Pitt kicker Ben Sauls named to PFF All-America team
After a season of reliability, Pitt senior kicker Ben Sauls was named Tuesday to the Pro Football Focus All-America Team. He is the only kicker on the 27-man squad.
With one game to play — the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit — Sauls has converted a team-high 95 points, including 18 field goals in 21 tries and 41 of 41 extra point attempts.
Sauls was at his best from long range. He leads the FBS with three field goals of 55 yards or longer, and his five of 50 or longer are a Pitt season record. He tied Alex Kessman for the longest in school history (58 yards) in the 17-15 victory against California at Acrisure Stadium. He also kicked 47- and 53-yard field goals in the 28-27 victory at Cincinnati.
Overall, he averaged 44.7 yards on his 18 field goals. His three misses came from 59, 47 and 45 (blocked) yards.
In the Pitt record book, Sauls is fourth in all-time kick scoring (266 points, 49 field goals and 119 PATs) and sixth in overall scoring.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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