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No quips, no dry jokes, no off-color comments.

Mitch Wishnowsky didn't give an award speech like Tom Hackett, but he sure punted like him.

The 22-year-old sophomore won the Ray Guy Award for the nation's top punter on Thursday evening at the College Football Awards show in Atlanta, Ga, bringing home the third Ray Guy honor in as many years for Utah football.

The award was one of the last presented in the two-hour broadcast, which Wishnowsky said made him as anxious as any punt.

"It's unbelievable," he said in an interview with The Tribune. "It was real nerve-wracking. I sort of played it down, but everybody really wants to win it. Just sitting there was really building up."

In winning the award, Wishnowsky made history for Utah. The program became the first school to take home the Ray Guy Award in three straight years, as well as the first school to win with two different punters, winning the last two with two-time All-American Hackett.

When host Chris Fowler asked how Australian punters have innovated special teams, Wishnowsky kept it short.

"You can roll out, you can hold onto it for longer," he said. "It is changing the game of college football."

For Utah, he was a game-changer. All Wishnowsky had to do to win the award was lead the nation in net punting (44.9) for 12 out of 14 weeks this season.

The punter from Gosnells in Western Australia finished second nationally punt average (48.0), knocking a nation-leading 28 punts of 50 yards or more, and his punts totalling just over 1.6 miles on the season. He knocked 34 punts inside the 20, and 17 punts inside the 10. In his last 11 games, he didn't notch a touchback.

He was a three-time Ray Guy punter of the week during the season, after games against Southern Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. He also reset the school single-game punt average record (55.5 ypp) against SUU in his career debut.

His parents flew from Australia to be at the show, and he said "Mum teared up a bit."

Afterward, he got texts from teammates as well as Hackett, who told him congratulations, "and to have a beer for him." Coach Kyle Whittingham attended the ceremony with him.

Wishnowsky beat out a pair of fellow Pro Kick Australia grads to get the award: Ohio State's Cameron Johnston and Texas' Michael Dickson. He said that his competitors had no hard feelings and "we're all good mates."

While Wishnowsky had shout-outs for his competitors, he had a special one for senior Utah long-snapper Chase Dominguez. He was also Hackett's long snapper for his Ray Guy Award seasons.

"Chase Dominguez needs to get a shout out," he said. "There's no snapper award, but I nominate Chase."

Several All American lists have recognized Wishnowsky as the best punter in the land. He's made teams from The Sporting News, Walter Camp, USA Today, Pro Football Focus, SB Nation, College Sports Madness and Sports on Earth.

The Pac-12 made out well at the awards show: USC's Adoree Jackson won the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation's best defensive back, and Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez won the Lou Groza Award for the nation's top kicker.

While Wishnowsky's own job description is to pin opponents into a corner, he's trapped himself in one, too: For his last two years of eligibility, he's set the bar at being the best punter in the country.

But Wishnowsky, who reset program records in his first game, sounded unfazed: "High expectations aren't the worst thing."

Twitter: @kylegoon