O'Donnell Named Ray Guy Award Candidate
AUGUSTA Ga. – Miami Hurricanes graduate punter Pat O’Donnell has been named as one of 85 candidates for the 2013 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. The Augusta Sports Council released the list Friday morning.
O’Donnell, a Lake Worth, Fla., native, is one of 11 ACC punters on the Ray Guy Award candidate list. Through six games, O’Donnell is averaging 46.0 yards per punt on just 20 kicks.
His 46.0 yards-per-punt average would be the best in the ACC and fourth-best nationally if he met the minimum average of 3.6 punts per game (currently averaging 3.3). The Cincinnati transfer was a first-team All-BIG EAST selection in 2011 and a second-team pick in 2012.
O’Donnell has eight punts of 50+ yards to his credit this season, including a season-long 60-yard punt. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt in 47 career games, booming 42 punts of 50+ yards and 71 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on Nov. 8. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of FBS sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on Nov. 25. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.
The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thu., Dec. 12 at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, will feature live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award, and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga., native and College Football Hal of Fame inductee Ray Guy. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national voting body of sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success. Learn more about the Ray Guy Award at www.RayGuyAward.com.
No. 7 Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC) will look for their first 7-0 start since the 2003 season when the Hurricanes host Wake Forest (4-3, 2-2 ACC) at noon Oct. 26 on ESPNU.
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