Texas Tech associate head coach Kenny Perry was announced as a nominee for the Frank Broyles Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
Perry, now in his second season on the Texas Tech staff, has made an argument for one of the top performances by an assistant coach in the country thus far this season as he boasts one of the nation's top punters in Austin McNamara as well as four special teams units that rank in the top 20 of statistical categories, including three in the top 10 entering this weekend.
That's not even including his work as Texas Tech's running backs coach where senior Tahj Brooks currently ranks fifth in the country in both total rushing yards (1,166) and rushing yards per game (116.6). Brooks has rushed for 100 yards or more in seven of the past eight games entering Saturday's home finale with UCF as he leads all power-five rushers in missed tackles forced, according to Pro Football Focus, and ranks third in total rushing yards.
In the process, Brooks has placed his name squarely among the elite rushers in Texas Tech history as he already ranks 10th on the single-season chart with two regular-season games to play. Brooks, who is second nationally with 898 rushing yards this season against conference opponents, previously broke into the Texas Tech career record book as he moved into eighth place at Kansas with 2,680 yards over his four years.
Brooks won't be the only Perry pupil to find his name in the Texas Tech record book at the end of the season as McNamara is on pace to snap both the school and Big 12 career records for punting average. McNamara, a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, is averaging 47.7 yards per punt this season to rank seventh in the FBS, while the Red Raiders, as a team, are eighth in net punting average (43.55) through 10 games.
McNamara has developed a knack for pinning opponents deep in their own territory with 17 punts this season downed inside the 20-yard line. He is one of only two FBS punters currently to rank in the top 10 for punting average nationally, to have his team rank in the top 10 for net punting average and also rank, himself, in the top 10 in PFF's hang time average.
Besides McNamara, Texas Tech also ranks second in the FBS for punt return average (22.56), ninth for kickoff return average (26.0), 17th for blocked kicks (2) and 29th for kickoff return defense. Drae McCray leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th nationally in kickoff return average, while Myles Price, who is averaging 21.8 yards per punt return, would rank second if he met the NCAA minimum of 1.2 punt returns per game.
In the kicking game, Reese Burkhardt has proven to be a welcome addition, booting 38 of his 57 kickoff attempts for touchbacks (66.7 percent) thus far this season. Gino Garcia, meanwhile, is 13-for-18 on the season after finding the uprights on 11 of his last 12 tries, including the game-winner this past weekend to propel the Red Raiders over No. 16 Kansas.
The Kansas win improved the Red Raiders to 5-5 on the season heading into Saturday's home finale against UCF. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. inside Jones AT&T Stadium with coverage provided on FOX Sports 2 and the Texas Tech Sports Network.
