James MinzesheimerWhile the Rebels collected a nail-biting win last Saturday against Kentucky, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown collected another win this week as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) named him SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Oct. 3 game.
The redshirt senior out of Eden Prairie, Minn. adds this to his extensive list of accolades that include the Dean’s Honor Roll and the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Against Kentucky, Brown punted five times for 245 yards, and this season, he is averaging 49 yards a punt. Brown ranks second in the nation this year, and he is only trailing the University of Georgia’s Jake Camarda, who took the Special Teams Player of the Week title after a successful week one game against Arkansas.
Brown also serves as an experienced holder for Luke Logan, who has had trouble remaining consistent when it comes to field goals and extra points.
Brown’s field time will likely increase this Saturday with the Rebels taking on the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Vaught-Hemingway stadium. Alabama has forced opponents to punt five times this year, but with Alabama’s tough defense, it is possible that the Rebels may elect to punt more than that.
This would give Brown an opportunity to climb up the NCAA punting leaderboard and try to knock Camarda out of the top spot.
Brown has pinned three of his eight punts inside the 20-yard line this season, and four have been over 50 yards. At this rate, Brown is likely to break the 60-yard mark this season with his longest punt being 59 yards against Kentucky.
“I knew last year I obviously had a lot more punts at this point in the season, but getting a couple of opportunities compared to eight or nine, it’s actually more calming for me because I know I am not going to have an overload work day,” Brown said.
The offense is also putting Brown in a good place. With the trouble the Rebels defense has been having, Brown has given the team some room to breathe.
