Thursday, December 28, 2017

Punter Michael Dickson named MVP of 2017 Texas Bowl

Photo by Lou Roesch
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved
By Lou Roesch
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 28, 2017) Since the inception of the Texas Bowl eleven years ago, all ten previous MVP awards went to offensive players including nine quarterbacks. Not until 2017 did someone other than an offensive player make an argument for MVP. Enter University of Texas Longhorns punter Michael Dickson (shown above right and below left)) . Yes, a punter earned the 2017 Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl MVP award, but rest assured Michael Dickson is not just any ordinary punter.  His right foot has been terrorizing opposing special teams coaches for the better part of two seasons. This is a punter who had 48 of 73 punts sail for more than 50 yards. A punter who led the nation in yards per kick and net yards per kick in 2017 and threatened to rewrite the FBS record for punters. This is Michael Dickson.  The kicker who singlehandedly put Missouri on their heels all night long beginning with his first kick at 10:23 of the first quarter that was downed at the Tigers three yard line.

Photo by Lou Roesch
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved
Not many would realize that they were in for a treat from a very special kicker as they watched one punt after another continue to pin Missouri down. Ten of the junior punter’s kicks were downed inside the 20 and the one to the three in the opening quarter was the first of five first half punts inside the 10 yard line. Thanks to Dickson’s foot, the Tigers started six of their 10 first half possessions inside the ten yard line.

Before the Longhorns kicker’s record setting performance, undrafted free agent Florida State punter now NFL placekicker Graham Gano was all alone in the record books. The unanimous All-American kicker (first Longhorns punter to do so) by way of Sydney, Australia had more yards punting (452) then the Tigers had on  offense (390). With eight Missouri’s 17 drives starting on or inside their own 10 yard line, it is a wonder they didn’t lose by more than the count of 33-16. The Longhorns kicker, averaging 41.1 yards per boot, left his final punt of the game at the Missouri four yard line.

Coming into the game, the 2017 Ray Guy Award winner (first for UT) as the nation’s best punter had landed nearly thirty percent of his kick’s inside the opponents 10 yard line. On this record setting night, he would nestle a staggering 47 percent inside the Missouri 10 yard line. It should have come as no surprise that the two-time Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (2016 & 2017) would have no touchbacks and no return yards in this contest considering that in 2017 only 12 of his 73 punts coming into the game had positive yardage returns and nine of those were for three yards or less. The numbers are even more staggering when you consider that 32 of his 73 regular season punts landed inside the 20 yard line and then add in 10 of 11 bowl game punts meaning that 50 percent of his punt total for 2017 were downed on or inside the opponents 20 yard line in 2017. The 6-3, 205-pound kicker made sure that the last tape scouts might see of him was memorable as he declared for the 2018 NFL draft six days earlier.


“I’ve never seen one affect the game the way he did tonight, and I’m glad he’s on our team.,” said Longhorns head coach Tom Herman stated following the game.

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