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Rice University Athletics
Martens Named to C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team
7/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 27, 2011
Record-setting punter Kyle Martens has been named to the 2011 Conference USA Preseason All Conference team, as selected by the league's 12 head coaches and announced on Wednesday.
Martens set Rice season and career records last season while earning a spot on the AFCA All-America team as well as All C-USA honors from league coaches. He led C-USA and was third in the nation with a with a school-record 45.98 average on 52 punts, edging Steve Kidd's mark of 45.94 in 1985. He brings a career average of 42.7 which is over a yard better than previous school career mark of 41.4 by Jared Scruggs.
In addition to punting for a high average, Martens was one of the nation's most efficient punters. He placed 42% of his kicks inside the 20 (22/52) with 50% of those downed at or inside the 10. Seven times, he pinned teams inside the four with his efforts. He also averaged 51 yards per punt on five kicks from inside the Rice 18.
He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award and has been placed on the 2011 Watch List and earned second-team honors from Walter Camp and was selected to participate in the Walter Camp Foundation's All American Weekend.
Earlier this month, he was nominated as Rice's candidate for the AFCA' Good Works Team. He was also named first-team preseason All Texas College pick by Dave Campbell's Texas Football and joined with kicker Chris Boswell to form the seventh best special teams unit in the country according to Phil Steele.
Martens and his Rice teammates will report for the start of their 2011 preseason camp on Friday, August 5, with Media Day and the first workout set for Saturday, August 6. They open their 100th season of football on September 3 when they face Texas in Austin. The 2011 home season will kick off on September 10 at 2:30 when the Owls host the Purdue Boilermakers.
