Nov. 21, 2006
WACO, Texas -- Baylor senior punter Daniel Sepulveda is one of three finalists for the 2006 Ray Guy Award, the Greater Augusta [Ga.] Sports Council announced Tuesday. Sepulveda, who won the award as a sophomore in 2004, looks to become the first two-time winner. Durant Brooks of Georgia Tech and Jeremy Kapinos of Penn State also were named finalists.
The award is named for 2004 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Ray Guy, widely consider the best punter in the history of the NFL. Guy, who played with the Oakland Raiders from 1973 to 1986, was an All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Sepulveda currently ranks first nationally in punting with an average of 46.48 yards per punt, the highest single-season average in school history. Baylor ranks fourth nationally in net punting at 39.01 yards per punt; all three teams ranked ahead of Baylor have at least one game remaining.
Thanks to Sepulveda's punts, Baylor opponents started no better than their own 20 yard line on 52 percent of Sepulveda's punts this season (34 of 66), including 26 punts inside the 20 (39 percent) and eight inside the 10 (12 percent). He has recorded 25 punts of 50-plus yards this season, seven of 60-plus yards and a career-long tying 78-yarder against Kansas State.
In 46 career games, Sepulveda logged 277 career punts for 12,531 yards, an average of 45.24 yards per punt, all Baylor records. His career average broke former Texas A&M punter Shane Lechler's NCAA Division I-A record for yards per punt with at least 250 career punts (44.69, 1996-99). Sepulveda also established an NCAA record with 94 career punts of 50-plus yards, breaking a 20-year-old record.
Brooks currently ranks sixth nationally in punting average (45.22), and Georgia Tech is first nationally in net punting (40.97). Kapinos ranks 23rd nationally in punting average (42.19), and Penn State is 37th in net punting (36.38).
Sepulveda is one of four Big 12 student-athletes in the running for national honors this season, joining Oklahoma kicker Garrett Hartley (Lou Groza Award), Texas offensive lineman Justin Blalock (Outland and Lombardi trophies), and Texas cornerback Aaron Ross (Thorpe Award).
Award winners will be announced on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show, aired live Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. CST.
