Stephenson named Ray Guy Award semifinalist

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The Augusta Sports Council has announced the ten semifinalists for the 2012 Ray Guy Award, including BYU senior punter Riley Stephenson. The semifinalists were chosen from a field of 69 candidates for the award, which recognizes the most outstanding punter in college football.

Stephenson has 42 punts for 1,971 yards this season, an average of 46.93 yards per punt, ranking No. 4 in the nation. The St. George product has 21 punts of 50 yards or more and has dropped 19 inside the 20-yard line. Just 17 punts have been returned by opponents.

The candidates were evaluated on their overall statistics and contribution to the team.  Particular emphasis was placed on the punter’s net average, percentage of total punts inside the 20-yard line and percentage of punts not returned.  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 announced on November 19.  Voters will then cast a second round of ballots to decide the winner.

2012 Ray Guy Award Semi-Finalists
Ryan Allen (Sr.) – Louisiana Tech
Kyle Christy (So.) – Florida
Steven Clark (Jr.) – Auburn
Josh Hubner (Sr.) – Arizona State
Scott Kovanda (Sr.) – Ball State
Jeff Locke (Sr.) – UCLA
Riley Stephenson (Sr.) – BYU
Kirby Van Der Kamp (Jr.) – Iowa State
Tyler Williams (Fr.) – Marshall
Brad Wing (So.) - LSU

The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thursday, December 6 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.

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 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.

Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) is a non-profit organization which strengthens the quality of life and economic well-being of the city of Augusta by recruiting, supporting and attracting sporting events. 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.