Iowa punter Tory Taylor named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week
Taylor averaged 51.1 yards on eight punts against Iowa State and downed four of his kicks inside the 10-yard line.
Iowa punter Tory Taylor kicks the ball during a football game between Iowa and Michigan State in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. The Hawkeyes dominated the Spartans, 49-7.
September 13, 2021
Iowa sophomore punter Tory Taylor has been named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday morning.
Taylor was crucial to Iowa’s 27-17 win over Iowa State in Ames on Saturday. The Australian averaged 51.1 yards on eight punts, with a long of 69 yards. Five of his punts were downed inside the 20 (four inside the 10) and Iowa State had just one punt return.
This is Taylor’s (6-foot-4, 231-pounds) first Big Ten Player of the Week Honor. He was named to the Ray Guy Award preseason Watch List in July after being named a semifinalist for the award in 2020. Taylor was the Eddleman-Fields Big Ten Conference Punter of the Year in 2020 while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He was named first-team Freshman All-America by the FWAA and second-team All-America by The Athletic.
Taylor is the second Hawkeye player to earn conference accolades this season. Defensive back Riley Moss was named Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 34-6 season-opening win over then-No. 17 Indiana.
Iowa moved up from No. 10 to No. 5 in the Associated Press’ top-25 poll after defeating then-No. 9 Iowa State.
Iowa returns home Saturday for the first of two consecutive home games. The Hawkeyes host Kent State Sept. 18 (2:30 p.m., BTN) and Colorado State on Sept. 25 (TBA).