Tag: Reid Bauer

Reid Bauer wins SEC Special Teams Player of the Week

Reid Bauer would lead the SEC in punting this season if he punted enough times to qualify.

From a consistency standpoint, Reid Bauer didn’t have the day he wanted Saturday against Auburn.

Maybe his stern talking-to from Sam Pittman after a short punt against the Tigers motivated him. Bauer kicked a 78-yard punt in the second quarter against Auburn in the Hogs’ 41-27 win, ultimately helping the senior to SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Those 78 yards tied him at 10th for longest punt in school history. The boot was the second longest by an SEC punter this year and it’s the longest by an Arkansas punter since Sam Irwin-Hill kicked a 79-yarder in 2013.

Against the Tigers, Bauer had three punts for a 43-yard average. Auburn did not return a single one.

Bauer had been Arkansas’ regular punter the last two years but lost the starting job in camp to freshman Max Fletcher. Since re-gaining the job three games ago, three of Bauer’s seven punts have gone for more than 50 yards. If he had the number of punts to qualify for the SEC leaderboard, Bauer’s 47-yard average would be tops in the conference by more than a yard.

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Reid Bauer known for more than miracle touchdown vs Alabama

Reid Bauer is a master of pinning Arkansas opponents deep in their own territory.

To most of the nation and the casual football-watching public, Reid Bauer is that guy who threw the touchdown pass on Arkansas’ fake field goal last year against Alabama.

And while that’s true, Bauer is getting some recognition for his so-called day job, too.

Arkansas’ senior punter was one of 48 players named to the Ray Guy Award watch list as the nation’s best college punter. Bauer punted 58 times last year for an average of 43.28 yards per kick. The rank was fourth in the SEC, but the key was pinning. Sixteen of Bauer’s punts were fielded or downed inside the opponent’s 20.

Yes, Bauer is most famous for the 33-yard scoring toss to Blake Kern last year, though. The touchdown pulled Arkansas within six points of the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter before Jameson Williams’ touchdown with 5:38 left provided Alabama’s insurance.

The Ray Guy Award will be given out December 8 as part of the College Football Awards presentation.

Reid Bauer wins Mortell Award

Being a holder is an underrated job and Reid Bauer proved how important it was this year for Arkansas.

In what was largely a week of rough news for Arkansas football after winning the Outback Bowl, the Razorbacks received a bit of good news on two fronts Friday.

First, senior linebacker Bumper Pool decided to return for a super senior season. Second, junior punter Reid Bauer was named the winner of the Mortell Award as the nation’s best holder.

“Best holder?” you may wonder. But don’t pretend the job isn’t important. When kicker Cam Little was busy going 20 of 24 on his field goals and setting a pace to become the best kicker in Arkansas history, someone had to hold those kicks. That was Bauer.

The junior also converted two fakes – one for a first down with his legs and another for a touchdown with his pass – in consecutive weeks during the regular season. Both came in Arkansas wins as the Hogs went 9-4.

Bauer will return for a senior season in 2022 after averaging 40 yards per punt in 2021 and finished as the eighth-highest graded punter in FBS per Pro Football Focus.

WATCH: WOW! Punter Reid Bauer throws TD pass on fake field goal

Arkansas pulled within six points of Alabama after punter Reid Bauer throws a touchdown on a fake field goal.

For the second straight week, Sam Pittman pulled a fake. This time, it went for a score.

Arkansas pulled within six points, 34-28, against Alabama with less than 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks lined up for a field goal from the Alabama 32, but punter/holder Reid Bauer took the snap, immediately rose to his feet and threw a jump pass to tight end Blake Kern over the middle. Kern threw a mitt on it, pulled it into his body and hauled himself and an Alabama defender to the end zone.

Last week against LSU, Pittman called a fake field goal that resulted in Bauer running around the left side for a first down. The Hogs ultimately scored on a field goal on the drive and won, 16-13, in overtime.

Special teams continue to haunt Arkansas in loss to Bulldogs

Arkansas knew it would be an uphill battle on Saturday, but special teams miscues didn’t help matters.

Georgia had already taken a 14-0 lead on Saturday when disaster struck for Arkansas.

Reid Bauer was lined up in his own end zone to punt it away when it was blocked by Georgia’s Dan Jackson and Zamir White (who doubles as a special teams player) recovered it in the end zone to make it 21-0.

At that point, the Razorbacks were probably done even though the first quarter still wasn’t over.

Eventually Arkansas was able to put together a drive and got into field goal range, but sure-footed Cameron Little missed his first field goal wide right from 37 yards out.

Little’s counterpart, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny, made all four of his extra points on Saturday, which happens to be part of a record for consecutive extra points made at 356 and counting. It started in 2014.

Senior linebacker Grant Morgan said following the game that he knew he and his teammates would have to play a perfect game in order to beat Georgia.

“We didn’t win in any of the three phases, special teams, offense or defense, and it showed,” Morgan said.

Morgan led the team with 12 tackles while Bumper Pool was right behind him with 11 stops.

Arkansas did not record a sack and only had four tackles for loss, as the Bulldogs were committed to a game plan of a steady diet of run plays.

Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett IV only attempted 11 passes and completed 7 of them for 72 yards.

The Razorbacks won’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves, as they travel to Oxford, Miss. next week to take on Ole Miss, who was dominated by Alabama on Saturday.

Picking off Matt Corral six times is probably an unlikely scenario this time around, as well as stopping the Rebels on fourth-and-goal situations twice.

Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. on ESPN, just like the Georgia game.