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UTAH: First-team All-America punter by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and CBSSports.com ... first-team All-America place kicker by Rivals.com ... second-team All-America punter by SI.com ... Ray Guy and Lou Groza award candidate has started at punter since his true freshman season and as the place kicker for the past two years ... two-time Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (2006-07) ... enters his senior season as the school's career field goal percentage leader (83%) and is approaching several school punting and place kicking career records (see Career Record Watch) ... named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week seven times in his career ... has had 43% (80-of-186) of his career punts downed inside the 20-yard line ... 17 career punts downed inside the 5-yard line ... made 56 consecutive PATs from 2006-07 ... ranks fourth among active NCAA FBS punters in career punts (186) and punt yards (7,831) ... ranks first among the active dual punter/kickers in career punts and punt yards, and second in career yards per punt (42.10) ... three-time Academic all-MWC student carries a 3.70 cumulative GPA in business ... member of Utah's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
CAREER RECORD WATCH Field Goal Pct.: .833 (1st) Field Goals Made: 35 (2nd-tie) Field Goal Attempts: 42 (4th) PAT Made: 81 (5th) PAT Attempts: 83 (6th) Kick Scoring Points: 186 (4th) Punts: 186 (4th) Punt Yards: 7,831 (3rd) Punt Average: 42.1 (3rd) 50-yard Punts: 36 (3rd)
2007: First-team All-America punter by the FWAA and CBS.com ... SI.com and College Football News' second-team All-America punter ... Rivals.com first-team All-America kicker ... second-team All-America kicker by Phil Steele and College Football News ... Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year .... first-team all-conference punter and second-team all-MWC kicker ... Ray Guy Award semifinalist (top 10) ... Lou Groza Award semifinalist ... four-time MWC Special Teams Player of the Week ... finished No. 1 in the MWC and No. 11 in the nation in punting average (44.3) ... ranked third in the nation among dual punters/kickers in yards per punt ... 73 punts ranks third all-time in a season at Utah ... 3,231 yards ranks second in a season ... 28-of-73 total punts downed inside the 20-yard line ... had six punts fall inside the 5-yard line ... 21 punts of 50 yards or longer is the second-best season total in school history ... four 60-yard punts included a long of 67 ... set a school record with 19 field goals, breaking a 22-year old school record ... tied for third in the nation in field goal percentage (86.4%) for kickers with at least 20 attempts ... made 19-of-22 field goals ... third in the country in field goals made from beyond 40 yards (10) ... 10-of-13 from 40 yards and out and 1-of-2 from beyond 50 yards ... only misses were from 45, 48 and 51 yards ... career-long 51-yard field goal against San Diego State ... 59% of his field goal attempts were from beyond 40 yards ... averaged 38.6 yards per made field goal ... perfect inside 40 yards (9-of-9) ... made 15 consecutive field goals - a school record - before missing a 48-yarder wide left ... made three field goals against UCLA, San Diego State and Wyoming ... 38-of-40 in PATs ... led team in scoring with 95 points ... 95 kick scoring points set a new school record ... is also a first-down threat in fake punt situations, going 2-of-2 passing for 42 yards (long of 41 against Wyoming) and rushing twice for 26 yards ... Academic all-MWC and member of Utah's Athletics-Academics Honor Roll.
2006: Mountain West Conference Co-Special Teams Player of the Year ... Armed Forces Bowl MVP ... honorable mention all-MWC place-kicker and punter ... Ray Guy Award semifinalist (top 10) ... honorable mention Sophomore All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com ... three-time MWC Special Teams Player of the Week ... averaged 44.0 yards per punt, which ranked second in the MWC and 13th in the nation ... led Utah to a No. 1 national ranking in net punting (41.6) by placing more than 50% (30-of-59) of his punts inside the 20-yard-line... 14 punts for 50 yards or longer ... career-long punt of 75 yards against Northern Arizona tied the fifth-longest in school history ... made 80% (16-of-20) of his field goal attempts - at the time, the fourth-best single-season field goal percentage in school history ... two of his four FG misses were from 47 yards or longer ... 91 kick scoring points ranked second (since bumped to third by Sakoda) in a single season at Utah ... led the MWC in PAT scoring, making 43-of-43 attempts ... 43 PATs ranks fourth in a single season at Utah ... Armed Forces Bowl MVP made all four field goal attempts, including a season-long 45-yarder ... four field goals vs. Tulsa tied the school single-game record ... also averaged 47.3 yards punting in Utah's bowl win - placing two of his three punts inside Tulsa's 20-yard line ... kicked a 37-yard game-winning field goal against Air Force as time expired ... made his first collegiate field goal attempt, a 44-yarder at UCLA ...made his first seven field-goal attempts before missing a 50-yarder ... rushed for 32 yards on two fake punts ... Academic all-MWC ... also made the Athletics Academic Honor Roll.
2005: Played and started in 11 games at punter ... also handled kickoffs ... punted 54 times for an average of 37.1 yards ... 22 of his punts (41%) were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line ... season-best 52-yard punt came against Colorado State ... Academic all-MWC.
HIGH SCHOOL: Two-time all-league player for Branham HS (San Jose, Calif.) ... named Most Outstanding Special Teams Player ... two-time all-academic team ... made 98 of 103 PATs ... had a long field goal of 47 yards as a senior ... averaged 51 yards per punt as a junior ... also helped baseball team to league title in 2004 ... three-year varsity baseball player at pitcher and center field.
PERSONAL: Son of Raymond and Mary Sakoda ... business major ... born Oct. 28, 1986.
YEAR G PUNT YDS AVG LONG I20 2005 11 54 2002 37.1 52 22 2006 13 59 2598 44.0 75 30 2007 13 73 3231 44.3 67 28 Totals 37 186 7831 42.1 75 80YEAR G PAT PCT FG-A PCT LONG 2006 13 43-43 1.000 16-20 .800 45 2007 13 38-40 .943 19-22 .864 51 Totals 26 81-83 .976 35-42 .833 51
