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UNLV Football: Jose Pizano Named Lou Groza Award Finalist

The Rebels benefitted from the efforts of one of college football’s top specialists in their rise to the Mountain West championship game.

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Will a Vegas ace get his due?

The UNLV Rebels have received plenty of help from new contributors during one of the program’s best seasons ever, but few have stood out like Jose Pizano, who was named today as one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to college football’s top kicker.

Pizano, who transferred to Las Vegas last off-season from Missouri State, was honored alongside Miami of Ohio’s Graham Nicholson and Alabama’s Will Reicherd. He was tasked with replacing Daniel Gutierrez, who graduated after the 2022 season as the program’s most accurate kicker ever, but passed every test with flying colors, finishing as one of 14 FBS kickers to connect on at least 20 field goals while setting school records along the way with 19 consecutive successes and six field goals in an October victory over Colorado State. Pizano ended the regular season with 119 total points on 23-of-25 field goals and 50-of-50 extra points.

Fans who want to bolster Pizano’s hopes of bringing the award back to the desert can vote in an online poll found here. The winner will be announced as part of ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards on Friday, December 8, with a broadcast that begins at 5:00 PM Mountain/4:00 PM Pacific.

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