COLUMBIA, Mo. – The preseason awards keep rolling in for Mizzou Football as senior P Corey Fatony and junior K Tucker McCann (O'Fallon, Ill.) were named to the Ray Guy and Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch Lists, respectively, announced Wednesday (July 25). McCann is one of 30 players who are on the initial list for the award that honors college football's top place kicker while Fatony, who was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award a year ago, makes the initial list of 28 this year.
Fatony enters his senior season as one of the preseason favorites for the Ray Guy Award, which is given annually to the nation's top punter, an award for which he was a semifinalist for a year ago. He has the ability to bomb the football but also has the touch and finesse to pin opponents deep in their own territory. Fatony flips the field better than any punter in the SEC and has helped Mizzou rank as one of the nation's elite teams in net punting throughout his first three years with the program. Last year, he ranked 13th nationally in punting, with his 44.3 yards per kick average. His outstanding ability to get hang time, as well as pin point directional kicking, had the Tigers ranked 13th in the team net punting category, as well (41.0 avg.). He had only five touchbacks in 58 attempts on the season, with 19 fair catches and 21 of his kicks finishing inside the opponent 20-yard line. He also boomed 16 punts of 50 or more yards, including a long of 70 yards against South Carolina, marking a career long.
McCann is coming off an outstanding sophomore season that saw him grow into a very dependable and accurate weapon in the kicking game for the Tigers. He ended the season 15-of-17 on field goal attempts, with his 88.2 percent success rate ranking second-best in the SEC and fifth-best in the nation. He made his last 13 field goals to close the year, and will carry that consecutive kicks made streak into the 2018 season. McCann had a long kick of 43 yards and was perfect from long distance, going 4-of-4 from 40 yards or more. The highlight of his sophomore season was when he came through as the hero at Arkansas (11/24) when he calmly drilled a 19-yard field goal with :05 seconds left to give Mizzou a dramatic 48-45 win and victory number seven on the season . He also connected on 51-of-53 extra points on the season, and was very effective on kickoffs, as he forced 45 touchbacks by opponents, which ranked as 12th-most in the nation.
Mizzou on Preseason Award Watch Lists
- Maxwell Award (top offensive player) – Senior QB Drew Lock
- Bednarik Award (top defensive player) – Senior DL Terry Beckner, Jr.
- Davey O'Brien Award (top QB) – Senior QB Drew Lock
- Doak Walker Award (top RB) – Junior RB Damarea Crockett
- Biletnikoff Award (top WR) – Senior WR Emanuel Hall
- Mackey Award (top TE) – Sophomore TE Albert Okwuegbunam
- Butkus Award (top LB) – Senior LB Terez Hall
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) - Senior DL Terry Beckner, Jr.
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) - Senior LB Terez Hall
- Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) – Senior OL Paul Adams
- Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) – Terry Beckner, Jr.
- Lou Groza Award (top K) – Junior K Tucker McCann
- Ray Guy Award (top P) – Senior P Corey Fatony
Mizzou Football will open the 2018 season on Sept. 1, 2018, against UT Martin at Memorial Stadium. Fans wishing to purchase season tickets can do so at MUTigers.com/FBTix or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. For all the latest on Mizzou Football, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the team on social media (@MizzouFootball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook).