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A long time ago, in a land not so far away, Thomas Weber was a redshirt freshman with a large task: replace Jesse Ainsworth, a four-year starter that scored a lot of points for ASU from 2003 to 2006.
Going into the 2007 season with a new head coach and a new kicker was a big shift for Arizona State fans, yet Weber provided a seamless transition.
Weber connected on 24 of 25 field goal attempts over the course of the season, while converting 46 of 48 extra points. He also excelled in the punting game, averaging 39.2 yards through 47 punts.
Weber's only missed field goal of the season came at a pivotal time, however: down 21-13 to the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, ASU went for a field goal with just seconds left in the first half. Weber's 32-yard attempt went wide, and the Sun Devils never recovered, eventually falling 35-23.
Despite that one miss, Weber was rock-solid for the entirety of the 2007 campaign. He made all seven of his field goal attempts from 40 yards or longer and earned a laundry list of awards at the end of the year:
AP All-American First Team
Named to the Walter Camp All-America Team (second team)
First-Team All-Pac-10
Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week three times
First-Team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com, Scout.com and Rivals.com
Pac-10 All-Academic First-Team selection
Rightfully so, Weber earned the Lou Groza award for the nation's best kicker. It's a much-deserved honor and something for Weber to always be proud of.
See the previous entries on House of Sparky's 100 day countdown here.
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