Per GoBearcats:
Sophomore punter Mason Fletcher has had an outstanding season for the No. 21-ranked Cincinnati football team, ranking third in the nation in punting average (46.8), while tallying 27 punts of inside the 20 and 14 punts of at least 50 yards.
He added to his impressive resume on Monday when he was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best punter.
Fletcher is a two-time AAC Special Teams Player of the Week and was selected as the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week earlier this season.
He shattered UC and AAC records at SMU last month. Fletcher booted an incredible 84-yard punt in the first quarter against the Mustangs, breaking the 46-year-old Cincinnati record by six yards as well as the AAC record by five yards. The previous UC mark of 78 yards was set by Mike Connell in 1976.
The Melbourne, Australia native sent each of his three punts at least 50 yards with two dropping inside the 20-yard line versus SMU. His 65.0 average also shattered the UC and AAC marks. Current Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber held the old UC mark of 58.7 – set in 2007.
On the season, Fletcher has enabled UC to rank second in the nation in net punting (44.88). Impressively, 53 percent of his punts have landed inside the 20 (27 of 51) this season.
He has had two punts downed at the 1-yard line, as well.
Fletcher and the Bearcats welcome No. 19 Tulane to Nippert Stadium at 12 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC) in a “Senior Day” matchup that will propel the winner of the game to host the AAC Championship the following weekend.
