Alabama freshman JK Scott had a 62-yard punt in the opener against West Virginia and a 70-yard punt in the regular-season finale against Auburn.
He was stout during every game in between for the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
"It's been a great year, and it's been a lot of fun," Scott said after Alabama's 42-13 defeat of Missouri in the Southeastern Conference championship game. "I've been blessed with an opportunity to play at this level and compete in the SEC, and it's just been a lot of fun."
Labeled the "unsung hero" of this year's Tide by junior center Ryan Kelly, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Scott ranks third nationally with 47.0 yards per punt and second nationally with a 43.4-yard net average. He was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and is the only punter nationally to place more than half of his kicks inside the 20-yard line.
Yet more impressive than any stat compiled by the superb specialist from Mullen High in Denver is the fact he's on auto pilot according to coach Nick Saban.
"I don't want to really take any credit for anything we do, because he could punt really well when he got here," Saban said in a late-season news conference. "JK is very dedicated and really has a routine he likes to stay within in terms of his workout, preparation, flexibility, and strength and conditioning.
"We allow him to do exactly what he likes to do relative to what he thinks he needs to do to maximize his ability."
Scott credits past preparation for his success this season and believes games should be no different from practices.
"I've got three yards in front of me, and that's all I can control," he said. "If I do it the same way I do it in practice, I will get the same results. There is definitely a process to punting compared to other positions.
"Punting and kicking are specific in terms of what you need to do in the weight room and flexibility-wise, and a lot of my workouts actually revolve around sprint workouts because they're so explosive."
Alabama had its back to the wall after a 23-17 loss at Ole Miss on Oct. 4, with a second setback likely eliminating the Tide from the inaugural College Football Playoff. A big challenge down the stretch was the Nov. 15 visit from Mississippi State, which was 9-0 and ranked No. 1.
In helping Alabama build a 19-0 lead on its way to a 25-20 triumph, Scott had a 48-yard punt to the 16, a 34-yard punt to the 4, a 36-yard punt to the 9, a 53-yard punt to the 18, a 56-yard punt to the 5, and a 46-yard punt to the 15. Minutes after the game, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said, "the MVP of the game was probably their punter."
"I don't know if I've had a favorite punt this season, but my favorite game was Mississippi State," Scott said. "I had two inside the 5, and I really liked those two."
Replacing Cody Mandell was a concern for Alabama before the season, even with Scott arriving as a top-five punter in the 2014 signing class. Mandell averaged 44.3 yards a punt in 2012 and 47.1 yards last season, so Scott has extended the most productive punting stretch in school history.
While giving Saban little, if anything, to worry about when he takes the field.
"Sometimes good enough is good enough and you don't have to keep trying to get better," Saban said. "When you're kicking them 50 or 55 yards with a five-second hangtime, that's good enough. He's done a great job for us and has certainly changed field position in some critical times for us in several games this year."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.