Sept. 30, 2008

KANSAS CITY - Utah All-America punter/kicker Louie Sakoda is one of 30 candidates for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in football. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision senior and have notable achievements in these areas: classroom, character, community, and competition.

Sakoda, a two-time Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, Ray Guy finalist and Lou Groza semifinalist, won first-team All-America honors as both a punter (FWAA, CBSSports) and kicker (Rivals.com) as a junior last year.

He currently ranks among the national leaders in punting average (45.1) and field goal percentage (10-of-12, 83.3%). Sakoda holds school records for career points scored (238), career field goals (45), field goals in a season (19, 2007) and consecutive field goals (15, 2007). He has been named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week twice this season and nine times in his career.

He is 45-of-54 (83.3%) in career field goal kicking, which currently ranks him first all-time at Utah. As a punter, Sakoda ranks fourth in the nation among active players in career punt yards (8,462) and career punts (200). He has placed 86 of his 200 punts inside the 20-yard line and had 41 career punts of 50 yards or longer.

Sakoda is also a standout in the classroom. He is a three-time MWC Scholar-Athlete majoring in business marketing. Sakoda has also been a team captain representing the special teams.

The list will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot. The ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The winner of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for football will be announced during a 2008-09 post-season college football event.