Oct. 30, 2008
AUGUSTA, Ga.- Baylor sophomore punter Derek Epperson was named a semifinalist for the 2008 Ray Guy Award, the Greater Augusta Sports Council announced Wednesday. Epperson is one of 10 student-athletes under consideration for the award that is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate punter.
Nominees were evaluated on their statistics and contribution to the team with particular emphasis placed on net average, percentage of total punts inside the opponents' 20 yard line, average return yardage and percentage of punts not returned.
A product of Keller [Texas] High School, Epperson is 16th nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference with a 43.50-yard punting average. His punting has helped Baylor to a No. 8 national ranking in team net punting (39.42 yards), which ranks third in the Big 12.
Epperson has 12 punts of 50-plus yards this season and three of 60-plus yards, including a career-long 65-yard boot last week at Nebraska. Ten of his 38 punts (26.3 percent) have been downed inside the opponents' 20 yard line, and 65.8 percent of his punts were not returned.
Baylor's punter has been named a semifinalist for the Guy Award in three of the last five years. In the first two cases (2004 and 2006), Baylor's Daniel Sepulveda was named the award's winner. Epperson, who earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors last season from The Sporting News, is a semifinalist for the first time.
Epperson is one of two punters from the Big 12 on the 10-man semifinalists list, joining Matt Fodge of Oklahoma State. Others on the list are: Bryan Anger (California), Ryan Donahue (Iowa), Chas Henry (Florida), Kevin Huber (Cincinnati), Pat McAfee (West Virginia), Zoltan Mesko (Michigan), Louie Sakoda (Utah) and A.J. Trapsso (Ohio State).
The Guy 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.
Past winners of the Guy Award are: Durant Brooks (Georgia Tech, 2007), Sepulveda (2004 and 2006), Ryan Plackemeier (Wake Forset, 2005), B.J. Sander (Ohio State, 2003), Mark Mariscal (Colorado, 2002), Travis Dorsch (Purdue, 2001) and Kevin Stemke (Wisconsin, 2000).
A national voting body of Bowl Subdivision coaches, sports information directors, national media and former Ray Guy Award winners will decide the three award finalists, and ultimately the winner of this year's award. The winner will be announced live Thursday, Dec. 11, on ESPN during the ESPNU/Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The winner also will be honored at the Greater August Sports Award Gala in early 2009.
Baylor returns to action Saturday, hosting No. 14 Missouri for a 2:05 p.m. CDT kickoff at Floyd Casey Stadium. Saturday's game, which is not televised, is part of homecoming festivities on the Baylor campus.
