Punter Dalton Botts and placekicker Jake Wieclaw, both of whom excelled as first-time starters with the Hurricanes in 2011, were named to national watch lists at their respective positions on Wednesday. Botts was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, while Wieclaw earned placement on the Lou Groza Award Watch List.
The Ray Guy Award honors the nation’s top collegiate punter, while the Lou Groza Award is presented to the nation’s top placekicker. Both accolades are coordinated by the National Football Awards Association.
Botts, who served as the Hurricanes’ punter in all 12 games last season as a junior, finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in punt average at 42.7 yards per punt. He booted a season-long 62-yarder in the season finale against Boston College and had one of his best games against then-No. 17 Ohio State with an average of 47.8 yards on four attempts. Originally from Taft, Calif., he had only three touchbacks in 48 attempts, with 11 kicks inside the 20 and 11 punts of at least 50 yards.
The Ray Guy Award was created by the Augusta Sports Council in 2000 to honor Thomson, Ga., native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. The 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. The Watch List includes 25 punters.
Wieclaw, a rising senior, converted on 11-of-14 field goals and all 29 extra point attempts in his first season as the starting placekicker to merit status as a Lou Groza Award Semifinalist in 2011. He did not miss a kick until the Hurricanes’ seventh game of the year and was named Special Teams MVP. The New Lenox, Ill., native nailed a game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat USF on the road, while successfully connecting on a season-long 43-yard boot in a victory at North Carolina. Wieclaw, who also handled kickoffs, limited opponents to an 18.6 yard kick return average for the year.
The 30 kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List, presented by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, were chosen based on statistics from the 2011 season and 2012 expectations. The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although he was an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
Semifinalists for both awards will be named later in the season, with the winners announced on December 6 during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Award Show live from Orlando, Florida. Click here for more information on the Ray Guy Award and here for further material on the Lou Groza Award.
Chris Freet
Associate AD for Communications & Marketing | University of Miami
Six and Old Skool...it was great having dinner with U guys in Tampa tonight. Enjoyed the food, company and location even IF it was too far to the North! LOL
Wear your 2012 Canespace Shirts with pride in the 813!
Posted by: 86Cane | July 11, 2012 at 10:17 PM
Rohan Marley! Ya' Mon, I feelin' Irie Mon, very Irie, Rastaaaa!
Posted by: CaneRock | July 11, 2012 at 10:21 PM
CaneRock...funny U should mention that tonight. I was telling some stories at dinner about my interview with Rohan back in the day when we first got started here at Canespace.
One was a story he told me about when he played at UM and another about the time he was in the Canadian Football league.
Posted by: 86Cane | July 11, 2012 at 10:29 PM
Part of the Canespace (CS) interview with Rohan Marley (RM) back in June 2007:
CS: So your first year at Miami you were a Cornerback?
RM: Yeah, my first year we were playing cover 2. I'm the trail, the safety's got the deep man. They used me as a cornerback jumping the underneath route. If you saw me chasing the deep guy, he's not my responsibility. It wasn't long before I was moved to LB because I loved to hit and they couldn't block me.
CS: So how did you end up with #2?
RM: Charlie Pharms had it and told me I had be in on every tackle in the toilet bowl. First couple of plays were run plays, I came in from the CB position. I loved to hit. I hit Warren Sapp, I hit everyone in that game.
CS: Who made you a Linebacker?
RM: My first day of practice Coach Soldinger moved me to LB, I thought I was a decent CB. Linebacker? So I go 7-on-7 and it's run, run, run all run. Oh, man I'm eating it up, they couldn't block me. I move up to 2nd string, they still couldn't block me! End of story. After practice, I'm coming back to the locker room and Warren Sapp says to me, "Rohan they were fucking with you, you should have always been a LB!"
Posted by: 86Cane | July 11, 2012 at 10:42 PM
CS: What was it like in the Canadian Football League?
