Georgia junior punter Drew Butler entered this season hoping to be effective enough to earn a second consecutive Ray Guy Award. Bulldogs junior kicker Blair Walsh has a similar goal of winning the Lou Groza Award after being a finalist a year ago.
Saturday afternoon at South Carolina, Butler and Walsh will encounter someone who could factor into each of those honors.
Gamecocks fifth-year senior Spencer Lanning was the only Southeastern Conference player who handled both punting and place-kicking duties last season. He’s working both jobs again this season and working them well after making 36- and 42-yard field goals in last Thursday’s 41-13 rout of Southern Miss while averaging 52.5 yards on two punts.
“You guys want to build somebody up for punter of the year or kicker of the year, go ahead and start with Spencer,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “I don’t think publicity and praise will affect him. He’s a good one.”
The 6-foot, 194-pounder from Rock Hill walked on in 2006 and redshirted that season. He scored his first point in a 2007 win over South Carolina State and became the starting punter in ’08, averaging 42.1 yards on 28 attempts.