Maryland football kicker Brad Craddock named finalist for Lou Groza Award

Maryland kicker Brad Craddock is one of three finalists for the 23rd Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in college football, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Tuesday.

Joining Craddock on the final ballot are Florida State's Roberto Aguayo and West Virginia's Josh Lambert. The 2014 Groza Award winner will be announced at a West Palm Beach banquet on Dec. 9.

Craddock, a junior, has made all 17 of his field goal attempts this season. He added three successful kicks to his total against Michigan last Saturday, and he has now connected on 23 consecutive attempts, the longest active streak in FBS. If Craddock makes his next two attempts, he'll set a Big Ten record with 25 straight makes. Ten of his 17 field goals this year have come from beyond 40 yards, and Craddock is the last remaining perfect field goal kicker in the country.

Aguayo, the Florida State sophomore and last year's winner, has made 21 of 23 attempts, good for 91.3 percent. Lambert, who kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired at Maryland earlier this year, has a nation-leading 24 total made field goals but has also missed eight kicks.

After Craddock's three-field goal day against Michigan last Saturday, he said he hadn't paid the possibility of accolades much thought.

"Oh, not at all. It's all about one kick and getting that one right, so you start thinking about other things and you lose track of what you're actually supposed to be doing," Craddock said. "For me, that stuff's great, and I'm honored to be being talked about, or whatever it is, but it's more about today - making sure we get the field goals we need."

Fans can vote on the Groza Award at its official website, with the finalist who gets the most fan votes receiving one vote on the competition's final ballot.