Sept. 16, 2008
The awards keep rolling in for New Mexico freshman kicker James Aho. Aho, who earned Mountain West Conference Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors yesterday, was named a Lou Groza Award national “Star of the Week” today. Each week the Lou Groza Award committee recognizes the three top kickers from Division 1 schools who have made outstanding contributions during the previous week’s games.
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate place kicker.
Two freshmen, one a walk on, the other a last minute replacement and a 2007 Groza semi-finalist are the three “Stars of the Week” for the third week of the 2008 collegiate football season.
True freshman James Aho became the first kicker in University of New Mexico history to make four field goals in a game over 40 yards. He scored on kicks of 34,43,48,42 and 46 yards in the Lobo’s 36 – 28 upset of the University of Arizona Wildcats at Albuquerque last Saturday. The native of Roswell, New Mexico, who hopes to become a surgeon, is a perfect 7 for 7 in field goals and 4-4 in PAT’s after the first three weeks of his college career.
University of South Florida freshman Maikon Bonani missed his first ever attempt at the college level early in the game but hit the next three including the game winner with no time left on the clock to give the Bulls a 37-34 upset win over the Kansas Jayhawks last Friday at Tampa. Bonani who was kicking in his first collegiate game scored on kicks of 34, 23 and 43 yards. USF Coach Jim Leavitt had a hunch to start the freshman over junior Delbert Alvarado, the Bulls starter the previous two years, and the Brazilian native from Lake Wales, Florida validated the decision.
University of Oregon senior Matt Evenson came out on top of a kicking duel with Purdue’s Chris Sommers, kicking field goals of 23, 21, 38 and 33 yards in the Ducks 32-26 double overtime defeat of the Boilermakers at Eugene last Saturday. Sommers also kicked four field goals in the game and both hit overtime scores to keep the game going. Evenson, a 2007 Groza semi-finalist and member of this season’s pre-season watch list has kicked all 9 PAT’s this season, extending his unblemished streak to 80. He is fourth in the nation in kick scoring with 33 points.