Just five days after dropping his final five punts inside the 6-yard in Ohio State's 26-6 win against Michigan State, Drue Chrisman was named as one of the 10 semifinalists for the 2018 Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation's best punter.
The three finalists for the award will be announced on Tuesday. The winner will be named at the College Football Awards Show on Dec. 6 in Atlanta. Fans can vote online for who they believe should win the award.
Chrisman, a redshirt sophomore in his second season as the Buckeyes' punter, has kicked 44 punts for an average of 42.8 yards. He was the only punter from the Big Ten named as a semifinalist.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| BLAKE CUSICK | FRESNO STATE |
| BRANDEN MANN | TEXAS A&M |
| BRANDON WRIGHT | GEORGIA STATE |
| CODY GRACE | ARKANSAS STATE |
| DOMINIC PANAZZOLO | TEXAS TECH |
| DRUE CHRISMAN | OHIO STATE |
| JACK FOX | RICE |
| JAMES SMITH | CINCINNATI |
| MITCH WISHNOWSKY | UTAH |
| TOMMY TOWNSEND | FLORIDA |
Chrisman was also a Ray Guy semifinalist last season and was a third-team All-Big Ten punter with a 44.2-yard average and 25 punts downed within the 20-yard line.
His ability to pin the Spartans near their goal line gave the Buckeyes a field-position advantage on Saturday that allowed Ohio State to eventually pull away for a 20-point win in the second half. He tied his career high of nine punts in the game and averaged 37.8 yards per boot despite shanking his first punt for just four yards.