LOGAN, Utah – Utah State punter Peter Caldwell was named one of 10 semi-finalists for the 2009 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate punter, announced Friday by the Augusta Sports Council. Caldwell, a junior from Kaysville, Utah (Davis HS), is one of two punters from non-Bowl Championship Series (BCS) teams, joined by senior Matt Reagan of Memphis (Conference USA). Caldwell is one of four juniors on the list, joined by three seniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Of the 42 players on the candidate list, Caldwell was the lone punter from the Western Athletic Conference and the only player from a Utah school on the list. The other nine punters are sophomore Drew Butler from Georgia, senior Desi Cullen of Connecticut, junior Ryan Donahue from Iowa, sophomore Johnny Hekker from Oregon State, junior Chas Henry of Florida, freshman Jeff Locke from UCLA, junior Rob Long from Syracuse, senior Zoltan Mesko of Michigan and Reagan. Caldwell is currently third in the WAC and 47th in the NCAA with a 41.7 yards per punt average, down this week after previously leading the WAC and ranking 24th in the country with a 42.9 ypp average. He has 15 punts of 50 or more yards including a season and career-long of 61 yards. Caldwell has had at least two 50+ yard punts in six games this season, including a season-best three at BYU on Oct. 2. He has 24 punts inside the 20-yard line, with at least four in three games this season, highlighted by a career-best five in the game vs. Nevada on Oct. 17. A national voting body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coaches, sports information directors, national media, and former Ray Guy Award winners will decide the three award finalists, who will be named on November 23. Voters will then cast a second round of ballots to decide the winner. The winner of the 10th Ray Guy Award will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show on Thursday, Dec. 10. The winner will again be honored at the All Area Football Banquet presented by the Augusta Sports Council and The Augusta Chronicle in late-January 2010. Utah State (2-7, 1-4 WAC) will take on San Jose State (1-7, 0-4 WAC) on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff from USU’s Romney Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. (MT). The game will also be televised by CW30 (Comcast Ch. 15 in Cache Valley). USU’s home finale in on Friday, Nov. 20 in a nationally-televised game on ESPN2 vs. nationally ranked Boise State in a 7:30 p.m. MT kickoff. For Aggie football ticket ticket information, contact the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305, or online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the “buy/renew tickets” under the “tickets” drop down menu.
<strong>About the Ray Guy Award</strong>
The Greater Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia-native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national selection committee of football writers, FBS college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the 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. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success.
<strong>About the Greater Augusta Sports Council</strong>
The Greater Augusta Sports Council (GASC) is a 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization established in 1992 to market the Augusta-area as a major amateur sports destination. Annually, the organization attracts, supports, and creates numerous competitions and activities, at all levels of participation.
<strong>About the National College Football Awards Association</strong>
The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.
<strong>2009 Ray Guy Award Semi-Finalists</strong>
Drew Butler (So.) Georgia Peter Caldwell (Jr.) Utah State Desi Cullen (Sr.), Connecticut Ryan Donahue (Jr.) Iowa Johnny Hekker (So.) Oregon State Chas Henry (Jr.) Florida Jeff Locke (Fr.), UCLA Rob Long (Jr.) Syracuse Zoltan Mesko (Sr.) Michigan Matt Reagan (Sr.) Memphis -USU-