RM: I'll tell you about one play from the CFL. My first game playing, the Quarterback scrambles and I was on the weak side, he scrambles to the strong side. I drop into the curl, he started to break out of the backfield. So I'm running at 90 MPH, and I'm saying [to myself], I'm gonna kill him. In my mind I'm not gonna throw down, I'm gonna run right through him. I don't care I'm gonna finish him. Five yards before I got to the QB he steps out of bounds.
Well it left me one-on-one a 6'7" 350 pound lineman, and you know what I had to do him...I HAD TO FINISH HIM. I said you know what I'm hitting somebody. I HIT HIM SO HARD I KNOCKED HIM OUT! I almost knocked myself out too. I didn't really get knocked out, but I was kind of disoriented. As I tried to get up off the ground, I had no coordination, I was like what's going on?
I'm telling myself "Rohan, you better get up before his guy gets up." I'm fighting just to get up and then I look out of the corner of my eye and see the ref calling for the stretcher. The guy is out, he's sleeping. I knocked him out cold.
I said I'm OK, shook it off, and I crawled over to the side and jogged off the field, saying to myself, “Job well done Rohan.”
Posted by: 86Cane | July 11, 2012 at 10:48 PM
Good stuff SOUP, Rohan's an all time great.
Posted by: CaneRock | July 11, 2012 at 11:27 PM
Good post on the kickers. Even better stories about Rohan (what a great name).
Posted by: Usagainsttheworld | July 11, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Wasn't Rohan a kingdom in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy?
Posted by: CoCane | July 12, 2012 at 12:10 AM
The gap of rohan
Posted by: Q | July 12, 2012 at 12:29 AM
Why is everyone getting on Dante Phillips ? He has the size at dt and he chose uf over um I know..i know but he is qualified to come to um.. I say lets welcome him in
Posted by: Q | July 12, 2012 at 12:34 AM
This blog makes me want to go back and find out the identity of the blogger who I remember dogging the Wieclaw signing by Shannon as a wasted scholly on a kicker that needs a tee with a broken wheel. Guy has developed into a quality specialist who will be called on to win games again this year. Plus he's the reigning MVP of the last Hurricane football game I saw live, even if I tried to beat traffic during the attempted icing of him to get to the hockey game that night almost exactly on time, so there's that working in his favor too.
Botts was a great gem unearthed just under the radar on the JUCO route to the big time by Golden. Maybe Hurtt was trying to get the wrong JUCO's cleared by admissions in between violations and being a poor position coach all along and doesn't know what he's talking about? Na, not Clint!
Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | July 12, 2012 at 02:29 AM
Say it ain't so,Joe.
Paterno rejected the notion that his former assistant Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of boys amounted to a "football scandal" or tarnished the accomplishments of his players or Penn State's reputation as a whole.
It's a pity he didn't offer an opinion of the pedophile priests and the Catholic Church.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/07/11/joe-paterno-penn-state-letter.ap/index.html
Posted by: Old Skool | July 12, 2012 at 05:26 AM
+1 to the article. -1 to harboring known criminals.
Posted by: LB | July 12, 2012 at 07:06 AM
The Freeh Report on PSU is out, and within 2 minutes, is already down. Too many ppl trying to read it. Crashed it. Lol
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 09:05 AM
It's here: http://www.thefreehreportonpsu.com/REPORT_FINAL_071212.pdf
When it's back up, of course. Lol
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 09:08 AM
WOW..high schoolers are now calling press conferences about their recruiting lol...
The nation's No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 inside linebacker has called a press conference for Thursday.
Auburn (Ala.) High five-star Reuben Foster will make an announcement at the Auburn High Multimedia Room.
The reason for the press conference is unknown at this time, but sources close to Foster believe it will be related to his recruitment.
Foster, 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, has been committed to Alabama for nearly a year. He gave an early pledge to the Tide on July 18, 2011.
However, speculation about Foster's commitment to Alabama has been rampant, particularly in the last two weeks since he made a three-day visit to his former in-state school Georgia.
