Dec. 7, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the second time in as many days, University of Kentucky true freshman punter Landon Foster has earned a postseason honor after being named to first-team Freshman All-America by Scout.com, the website announced on Friday.
Foster, who became the first UK punter ever to be selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team on Thursday, is the first UK player to earn first-team Freshman All-America honors from Scout.com and the first kicker to earn such honors by any organization. Foster is only the 11th freshman in school history to be a Freshman All-American and the first since cornerback Trevard Lindley in 2006 by Rivals.com, TSN and Football Writers Association of America.
The native of Franklin, Tenn., had a fantastic first season with the Wildcats, with a season average of 42.9 yards per punt. Foster is fourth among freshmen nationally in punting. Overall, Foster launched 61 punts this season for 2,617 yards and 13 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The freshman only had three touchbacks on the year, while his longest punt of the season was a 58-yarder against Arkansas. Foster averaged a staggering 50.7 yards per punt in the win over Kent State, while he hit at least one punt over 50 yards in nine of UK’s 12 games.
During the season, Foster was named Honorable Mention Punter of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards four times and was selected to the National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List by the CFPA.
As a team, Kentucky currently sits 18th nationally in net punting with a mark of 39.46. That high number is less than five-tenths off the third-highest net punting mark for one season in school history (39.92 in 1999).
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Former UK Star Chris Matthews Named 2012 Gibson’s Finest CFL Most Outstanding Rookie: Former University of Kentucky wide receiver Chris Matthews is making a name for himself in the Canadian Football League. The native of Los Angeles, Calif., recently completed a great first season in the CFL and was named the 2012 Gibson’s Finest CFL Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year. The award is given annually to the top first-year player in the league.
Matthews started all 18 games for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, making 81 catches for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns – all of which were team highs in receiving.
