Perez on watch list
UCLA punter Aaron Perez was added to the Ray Guy Award watchlist for the nation's top punter. Here is the release:
Perez Named To Ray Guy Award Watch List For Nation's Top Punter
Augusta, GA - The Greater Augusta Sports Council announced today the watch list for the 2008 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation's top collegiate punter. This year's watch list is headed up by Cincinnati Bearcat punter Kevin Huber, the only returning Top-3 finalist for the 2007 Ray Guy Award. UCLA's Aaron Perez has been named to the watch list. The redshirt senior is one of the top punters in the West, if not the nation. In 2007, Perez tied the school record for punts with 91 and he ranks 10th all-time with his career average of 41.78 yards per punt. In two games this season, he ranks fifth nationally and first in the Pac-10 with his 47.70 average.
The watch list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists in early-November. The national voting body will then vote for the top three finalists, and ultimately the winner. The top three finalists will be announced in late-November, and the winner of the Ray Guy Award, which is affiliated with the National College Football Awards Association, will be presented live on ESPN during the ESPNU-Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 11, 2008.
The award's namesake, Ray Guy, arguably the greatest punter to play football, is excited about this year's prospects. "The award is becoming more competitive every year. And to me that means teams are placing a higher degree of importance on the role of the punter. It's a real honor to be associated with such a fine group of individuals who place more importance on the success of their team, than their own achievements."
About the Ray Guy Award
The Greater Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award to honor Thomson, Georgia-native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy, arguably the greatest punter to play football. The award was first presented in 2000. The Ray Guy Award is determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the Ray Guy Award winner are total yardage punted, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, net average, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. It is also of importance for the award winner to display team leadership, self-discipline, and to have a positive impact on the team's success.
2 Comments
Leave a comment
About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Thanks for the information. Well, hopefully in a few years we can have an MVP besides our punter or PK. But seriously, thank god we have Arron because he will be so cruicial this season with field position and clutch punting. Our defense will be thanking him more often than not!
Go Bruins!
Punting is Winning