Foster transferred from Troup High (LaGrange, Ga.) to Auburn in the spring.
Also feeding the rumors of a possible switch has been Georgia commitment Tray Matthews. Matthews and Foster are close friends and both have said they plan to play together in college.
"I'm definitely going to play with Tray - period, no matter what the school," Foster told UGASports.com earlier this month.
The press conference is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT.
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 09:14 AM
CEO, only 25 followers from 500 on Twitter!
Go Canes, Go Canespace!
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 09:31 AM
Only..the buyer agreed today to buy...just got to clear up a few things before closing.
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 09:47 AM
Good news, UMike! Congrats!
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 09:58 AM
Whereever Rue Foster goes, dam that's the size LB's I wish we would start getting. This dude has college ready size.
What's with these high school dudes wanting to play college ball with their homies or else! Look I love my bros' and will help them out but I'm going where I have the best chance to play quick, Education, and win a ship. If Bama ain't offering the dude a scholly and Georgia is, then I'd say you're on you're own dog. Bama Or Georgia, who has the best chance to win a ship?
Posted by: herbieibis | July 12, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Sad day in Sodomy Valley
Paterno and the other most senior officials at PSU found to be at fault. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/sports/ncaafootball/13pennstate.html?hp
Posted by: Old Skool | July 12, 2012 at 10:04 AM
Never thought Pedo State would do us the favor of making our scandal look miniscule in comparison to the disgusting travesty they allowed to perpetuate there for the sake of keeping their iconic all white uni's untarnished. Any chance we can get our NOA today???
Posted by: 3G Cane | July 12, 2012 at 10:12 AM
I got to admit..Clappy, and Shannon may not have been the greatest head coaches..but NO WAY that type of scandal would have happened at Miami..Shalala would of fired everyone and called the cops
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Nothing wrong with wanting to play with your friends. But it shouldn't be your priority. And you definitely dont hold a school hostage and you definitely don't hold a press conference for your insignificant commit announcement in mid July. You aren't special. You are a big fish in a small pond. Either make the right decision now or you will be a very small fish in an ocean when you get into the real world.
I apologize for my tirade. Hate when kids heads get blown up. I understand it cause I would act the same if I had 5* next to my name and ESPN jocking me. It is nonetheless annoying.
Posted by: The What | July 12, 2012 at 10:17 AM
If the NCAA doesnt kill the PSU football program for protecting a child molester for the sake of the football program then the NCAA is a bigger joke than everyone already knows it is. This was all about football in terms of hiding it. Kill the program as a lesson to all universities and college football programs in the country that people's lives and specifically children's lives will not be forsaken for the sake of football.
Posted by: The What | July 12, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Kill the program as a lesson to all universities and college football programs in the country that people's lives and specifically children's lives will not be forsaken for the sake of football.
Posted by: The What | July 12, 2012 at 10:28 AM
There IT is right there.
Posted by: 86Cane | July 12, 2012 at 10:32 AM
No time for blogging. There is work to be done. Back later today...
Posted by: 86Cane | July 12, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Yo Herb, USC just got another 4* defensive tackle. Eddie Vander-Sumthin, nation's #4 d.t.. West Coast U
Posted by: 4-Real | July 12, 2012 at 10:52 AM
4-Real..I will admit..USC commit list looks pretty impressive, but I dont think their doing anything special. They are cleaning up in CA like they are suppose to. Still impressive though..if all those guys live up to the hype
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Real,
Not only did they get Vanderdoes, but 4* offensive linemen, Nico Falah & Khaleil Rodgers. The rich keep getting richer and all the while, while on probabtion. They can't get but 15 players. If we are to get back up to where we need to be, recruiting has to continue to be upgraded. Golden is doing a good job. Let's just say our Quality has to be better. In order to stay on top, that's the word I would use Quality and that's what USC is getting. Mind you, not all those dudes will pan out but the more of those high quality stars you have, even if 2 or 3 flop, you're still going to be loaded.
