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Sanders, Bojorquez Lead NFL

Sanders, Bojorquez Lead NFLSanders, Bojorquez Lead NFL

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two of the best specialists to ever wear a Lobo uniform were teammates.  Now, Jason Sanders and Corey Bojorquez may be on opposite teams within the AFC East, but they both are quickly laying claim to being the best in the NFL.

Sanders, who played at UNM from 2014 to 2017, was named First Team NFL All-Pro on Friday, capped a marvelous season in which he helped the Miami Dolphins to a 10-6 record and the brink of the playoffs.  Bojorquez, who played from 2016-17, will head to the playoffs after leading the NFL in punting average.

 

Sanders led the NFL in scoring with 144 points, tying with Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo and Las Vegas’ Daniel Carlson.  He also led the league with 20 field goals of 40 yards or more, and set Dolphin records with 22 consecutive field goals made, and 10 consecutive field goals of 50 yards or more.  For the season he went 36-for-39, finishing second in the league in field goals, and he was a perfect 36-for-36 on extra points.  Every single regular kicker in the NFL missed at least one extra point this season except for Sanders, who also added a 70.3% touchback percentage on kickoffs, allowing just 15.2 yards per return, the second-lowest average in the NFL.

Sanders, who owns the most 50-yard field goals in Lobo history and the longest road field goal (53) in Lobo history (he is tied for both marks), hit a career-long 56 yard field goal at the end of the first half against Arizona.  That kick was big as the Dolphins won 34-31 with Sanders hitting a game-winning 50-yard field goal with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter.  Against Las Vegas, he hit a 44-yarder with 1 second left to give Miami a miracle 26-25 win at Allegiant Stadium.

Bojorquez, who will play at 11:05 Mountain Time in a Wild Card game as the No. 2 seed Bills host the No. 7 Indianapolis Colts, led the NFL with a 50.4-yard punting average, the fourth-highest total in the history of the NFL.  His 72-yard punt against the Tennessee Titans was the longest in the league and his 54-yard punt in the season finale against Miami went out of bounds at the one-inch line, and was called by many one of the great coffin corner punts ever.

The former Ray Guy semifinalist in 2017 also was also fifth in the league in net punting at 44.0 yards per punt, and he hit 18 of his 41 punts inside the 20-yard line and he had just 16 punts returned, fourth-best in the NFL.

Both kickers made names for themselves in 2019 with heady plays that helped earn wins.  For Sanders, he caught a touchdown pass on a trick play, becoming the first placekicker to catch a touchdown since the 1977 season.  Bojorquez earned his stripes on all things an incomplete pass.  In the 2019 wild card game with under 25 seconds left and Buffalo down 19-16, the Bills were close to a first down at the Titan 29-yard line.  With no timeouts left, Bojorquez was on the field as the holder for a potential field goal attempt to tie the game.  Buffalo actually got the first down, and instead of having to rush the kick, Bojorquez made sure everyone was set and went under center as a quarterback to spike the ball to stop the clock, allowing the offense back on the field.  Buffalo would eventually kick a tying field goal and win it on another field goal in overtime.