#35 Ben Turk 2011-12 Football Roster

2012 (SENIOR): Turned in an exceptional senior year as the team[apos]s punter … booted the ball 53 times for 2,161 yards, good for an average of 40.8 yards a punt … had a long of 53 yards … forced 23 fair catches and had 14 downed inside the 20 yard line … had nine punts that went 50+ yards and only two touchbacks … had season-best average of 44.3 in three punts at USC (Nov. 24) … average included one 50+ yard boot … had two 50+ yard punts against Purdue (Sept. 8) and Michigan State (Sept. 15) … averaged 43.6 yards per punt against the Boilermakers and 42.4 yards per punt against the Spartans … also booted two 50+ yard punts against BYU (Oct. 20) and averaged 43.8 yards per punt against the Cougars … averaged over 40 yards per punt in seven games … other games included 41.2 against Stanford (Oct. 13) and 40.8 against Oklahoma (Oct. 27) … punted five times for 214 yards, a 42.8 per punt average, against Alabama in the BCS title game.

2011 (JUNIOR): Was the team[apos]s starting punter in all 13 games … averaged 40 yards a punt or more per game the last seven games and nine games total … averaged a career-best 40.3 for the season, hitting 53 punts for 2,136 yards … had a career-long 58 yarder in win vs. Maryland … had five punts that went at least 50 yards … forced 13 fair catches and placed 14 inside the 20 yard line … averaged 44 yards a punt in win vs. Boston College … also set career highs for punts, punt yards, touchbacks and fair catches against the Eagles … stopped four punts inside the 20-yard line during Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State.

2010 (SOPHOMORE): Took to the field as the starting punter for the Irish in all 13 games in 2010 … punted 68 times for a total of 2,603 yards and averaged 38.3 yards per punt … registered a career-long punt of 56 yards against Tulsa … only 14 of 68 punts were returned … 22 resulted in fair catches and 26 were downed inside the opponent[apos]s 20-yard line … six punts sailed over 50 yards … recorded four games with a punt average above 40.0 yards (Pittsburgh, Western Michigan, Navy and Tulsa) … pinned Miami (Fla.) inside its 20-yard line on three of his four punts in the Hyundai Sun Bowl victory over the Hurricanes.

2009 (FRESHMAN): Named starting punter for Irish midway through season and punted in six of final eight games (Washington, Boston College, USC, Washington State, Connecticut and Stanford) … punted 26 times for an average of 38.2 yards per kick and net of 34.7 yards … nine of his punts were downed inside 20-yard line with long punt of 53 yards … finished season strong as three of his final eight punts traveled at least 50 yards and averaged 45.5 yards per punt in final two games combined … made Irish debut against Washington … landed three of five punts inside 20-yard line against USC and recorded net average of 37.0 yards per punt … punted season-high six times against Boston College … booted five punts against Connecticut with 47.0-yard average, highest single-game punting average by Notre Dame punter since Geoff Price averaged 47.4 yards on five punts in Sugar Bowl following 2006 season … recorded two punts of 50 yards against Huskies and landed one punt inside 20-yard line … punted three times for 129 yards at Stanford (43.0-yard average) including season-best 53-yard punt … registered season-best 41.0-yard net average … made 27 appearances on special teams.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Scout.com ranked him as the third-best punter nationally … rated the sixth-best kicker in the country by Rivals.com … named first-team all-state for Class 5A following senior year … selected to Florida Super 75 squad by Jacksonville Times-Union and also tabbed the state[apos]s top kicker by the Times-Union … named first-team all-Broward County following senior season … averaged 41 yards per punt as a junior and 39 yards per punt during his senior campaign at St. Thomas Aquinas … landed 14 of his 28 punts inside the 20-yard line as a senior in 2008 … high school teammate of Irish long snapper Jordan Cowart … nephew of longtime NFL punter Matt Turk who made three Pro Bowls with Washington Redskins in 1996-97-98 (punted 1,137 times in NFL career through 2011 season) … helped his high school to a 29-1 record as a junior and senior and was a member of 2007 and 2008 Florida Class 5A state champions … the Raiders finished the 2008 season ranked first nationally by USA Today and ESPN Rise … played for head coach George Smith at St. Thomas Aquinas High School … son of Kelly and Tony Turk …enrolled in Mendoza College of Business as a finance major.

Turk[apos]s Career Statistics