The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in football history, Lou Groza. Groza played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

             Semifinalists will be voted on by FBS Head Coaches and SIDs, along with national and regional football writers, and past Groza winners to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 19^th and honored at the 21^st annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 4^th in West Palm Beach, Florida. The winner will be announced live on the Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 6.

The list of the 20 semifinalists is available at www.lougrozaaward.com