University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior punter Nick Pollard earned national recognition from the College Football Performance Awards for his play against The Citadel this weekend. Pollard tied a career-high with five kicks downed inside the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line in the Mocs’ 28-24 win. He was one of eight to earn Honorable Mention Honors for the CFPA Punter of the Week award.
Pollard averaged 39.2 yards per punt on six tries against The Citadel. The only time he was not kicking against a short field, he pounded a 53-yarder. Starting in the second quarter and moving into the third, he had a string of four-straight punts that were downed inside the Bulldog’s six-yard line. The ensuing Citadel drives ended in a fumble, punt, end of the half and another punt.
After a stalled Chattanooga drive in the fourth quarter, Pollard pushed The Citadel back to its own 17. The Bulldogs punted that possession away, setting up the Mocs’ game-winning drive.
Pollard, a native of Smyrna, Tenn., is averaging 40.3 yards per kick on the season. The rugby-style punter has seen 14 of his 31 punts downed inside his opponents’ 20-yard line. He is also handling all of the kickoffs and place-kicking duties. He is 3-4 on field goals and 34-34 on PATs.
Chattanooga visits Appalachian State (2-6, 2-3 SoCon) this weekend. The Mocs are 6-2 for the first time since 1997 and tied with Wofford for second place in the Southern Conference race at 4-1. Kickoff against the Mountaineers is set for 3:30 p.m. (E.D.T.) on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Boone, N.C. Tune into ESPN Radio 105.1 The Zone for all of the action.