Nov. 17, 2003
Kaeding, Sanders Named Big Ten Player of the Week
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is pleased to announce the three finalists for the 2003 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. The finalists are Nate Kaeding of the University of Iowa, Trey DiCarlo of the University of Oklahoma, and Jonathan Nichols of the University of Mississippi.
The award, which is presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl, will be awarded during a ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The winner will then travel to Orlando and participate in the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, Dec. 11.
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Kaeding and the Iowa Hawkeyes will close the book on the 2003 regular season Saturday with a 2:30 p.m. date with the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison.
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Possibly the most consistent place-kicker in all of college football over the past few years has been Iowa’s Nate Kaeding, the 2002 Lou Groza Award winner. Kaeding has been nearly perfect this season, converting on 15 of 16 field goal attempts. The senior from Coralville, IA, is tied for third in the league in gield goal oercentage (.938) and recently set a new Iowa career field goal record (58).
Kaeding was named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week today after kicking four field goals and four extra points in Iowa’s 40-22 thumping of Minnesota. One of Kaeding’s three-pointers — a 55-yard effort at the end of the second quarter — tied his personal best.
The kicking of sophomore Trey DiCarlo has added another dimension to the strength of Oklahoma football this season. DiCarlo has made 19 of his 20 field goal attempts and currently leads all kickers in scoring (120). The sophomore from Carollton, TX, is second in the league in field goal percentage (.950) and has converted his last 14 field goal attempts.