UH punter named WAC player of week

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i punter Mat McBriar, the team-promoted "Thunder from Down Under," today was named the Western Athletic Conference's football special teams player of the week.

McBriar averaged 53.3 yards on three punts in a 34-10 victory over San Jose State last Saturday. All three punts landed inside the Spartan 20, including one at the 3 and another at the 9.

"He deserves it," UH coach June Jones told The Advertiser this morning. "He kicked the ball as well as you can kick it."

McBriar, a sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, did not play football until the spring of 2000. San Diego Charger punter Darren Bennett introduced McBriar to the sport.

"I could tell Darren spent a lot of time with him," Jones said.

Last fall, McBriar often wore a wristwatch during practices.

His biggest adjustment was learning to catch long snaps. "It took him a while," Jones said.

As for McBriar's progress in that area, Jones said, "He hasn't dropped any snaps yet."