HAMILTON, Ont. -- Hamilton Tiger-Cats punter Josh Bartel wasnt sure what to expect in his first CFL season. He was new to the country and new to the Canadian game. It didnt take him long to catch on. Bartel recorded a 42.8-yard average with the Ticats last year and was named to the CFL East Division all-star team. Not bad for a rookie punter who developed his kicking prowess by playing footy -- or Australian rules football -- in his native land Down Under. "At the start of last year I was very nervous the first four to five games," Bartel said in a recent interview. "I was very nervous that I (might get) cut. So this year Im going to go in with a lot more confidence and (will) be a lot more aggressive as well." Bartel reached the semi-pro level in Australia and got his Canadian football break thanks to a former coach who had a contact with the Ticats. Bartel spent over a year working on his punting style and the team gave him a look at training camp last year. He made the squad and was impressive in game action. Bartel played in all 18 regular-season games and finished third in the CFL in punting. The six-foot-three, 200-pounder has the power to generate distance and hang time but hes also quite accurate. When punting from midfield, hell often use an end-over-end style Australian rules drop kick to pin the opposing team deep in its own end. "Weve grown up since we were kids kicking that," Bartel said. "Its almost like walking for the Australian rules boys. Its good fun, its easy to control, the risk for me is minimal. Id like to use it a lot more." Head coach Kent Austin likes Bartels consistency. "Hes an excellent punter," he said. "Hes very, very sound fundamentally and he has great height on his punts. Hes a two-step punter so its very, very difficult to block his punts. He also has the ability to directional punt extremely well. "So hes kind of the full package." Bartel, an amiable 27-year-old, has more of a feel for the Canadian game now that he has a full season under his belt. Hes certainly more comfortable on the gridiron than this time last year. "I remember my first week in training camp, the first training camp Id ever been to. Probably didnt speak a word for the first week, I dont think," he said. "I was that nervous. I wouldnt say overwhelmed but just nervous pretty much. It was something different. My first exhibition game at Ivor Wynne (Stadium), my first four kicks I cant even remember them. "I just caught it and tried to kick it as fast as I could before I got hit. I was very nervous that game. Im just glad I got through it." Steeltown is quite different from his hometown in Australia. Bartel previously lived on his familys dairy farm in a small town about a four-hour drive from Melbourne. "I like the country life, Im a country boy at heart," he said. "Its always good to get home in the off-season and catch up with family." Playing pro football in the CFL was not the career path he expected to take. "Five or 10 years ago I didnt have a clue what I was going to do," he said. "Im pretty glad I chose this path because its the best job Ive ever had. You get paid nicely to travel around Canada and play this pretty cool sport. I love it actually." And if he werent playing football? "I dont have a clue, I dont actually want to think about that actually," Bartel said with a laugh. "I was selling tires in town. ... I dont really want to go back there so hopefully this goes well." Wholesale Falcons Jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. 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West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen wants his defense to have plenty of bear hugs ready for Big 12 rushing leader DOnta Foreman of Texas.Some TLC?More like TFL -- tackles for loss.Holgorsen figures the best way to limit the 249-pound Foremans yards on Saturday will be making sure hes brought down not long after hes handed the ball.Youve got to get him on the ground, and thats easier said than done, Holgorsen said. Hes a big, powerful, bruising back. I think everybody says thats what he is, but then he gets out in the open. He turns the corner on people and outruns people as well. So getting him down early in the run I think is incredibly important.Good luck.Foreman used a mix of long runs and short, punishing ones to compile 341 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech last week, giving him 1,446 yards this season. His 181 yards per game leads the nation.Those numbers are crazy, said West Virginia defensive lineman Noble Nwachukwu. I dont really know whats going on. I dont know if its their line or if its just him or what it is. But props to him.Foreman can tie Earl Campbells 1977 school record of 11 straight 100-yard games on Saturday when the Longhorns (5-4, 3-3) host No. 11 West Virginia (7-1, 4-1).Whether Foreman can lead Texas to victory remains to be seen. The Longhorns want this one in order to become bowl eligible. West Virginia wants this one to stay in contention in the Big 12 title race heading into a showdown with first-place Oklahoma next week in Morgantown.The Mountaineers 3-3-5 defensive scheme doesnt lend itself to completely shutting down the run, although West Virginia has surrendered a Big 12-low seven rushing TDs all season and is fourth in the league with 148 yards allowed on the ground per game.ddddddddddddForeman has 13 TDs all by himself. A year ago he ran for 147 yards in a loss to West Virginia, which has almost all new starters on defense in 2016.One of those newbies, linebacker and leading tackler Justin Arndt, said Foreman is legit. Without a doubt hes the best back well face so far.The Mountaineers have allowed just three 100-yard rushing efforts this season, including BYUs Jamaal Williams (169 yards) and Taysom Hill (101) in the same game. Opponents have five rushing plays of more than 20 yards, including a 59-yarder by Williams.West Virginia already has but the damper on national passing leader Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech, limiting him to 305 yards, far below his season average.Foreman is sure to leave some defenders in need of some rest after Saturday.Hes a big dude and I know thats really the struggle -- nobody wants to really hit him, Nwachukwu said. But were going to get him down on the ground so I dont think its going to be so much of a problem.Foreman finished off a 74-yard TD run against Texas Tech with one shoe on. Texas coach Charlie Strong said defensive backs pursuing Foreman from the proper angles often come up short.Our guys think theyre fast, and they cant catch him, Strong said. Its just been fun to watch it.---AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.----More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '