Senior punter Richie Leone has been named the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week.

Leone had six punts with a total of 282 yards, averaging 47 yards per punt in the Cougars’ 25-15 victory against Memphis. Four of his punts were marked inside the 20-yard line, including one inside the 10-yard line, with one touchback. Leone’s net average was 44 yards per punt, and his longest went for 58 yards.

Leone’s punts helped hold Memphis to just one punt return for a loss of two yards, forcing Memphis punt returners to signal three fair catches.

Leone has helped UH lead the nation in punt return defense, holding opponents to a loss of 2.25 yards per return. His five kickoffs average 64.2 yards per kick, limiting Memphis to an average of 24 yards per return. He also connected on a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.

AAC bowl affiliations

The American Athletic Conference announced a six-year bowl relationship with four ESPN-owned bowl games that will begin during the 2014 football season.

The American extended its current agreements with the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Fla. and the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. In addition, the American will send a team to either the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in 2014, 2016 and 2018 in Fort Worth or the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in 2015, 2017 and 2019 in Honolulu. Each year, these bowl games will select three of the top six eligible teams from the conference.

The opponents for the American will come from the Atlantic Coast Conference three times and from Conference USA three times in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. The Southeastern Conference will provide the opponents in the BBVA Compass Bowl, while the opponents in the Armed Forces Bowl will be Army in 2014 and Big 12 Conference teams in the other two years. The American representative will face a Mountain West team in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Leone nabs national weekly award” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar