Austin Rehkow, Idaho's senior punter/kicker, is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award – the award that annually honors the nation's best collegiate placekicker.
 
Rehkow (Veradale, Wash.) is one of eight kickers who repeats on the list. As he has made his name known nationally, he has assaulted the Idaho record books. He is the Vandals' career leader in field goals made (66) and attempts (87), and is tied for first in career percentage at .759.
 
As he has accumulated those totals, this season he has moved into the FBS lead for field goals per game (2.25) and is second in the nation and Sun Belt Conference with a success rate of .900. He leads the Sun Belt in scoring with 72 total points and is second in average per game with 9.0.
 
He is fourth on Idaho's all-time scoring list with 296 career points. The only kicker still ahead of him is Thayne Doyle, who scored 308 points from 1988-91.
 
Rehkow also is on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, which will name its semifinalists next week. He's the lone player remaining on both lists.
 
Semifinalists will be 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^nd and honored at the 25^th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 5^th 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^th.
 
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.
 
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 21 finalists, including 12 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning nine trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home five Super Bowls. That list includes current NFL kickers Roberto Aguayo, Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Mason Crosby, Graham Gano, Dustin Hopkins, Sebastian Janikowski, Mike Nugent, Cairo Santos, Caleb Sturgis, and Blair Walsh.
 
The Lou Groza Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast 722 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
 
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships and a local membership program that support its goals. Local, regional, national and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Award program, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, go to www.palmbeachsports.com.