Bowling Green State University Athletics
Schmiedebusch Named Semi-Finalist for Ray Guy Award
November 11, 2011 | Football
Brian Schmiedebusch, a member of Bowling Green State University football team, has been named a semi-finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter. The announcement was made on Friday afternoon (Nov. 11) by the Augusta Sports Council, sponsor of the Ray Guy Award.
Schmiedebusch is fifth in the nation in punting average at 46.6 yards per punt, helping the Orange and Brown to a net punting average of 41.1, fifth-best in the country. Of his 47 punts, 17 have surpassed the 50-yard mark, while another 15 have landed inside the opponent's 20 yard line. He has only six touchbacks on the season and has allowed just 11 returns all year.
Schmiedebusch not only has one of the strongest legs in the country (has an 81 and 73 yard punt versus Idaho and Northern Illinois), but he has been one of the best situational punters all season long. When attempting to pin the opposition deep (every punt from beyond BG's 40-yard line) he has 20 attempts, with 13 landing inside the opponent's 20. In fact, of those 13 that landed inside the 20, eight of those kicks were downed inside the opponent's 10, with just four touchbacks.
On the flip side, when BGSU is pinned deep inside it's own 20 yard line, Schmeidebusch has nine punts for 501 yards, an average of 55.7 yards per punt. Six times this season the sophomore from Ottawa, Ohio, has been standing in his own end zone and has averaged 53.8 yards per kick.
Schmiedebusch, a transfer from the University of Findlay, averaged 55.8 yards a punt versus Idaho, his first game with BGSU. His first career kick went 52 yards, followed by an 81 and 58 yard punt versus the Vandals.
Two weeks later he averaged 58.7 yards a punt versus Wyoming with kicks of 61, 55 and 60 yards. Two of those three kicks were downed inside the 20 yard line.
On the year he has averaged at least 44 yards per punt and has downed two kicks inside the opponent's 20 in six of 10 contests. He has a 50-yard kick in eight of 10 games.
2011 Ray Guy Award Semi-Finalists
Ryan Allen (Jr.) – Louisiana Tech
Ian Campbell (Jr.) – UTEP
Steven Clark (So.) – Auburn
Bobby Cowan (Jr.) – Idaho
Scott Kovanda (Jr.) – Ball State
Richie Leone (So.) – Houston
Pat O'Donnell (Jr.) – Cincinnati
Jackson Rice (Jr.) – Oregon
Brian Schmiedebusch (So.) – Bowling Green
Brad Wing (Fr.) - LSU
The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thursday, December 8 at 9:00 p.m. 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. Fans can visit the show's dedicated web site at www.espncollegefootballawards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights.
Ray Guy Award
The 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 voting body of sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the winner are 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.
Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC), a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing the Augusta area as a destination for amateur sporting events, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2011. The ASC attracts, creates and supports dozens of sporting events and activities each year, generating a positive economic impact and enhancing the quality of life for residents of the greater Augusta community. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.
National College Football Awards Association
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 website, www.ncfaa.org.
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