With Iowa’s lineup continually adapting to players’ injuries and fresh talent taking the field, regularity has been sparse.

Consistency, however, has been found for the Black and Gold in a soul-patch sporting, blonde-haired punter from Evergreen Park, Ill. — Ryan Donahue.

The junior, who was most recently named co-Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Arizona Sept. 19, has demonstrated his adeptness to become Hawkeyes’ own “Lando Calrissian.”

Punters are like the underrated protagonist in the Star Wars films. Without Calrissian, the Galactic Empire would not be destroyed.

Similarly, without a good punter who can supply optimal field position, a team will not walk away with a national championship.

Donahue’s ability has placed him back on the Ray Guy Award Watch List after being a semifinalist last season. Against the Wildcats on Sept. 19, Donahue managed to punt two balls inside the 20 and averaged 4.5 seconds of hang time.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is not surprised by No. 5’s season far.

“Two years ago, [Donahue] was a little erratic, but so was Jason Baker when he was young,” Ferentz said on Tuesday. “I thought a year ago, Ryan really played well all season long, and he is off to a great start, and we are not at all surprised.”

Baker finished his time at Iowa in 2000 as the school’s all-time leader in punts and punting yards with 272 punts for 11,304 yards. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native is now in the NFL, playing for the Carolina Panthers.

Donahue is certainly hitting a stride. In the Hawkeyes’ opener against Northern Iowa, his longest kick went 56 yards. At Iowa State, he booted a 57-yarder. And against the Wildcats, he had a 62-yard punt.

It appears Donahue has his mechanics mastered.

“I am still trying to brush up on kicking the ball a little farther every time,” he said. “Last game, obviously it showed through … Judging on this week of practice, hopefully I can take another step.”

Long snapper Andy Schulze has seen firsthand the work ethic of Donahue. The pair practice at least eight punts and take an additional 150 snaps every day.

“I always snap to Ryan. I have never done it to anyone else on the field, and I think we have grown kind of comfortable with each other,” Schulze said. “He knows my snap, and I know where he likes to hold it … I can get the laces forward when he catches it because he is so used to doing it with the same repetition every time.”

With the amount of time the duo relegate to perfecting punts, Donahue’s leg should continue to be a major Hawkeye weapon against Penn State. In 2007, when the Hawkeyes traveled to State College, Donahue punted 11 times for 497 yards amid the rowdy crowd of 100,000-plus.

“I am just looking at them as one whole crowd,” Donahue said. “It doesn’t matter how many people are there, numbers aren’t a factor, it all comes down how you practice. And you know when I am out there, I’m just thinking about what I have to do and just go out there and do it.”

Schulze has adopted a similar attitude to the “White Out” crowd that will grace Beaver Stadium Saturday evening.

“No matter where you are, it is the same 14 yards,” Schulze said. “It is the same snap. There are people yelling, but it doesn’t make that much of a difference. All I’ve got to do is snap it right to [Donahue’s] hip, and hopefully, everything works out from there.”