July 11, 2012

The Augusta Sports Council has announced the preseason watch list for the 2012 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation's top collegiate punter and UCLA's own Jeff Locke has been listed.

Locke, who also handles kickoff duties for the Bruins, ranked twelfth in the nation last season with a 44.3 yards punting average. He placed 26 of his 64 kicks inside the twenty-yard line. In 2010, he was first in the Pac-10 and fourth in the NCAA with a 45.8 yard average. UCLA led the nation in net punting with a 41.27 yard mark. In 2009, Locke was the only freshman to reach the semi-finals for the Ray Guy Award. His 43.6 yards per punt average that year ranked sixteenth in the nation.

In early November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semi-finalists, who will be announced on November 9. 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 November 19. 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 College Football Awards airing on ESPN on Thursday, December 6.

Locke was already named to the College Sports Performance Award preseason watch list on Monday. He joines Joseph Fauria (John Mackey Award, College Sports Performance Awards) and Johnathan Franklin (Maxwell Award) as preseason watch list honorees.

UCLA opens the 2012 football season on the road with a game against Rice on August 30. The Bruins then return home to the Rose Bowl for three straight games - Nebraska (Sept. 8, 4:30 pm), Houston (Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.) and Oregon State (Sept. 22,time TBA). For ticket information call UCLA-WIN.