By Chris Gay / Augusta Chronicle

Ryan Allen couldn’t make it to Augusta to be honored Thursday night. So he did the next best thing.

Via videotape, the Louisiana Tech student thanked the Augusta Sports Council for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate punter, during the All-Area Football Banquet. Allen won the award in December at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando, Fla.

“We can’t thank you guys enough,” said Allen, who cited weight training and his class schedule for his failure to appear. “It’s done so much for our institution.”

Allen beat out Auburn’s Stephen Clark and Oregon’s Jackson Rice for the honor. The process for the Ray Guy Award began with 55 nominees. That list was whittled down to 10 semifinals. In November, the sports council announced the finalists.

Allen became the first Louisiana Tech punter and first Western Athletic Conference punter to win the award. Allen became the 12th winner of the award, which began in 2000.

Allen led the nation with punts inside the 20 with 37 and punts inside the 10 (20) during the regular season. He was the nation’s third-leading punter in gross average at 46.3 yards per kick.

Also, the Bulldogs rank eighth in the nation in net punting (40.15).

Allen, of Salem, Ore., boomed 29 punts longer than 50 yards, with a long of 72. Of his 78 punts, 28 were not returned and none were blocked.

Allen shared a message with high schoolers in attendance at the banquet. After not seeing any playing time after two years at Oregon State, he transferred to Louisiana Tech.

It took just one season for him to shine.

“Sometimes, things are hard,” he said. “Hard work and perseverance pay off.”

Evan Woodbery / Huntsville Times

AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn sophomore punter Steven Clark is one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation's top punter.

Clark is joined by Louisiana Tech's Ryan Allen and Oregon's Jackson Rice. The winner will be announced Dec. 8 on ESPN.

Clark, a native of Kansas City, Mo., kicked well as a freshman but has been almost flawless in only his second year of college football. Still, he didn't seem bewildered about his rapid rise to the nation's elite.

"I don't really believe that awards are something you try to achieve; it's just stuff that happens if you're trying to do your best," Clark said. "I'm not satisfied to any extent with how I've done. There have games I've done well and games that I haven't. I'm upset about the ones that I haven't. And the ones that I have, it's always a great feeling when you go out there and do exactly what you're trying to do."

Clark has punted 64 times for an average of 40.4 yards this season. He has placed 30 punts inside the 20, best in the SEC and second nationally.

Returners have called for a fair catch 33 times, and only eight of his punts have been returned for only 41 yards. Four returns have been for no gain or negative yardage.

The award's namesake is a former South Mississippi standout who was selected in the first round of the NFL draft and won three Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders.

Clark rattled off Guy's biography without prompting.

"I know he was one of the best punters that ever played the game. I remember hearing stories in high school that hardly anybody caught his punts they were just so high. In the camps that I went to, they showed film on him. He's kind of a tall, wiry guy," said Clark, who is 6-foot-5.

Three finalists have been named for the Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football.

They are: Ryan Allen, La. Tech; Steven Clark, Auburn; and Jackson Rice, Oregon. 

The winner will be announced Dec. 8 on the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show from 7 to 9 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Colorado State University punter Pete Kontodiakos has earned a spot on the watchlist of the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best at his position, the Augusta Sports Council announced this week.

Kontodiakos, a 6-foot-3, 224-pound junior from Tarpon Springs, Fla., leads the Mountain West and ranks 21^st in the nation with a 44.0-yard gross average. He also has the Rams tied for the conference lead in net punting, with a 39.7-yard average.

The punter’s career has followed an upward trend since Head Coach Steve Fairchild declared him the starting punter prior to his first college practice in 2009, after a prep All-America performance.

Kontodiakos (pronounced cunn-DOH-dee-AAK-iss) this season is on pace to establish a career best in gross average. He has 16 punts in 2011that have traveled at least 50 yards.

A 2011 preseason all-conference selection (Sporting News, Athlon, Lindy’s and Phil Steele) and a 2010 second-team all-conference choice (Mountain West coaches/media), he’s bidding for consecutive all-conference accolades. Should he do that, he would become the fourth CSU punter ever – all over a span of the last 14 years – to accomplish the feat, joining Jimmie Kaylor (2005-06), Joey Huber (2001-02) and Deone Horinek (1998-99). The Rams have placed a punter on the first- or second-team all-conference lists in four of the last six seasons.

