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Washington State senior kicker Erik Powell named semifinalist for Lou Groza Award

Washington State Cougars place kicker Erik Powell (46) kicks a field goal during the first half of a college football game on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Martin Stadium in Pullman. Powell was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award on Thursday. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

PULLMAN – Erik Powell’s making the longer field goals these days, and he’s hitting the shorter ones on a more consistent basis.

The Lou Groza Award took note of those things in naming Washington State’s senior kicker one of 20 semifinalists for the award given annually the country’s best kicker. Powell is the first WSU kicker to be named a semifinalist since Andrew Furney was in 2011.

The Cougars have gone to Powell’s strong left foot 17 times this season. He’s made 14 field goals, including three from 50-plus yards out (52, 52, 56). The 56-yarder last weekend at Arizona was Powell’s career-long. The redshirt senior was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week in consecutive weeks, after hitting the go-ahead 32-yard field goal in a win over then No. 5 USC and connecting on all four kicks one week later against Oregon.

Powell’s 14 made field goals rank third in the conference and his 78 total points rank second. The senior is also one of three players handling the punting duties for WSU this season and is usually the Cougars’ kickoff man.

Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 21 and honored at the 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on Dec. 4 in Palm Beach County.