Syracuse punter Rob Long is a 2009 Ray Guy Award semifinalist, as announced today by The Augusta Sports Council. The 10 semi-finalists are now on the ballot for the award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. The nominees are evaluated on their overall statistics and contribution to the team. Particular emphasis is placed on the following statistics: net average, percentage of total punts inside the 20-yard line, and percentage of punts not returned. Long and the Orange will play at Louisville this Saturday (12:00 p.m., BIG EAST Network).
Long’s 42.5 yards per punt average ranks third the BIG EAST and 32nd nationally this year. He has landed 19-of-47 punts inside the 20 and 22 punts have not been returned. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt in his career, which ranks sixth among active kickers in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is second on SU’s career list. He has accumulated 8,035 career punting yards, which is fourth in the Syracuse record book. Long is one of four 2009 team captains, as voted on by his teammates.