Posted by: herbieibis | July 12, 2012 at 11:12 AM
And no where in that letter did Paterno say anything about CHARACTER.
Posted by: CaneRock | July 12, 2012 at 11:15 AM
If you have to bar a person from brining kids onto campus..how in the world is he still on staff lol
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Posted by: UMike | July 12, 2012 at 11:18 AM
My guess is they talked to him and he probably reminded them about things he knew they had done.......
Posted by: CGNC | July 12, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Welcome to PSU Perv State University. I think it is a damn shame they did this stuff...all those years of Holier than thou, Jopa is God....too good to be true. They should get the Death Penalty...boosters giving kids stuff is one thing, yes we were guilty...but this is pornographic. I met Sandusky at a clinic one time years ago...was kind of a wierd ude, but never thought that.
Ohio, great article about OSU...I hate them as all of us do...and Greasy Urban there now, just bad.
Thoughts on the Fiesta...we came out thinking the game was over when we took the field...they played damn hard, Krenzel was a better leader that night. We had poor OL play, no DL pressure, 17 points on sloppy TOs...even ST forgot where he was...down the ball in the end zone unless you pick one on the edge down there!!! Think!! Know where you are!!
PI was bad call....big game, NC you let them play and may the best man win...but Sharpe did impede him after 5, and if you look close there was an incidental mask on the play....however it was a nit pick call that was late. Call it right off if you call it. Bottom line, had we come out hungry, not thinking about Portis' party for winning, and played like we did for 2+ seasons, and punished people....instead of getting punished we have #6. JMO....great article you always have great insight and I always enjoy your posts!!!
I am hanging in there guys, work slow but have interview for really good job today...retail work, will really impede coaching....but 33 years of it....vs 100K package....I hope it pans out. I love coaching, but I need to work more...only 53 still got some years to go. This Sandusky thing really has made me think about personal responsibility....hell I am very close with many of my former and current kids... someone may not like my style and try to accuse me....so maybe its my time to get out on top.
Posted by: VA Cane | July 12, 2012 at 12:02 PM
I know Hassan commented on the way the NBA model is broken - Well, it looks like a fine tuned machine next to NCAA Football!
So, you have of course one glaring example, PSU, with violations on the scale that a sane individual cannot even comprehend. The only issue I have of giving any school the "Death Penalty" is that it affects players who were maybe ten years old at the time and had absolutely nothing to do with PSU football and its inherent problems. Yet, when the ax comes down, it will be these very players who have given their sweat equity to a program that essentially leaves them in the middle of Siberia.
They only have a small window to "make it" and now what? Even its current HC left a Super Bowl team for the biggest disaster in CFB history. At least he has a resume and can possibly still get paid, but what a f'n mess!
And that of course is pale in comparison to the poor souls who endured absolutely unthinkable acts by one utterly sick individual who was enabled by those to whom the parents of the players entrusted their well being.
I couldn't stand the gov't wasting years, time, millions of $$ and the lives of its citizens on PED cases based on perjury of all things. Hell, presidents are sworn into office and how many have were talking out of both sides of their respective mouths. That's not for this blog. But if the gov't wanted real reform of a truly broken system, it should concentrate on NCAA football. And yes, I know - the only way it could get any worse would be for the gov't to be put in charge of it : )
Just have them rule that a proposal for a completely new athletics association/rules/standards must be completed within five years.
Posted by: pre83 | July 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Paterno, in a letter that he had prepared but that was not published before his death, asserted that whatever the failings in the Sandusky affair — his or the university’s — it did not constitute a “football scandal.”
“Regardless of anyone’s opinion of my actions or the actions of the handful of administration officials in this matter, the fact is nothing alleged is an indictment of football or evidence that the spectacular collections of accomplishments by dedicated student athletes should be in anyway tarnished,” Paterno said in the letter.
Joe Pa, you are right, it is BIGGER than a football scandal. Ugh. There was probably so much crap swept under the rug by that dude, I can only imagine
Posted by: CGNC | July 12, 2012 at 12:07 PM
I wonder how the Paterno defenders will interpret this one.
