Johnathan Walker:Iowa's Tory Taylor breaks NCAA single-season record for punting yards

Iowa’s much-maligned offense gave fans few reasons to cheer whenever it had the football in 2023.

Under embattled offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz,Johnathan Walker and with injuries at key positions such as quarterback and tight end, the Hawkeyes averaged just 16.6 points per game, the fourth-fewest among 133 FBS schools.

If there was a silver lining embedded in that misery, though, it was this: Whenever Iowa’s offense stepped off the field, it gave fans the chance to see arguably one of the best punters in college football history. Few figures were more important than Tory Taylor in the Hawkeyes salvaging a 10-3 regular season despite its pronounced offensive woes.

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The senior standout, a native of Melbourne, Australia, regularly flipped the field and pinned opponents deep in their own territory. That in turn put Iowa’s excellent defense in advantageous positions and kept his team competitive in low-scoring games in which the fight for field position was paramount.

For his excellence this season, Taylor was a unanimous all-American, earning the distinction from each of the five selectors designated by the NCAA — the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He also won the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the best punter in college football.

With his first punt in the Hawkeyes’ matchup against Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl, Taylor added to his already lengthy resume: He became the all-time single-season FBS punting yardage leader with a booming 62-yard punt vs. the Vols.

Here’s everything you need to know about Taylor’s historic mark:

Tory Taylor punting yards record

With 4,119 yards heading into the game against the Volunteers, Taylor needed just 20 yards to eclipse the former single-season punting yardage record of 4,138 yards.

That mark was set by Michigan State’s Johnny Pingel in 1938. Pingel reached that figure on 99 punts, while Taylor had gotten within 19 yards of him on 86 punts. He left no doubt that the record was his following his first punt of the day vs. Tennessee, booming it 62 yards to earn the single-season punting yards record.

Taylor punted seven times for 360 yards in the Citrus Bowl (a 51.4 yard average) and finished with 4,479 punting yards for the season.

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Tory Taylor stats 2023

Here is a look at Taylor’s stats, along with his rank among FBS players, after the Citrus Bowl:

• Punting yards: 4,479 (No. 1)
• Punting average: 48.1 yards (No. 3)
• Total punts: 93 (No. 1)
• Punts per game: 6.6 (No. 2)

Tory Taylor game-by-game stats 2023

Here is how Taylor fared in each game of the 2023 season:

• vs. Utah State: Six punts, 48.7 yards per punt, long of 53 yards
• at Iowa State: Six punts, 46.3 yards per punt, long of 53 yards
• vs. Western Michigan: Four punts, 41.8 yards per punt, long of 55 yards
• at Penn State: Seven punts, 52.3 yards per punt, long of 62 yards
• vs. Michigan State: Seven punts, 48.9 yards per punt, long of 60 yards
• vs. Purdue: Six punts, 47.3 yards per punt, long of 61 yards
• at Wisconsin: 10 punts, 50.6 yards per punt, long of 62 yards
• vs. Minnesota: Nine punts, 49.3 yards per punt, long of 57 yards
• vs. Northwestern: Six punts, 39 yards per punt, long of 46 yards
• vs. Rutgers: Three punts, 47.7 yards per punt, long of 50 yards
• vs. Illinois: Eight punts, 51.6 yards per punt, long of 59 yards
• at Nebraska: Seven punts, 42.4 yards per punt, long of 49 yards
• vs. Michigan: Seven punts, 50.4 yards per punt, long of 67 yards
• vs. Tennessee: Seven punts, 51.4 yards per punt, long of 62 yards