The 54-player watchlist will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on Nov. 11.

Whitehead, a native of Maryville, Tenn., is tied for 12th nationally with 16 punts that have been downed inside the 20-yard line. On the season, he has averaged 39.6 yards on 55 kicks with 10 having to be fair caught. He has earned Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice this season, once after he downed five punts inside the eight-yard line in a 26-20 win over Southern Miss on Sept. 10 and the other after he planted four of his five kicks inside the 20 in a 17-13 win at Louisville on Oct. 1.

The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists to be announced on Nov. 11. Following the semi-finalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 21. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.

 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 pm ET on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN's Chris Fowler, Lee Corson, 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.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The Augusta Sports Council has announced the nominees for the 2011 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation's top collegiate punter. Among the 54 candidates are 2009 winner and 2010 finalist, Drew Butler of Georgia, along with current Mizzou punter Trey Barrow. Candidates were nominated for the award by their school's sports information department.

The list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists to be announced on November 11. Following the semi-finalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 21. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.

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 pm ET on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN's Chris Fowler, Lee Corson, 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.

2011 Ray Guy Award Candidates
Bryan Anger - California
Ben Armer - Western Michigan
Will Atterberry - North Texas
Trey Barrow - Missouri
Tyler Bennett - Utah State
Peter Boehme - Southern Mississippi
Dylan Breeding - Arkansas
Ben Buchanan - Ohio State
Drew Butler - Georgia
Ian Campbell - UTEP
Tyler Campbell - Ole Miss
Steven Clark - Auburn
Bobby Cowan - Idaho
Ryan Doerr - Kansas State
Ron Doherty - Kansas
Kyle Dugandzic - Arizona
Anthony Fera - Penn State
Will Goggans - Troy
Mickey Groody - Florida Atlantic
Eric Guthrie - Iowa
Johnny Hekker - Oregon State
Tom Hornsey - Memphis
Jimmy Howell - Virginia
Josh Hubner - Arizona State
Jay Karutz - Eastern Michigan
Anson Kelton - TCU
Alex King - Duke
Pete Kontodiakos - Colorado State
Scott Kovanda - Ball State
Chase Lansford - UNLV
Richie Leone - Houston
Jeff Locke - UCLA
Brett Maher - Nebraska
Kyle Martens - Rice
Austin McCoy - Wyoming
Brandon McManus - Temple
Kyle Negrete - USC
Brad Nortman - Wisconsin
Pat O'Donnell - Cincinnati
Shawn Powell - Florida State
Ryan Quigley - Boston College
Jackson Rice - Oregon
Matt Rinehart - Kent State
Brian Schmiedebusch - Bowling Green
Quinn Sharp - Oklahoma State
Brian Stahovich - San Diego State
Riley Stephenson - BYU
Ryan Tydlacka - Kentucky
Kirby Van Der Kamp - Iowa State
Cole Wagner - Connecticut
Cody Webster - Purdue
Kase Whitehead - Marshall
Brad Wing - LSU
Dawson Zimmerman - Clemson

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, Ga.  — The Augusta Sports Council’s complete list of candidates for the 2011 Ray Guy Award, which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate punter, will be released Monday.
A preseason list which includes the five returning Ray Guy Award semifinalists from 2010 was released in July. Among the notable punters is 2009 Ray Guy Award winner and 2010 Ray Guy Award finalist Drew Butler of Georgia.
In early November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semi-finalists, who will be announced on Nov. 11. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists, to be announced on Nov. 21.
After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing on ESPN on Dec. 8.
Here is the 2011 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List:
-Bryan Anger (Sr.), California
-Drew Butler (Sr.), Georgia
-Kyle Martens (Sr.), Rice
-Quinn Sharp (Jr.), Oklahoma State
-Dawson Zimmerman (Sr.), Clemson
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga., 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), 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 AugustaSportsCouncil.org.

The National College Football Awards Association will name the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award on July 7.

The Lou Groza Award is presented to the nation's most outstanding placekicker by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.

The Ray Guy Award is presented to the nation's most outstanding punter by the Augusta (Ga.) Sports Council.

The NCFAA will unveil their preseason watch lists over a 13-day period beginning July 5. Fifteen of the association's 21 awards select a preseason watch list and this is the first time the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates.