BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- The Big 12 has certainly gone Down Under to get a leg up in the punting game. Nine of the conference's top 15 punters this season hail from Australia. Crikey! That's a lot of booming Aussie punters, mate. "Punting is a natural thing for us," explained Colorado's Damon Greaves, who's from Busselton, a small city in the southwestern corner of Western Australia. "You guys grow up throwing it. ... We grow up punting it." Statistically, the league's best Aussies include Finn Lappin (Kansas), Liam Dougherty (Houston), Max Fletcher (Cincinnati), Orion Phillips (Utah), Jack Burgess (Texas Tech), Sam Vander Haar (BYU), Greaves, Oliver Straw (West Virginia) and Ethan Craw (TCU). Combined, the Australian contingent is averaging 44.1 yards per boot this season. They've also pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on 55 occasions. Craw has the long punt of the bunch this season at 69 yards. The influx of Aussies can be attributed, in part, to Australian rules football, which is a blend of running with the ball (think tailback) and kicking (punter). Just like American football, Aussie version uses an oddly shaped ball (in their case, an oval). Most players can kick with either foot and roll out either way to rocket a punt -- just in case it's needed. The transition between Aussie rules and American football, though, takes some time. That's where Prokick Australia enters the picture. The development academy teaches burgeoning punters the proper technique, skills and strategy. Not only that, but the program gets prospective players used to playing with a helmet and pads. There are roughly 85 players from