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Iowa Football: Ron Coluzzi Named Special Teams Player of the Week

By Jeremy Karll

Sep 17, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the North Dakota State Bison. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the North Dakota State Bison. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Iowa Hawkeyes punter Ron Coluzzi has been named the Big Ten’s Special Teams Player of the Week

Ron Coluzzi had a phenomenal showing for the Iowa Hawkeyes during their 14-7 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. Coluzzi punted seven times in the Hawkeyes win, and downed four inside the 20. Coluzzi’s most impressive punt came after the Hawkeyes first drive when he booted a 55-yard punt down to Rutgers 11 yard line.

More impressively, Coluzzi also kept every punt in the first half away from star returner Janarion Grant. His ability to pin the Scarlet Knights back and not allow Grant to return any punts gave Iowa a huge advantage in a game where field position proved to be extremely important.

On the day, Ron Coluzzi averaged 42 yards per punt and punted a total of 294 yards. Field position is always an important battle to win, but even more so this past week considering how poorly both offenses played.

Along with Coluzzi, Tommy Armstrong Jr of Nebraska has been named the Offensive Player of the Week for his strong showing against Northwestern. The Big Ten also named T.J. Watt and Alex Hornibrook, both from Wisconsin, the Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, for their performances against Michigan State.

Next: Iowa Football: Three Stars of the Game vs Rutgers

Punting has been a very important part to Iowa’s success this season. Ron Coluzzi continues to impact the game every week with his strong leg, and this week he was recognized by the Big Ten. Hopefully the Hawkeyes won’t have to rely on him as much the rest of the season, although it’s good to know that they have one of the best punters in the conference.