Michael Gibson

Position:
P
Ht./Wt.:
6-2 / 217
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Tupelo, MS
Prev School:
Itawamba CC

Career Summary: Lettered two seasons for the Tigers after transferring from Itawamba CC...Holds the Tiger record for career punting average with 44.0 yards per punt...Ranks second and third all-time in season average for 2005 and 2006...His 50.9 punting average against Tennessee in 2006 ranks fourth all-time and his 73-yard punt in that game ranks third all-time...Holds the record for single game punting average with his 52.5 mark against UAB in 2005...Had a season-high 70-yard punt against Marshall in the 2005 season finale that ranks tied for fifth all-time...Booted 18 punts over 50 yards in 2005...Finished the 2005 season ranked 11th nationally in punting with an average of 44.6 yards per kick...Team ranked third nationally in net punting...Totals 26 punts over 50 yards for his career.

Honors: Named first-team All-C-USA by league coaches and second-team All-C-USA by the media...Selected as Co-Special Teams Player of the Year at the 2005 and 2006 team banquets...Named second-team All-C-USA in 2005.

Notable: Graduated in August 2006 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies...Served a class internship in the Tiger Scholarship Fund office during his senior season.

2006: Was a candidate for the 2006 Ray Guy Award...Finished the season ranked third in C-USA with his average of 43.1 yards per punt...Booted 12 of his 42 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, including six inside the 5-yard line...Totaled eight punts over 50 yards...28 of his 42 punts were for 40-plus yards...Against ASU booted 51 and 52 yard punts, both to the 1-yard line and his 57-yarder landed in the endzone for a touchback...Had two punts 70-yards or longer against Tennessee including a 73-yard punt that is the third-longest punt in school history and had three inside the 20...His punt average of 50.9 yards against UT is the fourth-highest in school history...Received recognition during the summer on All-C-USA teams by The Sporting News, Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, Street & Smith's College Football 2006 Yearbook and CollegeFootballNews.com.

2005: Named to All-Conference USA Second Team after leading the league in yards punted with 2,632...Shared Memphis Special Teams Player of the Year Award with kicker Stephen Gostkowski at the post-season banquet...Finished the season ranked 11th nationally in punting with an average of 44.6 yards per kick...Memphis as a team ranked third nationally in net punting...Transferred the Memphis and became the Tigers' starting punter for the season opener against Ole Miss...Punted seven times for an average of 39.3 yards average against the Rebels...Had a long punt of 49 yards and one of his punts was downed inside the Ole Miss 20-yard line...Improved his punting average in each of the first six games of the season...Punted twice in the win over Chattanooga, and averaged 41.0 yards per punt with a long kick of 54 yards...Had an outstanding effort against Tulsa when he punted six times for 274 yards...Averaged 45.7 yards per punt against the Golden Hurricane, which was the first time since 1999 that a Tiger punter averaged more than 45.5 yards on at least five kicks...Had a long kick of 53 yards in the Tulsa meeting...Amassed 412 yards on nine punts for an average of 45.8 yards per punt against UTEP...Punted five times against UCF and averaged 46.2 yards per punt, with a long kick of 53 yards...Averaged 46.8 yards on five punts in the Houston win...Faked a punt against the Cougars, but was promptly stopped for a one-yard loss...Punted six times in the Tennessee game and averaged 45.8 yards per punt...Had a long punt of 55 yards against the Vols...Recorded a career-high 70-yard punt in the regular-season finale against Marshall, which tied for the fourth-longest punt in school history...Had four punts in the Motor City Bowl, none of which were returned...Averaged 47.8 yards in the bowl game with a long of 51 yards...Averaged 44.6 yards on 59 punts and pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line 13 times...Booted 18 punts farther than 50 yards last season.

Junior College: Played one season at Itawamba Community College for Coach Jeff Terrill after transferring from Auburn University...Led the state of Mississippi in punting with an average of 44.6 yards per punt in 2004...Named first-team all-state and first-team all-23rd Region...Was also an honorable mention pick on the NJCAA All-American football team.

Auburn University: Signed with Auburn out of Mooreville High in Mooreville, Miss...Redshirted in 2002 for the Tigers and played as a freshman in 2003.

Prep: Averaged 46.5 yards per punt as a senior at MHS... Also handled the kickoffs and sent 50 percent of his kicks into the endzone...Averaged 44.7 yards per punt as a junior...Was a two-time all-state selection, and also played quarterback in the last five games of his senior season...While at quarterback, he led his squad to four wins and a berth in the Class 2A playoffs after throwing for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns...Only punted during his junior and senior years at MHS before signing with Auburn.

Personal: Michael Lee Gibson is the son of Mike and Margaret Gibson...Born October 13, 1983.

GIBSON'S CAREER STATISTICS

Punting	G/S	No	Yds	Avg	TB	FC	I20	LG
2005	12/12	59	2632	44.6	2	5	13	70
2006	12/12	42	1812	43.1	6	6	12	73
Total	24/24	101	4444	44.0	8	11	25	73

Game-By-Game Review

Punting	Opponent	No	Yds	Avg	LG	50+	I20
9/5/05	Ole Miss	7	275	39.3	49	0	1
9/17/05	Chattanooga	2	82	41.0	54	1	1
9/24/05	Tulsa	6	274	45.7	53	2	2
10/1/05	UTEP	9	412	45.8	54	3	2
10/8/05	UCF	5	231	46.2	53	1	1
10/15/05	Houston	5	234	46.8	53	2	0
10/22/05	East Carolina	4	177	44.2	49	0	0
11/1/05	UAB	2	105	52.5	53	2	0
11/12/05	Tennessee	6	275	45.8	55	2	2
11/19/05	Southern Miss	5	208	41.6	50	1	0
11/26/05	Marshall	4	168	42.0	70	1	1
12/26/05	Akron	4	191	47.8	51	2	3
9/3/06	at Ole Miss	3	127	42.3	46	0	1
9/9/06	Chattanooga	1	43	43.0	43.0	0	0
9/16/06	at ECU	3	127	42.3	51	1	1
9/30/06	Tennessee	7	356	50.9	73	3	3
10/7/06	at UAB	1	39	39.0	39	0	0
10/14/06	Arkansas State	4	198	49.5	57	3	2
10/21/06	Tulsa	3	100	33.3	55	1	0
11/28/06	at Marshall	2	86	43.0	46	0	0
11/5/06	Southern Miss	6	230	38.2	44	0	1
11/11/06	UCF	4	177	44.2	47	0	2
11/18/06	Houston	2	95	47.5	49	0	0
11/25/06	at UTEP	6	234	39.0	45	0	2