Two Jayhawks Listed on CFPA Special Teams Watch List

June 25, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior wide receiver/kick returner D.J. Beshears and junior punter/kicker Ron Doherty were named to the 2012 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Special Teams Watch List Monday afternoon. Beshears, a senior from Denton, Texas, was listed as one of the top all-purpose players in the country, while Doherty, a junior from Klein, Texas, was listed as one of the top punters in college football.

The purpose of the College Football Performance Awards is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.

Beshears has amassed 1,936 return yards in three seasons with the Jayhawks, which ranks him second on KU’s all time list, behind Marcus Herford (2005-09) with 2,075 yards. Last season Beshears led the Big 12 in return yards (1,014) and was third in all-purpose yards (1,587), while playing in all 12 games for the Jayhawks, including six starts at wide receiver and several carries out of the backfield.

In his first season as the team’s punter, Doherty finished the 2011 season with the third-best punting average in the Big 12, at 42.8 yards per attempt. He collected a total of 2,738 total yards on 64 attempts for the season, including landing 15 punts inside the opponents 20 yard-line, to earn Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.

Beshears, Doherty and the rest of the Jayhawks will open the 2012 season with a home game against South Dakota State on Saturday, Sept. 1. Season tickets are available by calling the Kansas Ticket Office at 1-800-34-HAWKS or by visiting www.kuathletics.com.