Posted by: LB | July 12, 2012 at 12:16 PM
4-real.... Vernon Hargreaves leader right now is USC...
Posted by: SlingBlade | July 12, 2012 at 12:52 PM
"4-real.... Vernon Hargreaves leader right now is USC..."
You're sure?
Posted by: LB | July 12, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Vincent Jackson Jr - "USC, Miami, Ohio St, and Stanford looking pretty good to me right now.."
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 01:09 PM
According 2 ESPN/ 24/7 Hargreaves got USC leading and Louisville is even in the mix. I know its just July, but on the flip side, IT'S JUST JULY!!!
Posted by: 4-Real | July 12, 2012 at 01:37 PM
A guy I played HS with is a supervisor in the PSU patent office. He sent me an e mail today stating one of the big problems at PSU is the liberalism. That is, the idea that everyone makes mistakes, everybody deserves a chance, we must be "humane", keep an open mind, the world is a flower....etc. He seeks patents on inventions, papers etc. The liberalism in our society is a good thing in some areas, we must keep an open mind....but in this? It is ok to shower and cuddle with children? WRONG!!! It is black and white, right and wrong.....I hope justice continues to be swift and severe on PSU. I would have no problem with the death penalty being on the table for the school...and for Sandusky. He is not worthy of life what a sick perverted man....and none of this insanity crap.....he is spawn from the devil and needs to be eliminated. This is very very bad....
Posted by: VA Cane | July 12, 2012 at 01:37 PM
According 2 ESPN/ 24/7 Hargreaves got USC leading and Louisville is even in the mix. I know its just July, but on the flip side, IT'S JUST JULY!!!
Posted by: 4-Real | July 12, 2012 at 01:47 PM
Sorry 4 tha double post
Posted by: 4-Real | July 12, 2012 at 01:48 PM
"Experts" saying there is nothing the NCAA can do about these Pedophile State University infractions.
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 01:57 PM
Posted by: pre83 | July 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Pre - these -players who had nothing to do with the scandal will find other schools to play for. It is the culture of athletics\football first that got them into that trouble in the first place. PSU needs to be shut down for a bit (and lose the effing statue of Joe Pa) and start from scratch.
Posted by: CGNC | July 12, 2012 at 01:59 PM
Posted by: VA Cane | July 12, 2012 at 01:37 PM
LOL. That was not the problem. They all wanted to keep things internal for monetary reasons. Their sacred coach and football program.
Posted by: CGNC | July 12, 2012 at 02:01 PM
CGNC - Pens on Rick Nash's final list of 6 teams where he'll end up.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/rick-nash-derby-shockingly-ll-only-six-teams-153518735--nhl.html
Posted by: Ohio_Cane | July 12, 2012 at 02:04 PM
Like everyone else said, this is even worse than we all thought. The NCAA might not have jurisdiction, but the Dept. of Ed. does. Penn State intentionally lied and covered up these allegations for 13 years and still would be but for a criminal investigation, all to protect a brand. If that isn't lack of institutuional control over athletics, the NCAA should throw that term out.
Posted by: j.w. | July 12, 2012 at 02:16 PM
VA Cane, Paterno = lifelong Republican. Not to make this a political affiliation thing, as political stripe had an ancillary at best consideration to do with it IMO, this was putting football above the law plain and simple.
Sure the death penalty has a lot of collateral damage involved, but unfortunately to send a message of never again, people that unwittingly gained through a system that enabled a serial pederast will have to have those gains taken away and I'm fine with that. All that record fundraising will cover their non-revenue sports until the current athletes graduate and if necessary PSU can get out of offering scholarships as needed down the road, as for the football team, the streets are no longer paved with gold for you in backwoods PA, there are worse things in life that could happen to you, most of them involving a jailed former coordinator and getting your guts squeezed out.
Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | July 12, 2012 at 02:29 PM