Latest news with #punting
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa football special teams star given lofty predictions from CBS Sports
Strong special teams are synonymous with the Iowa Hawkeyes. LeVar Woods, Iowa's special teams coordinator and arguably the best in the country, has transformed the unit into one that has won games for Iowa and often dictates field position in Big Ten battles. One way Iowa helps its offense and defense is with the punting unit. While it isn't flashy or always the most fun, Iowa does it more effectively than just about anyone in the country. They back their opponents up to help the defense, which in turn creates short fields for the offense to work on. Advertisement Leading the charge for Iowa in the punting game is the Australian, Rhys Dakin. Entering his second year with Iowa, Dakin knows he is a vital part of Iowa's success and is hoping to take the next step forward after a strong freshman campaign. If he can continue his punting prowess, CBS Sports believes he could take home the Ray Guy Award as college football's top punter. Ray Guy Award (Top Punter) Prediction: Rhys Dakin, P, Iowa Iowa is a punting factory. The Hawkeyes have another really good one in Dakin, who averaged 44.1 yards per boot as a true freshman last season while totaling 2,822 yards with his leg, ranking eighth nationally. He also led the Big Ten with 29 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. - Will Backus, CBS Sports Rhys Dakin punted 64 times for Iowa in the 2024-25 college football season with a booming average of 44.1 yards with a season-long of 61 yards. More impressively, Dakin dropped 29 of his punts (45.3%) inside the opponents' 20-yard line, which puts them against the odds on pure yardage, let alone going against Phil Parker's Iowa defense. Iowa will continue to punt and play the field position game as a more conservative team in the country. When done right, as Iowa so often does, it can win games. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football, Rhys Dakin land Ray Guy Award prediction from CBS
The Sun
12-05-2025
- The Sun
The cheapest and best way to see one of UK's most popular holiday destinations & the pitfalls tourists make each summer
WHEN it comes to UK holiday destinations - Cambridge consistently features in the top five, thanks to its historical buildings and world-class university. It's especially popular in summertime, when scores of tourists flock to the city's river to take in the sights. 6 6 George Geach has worked as a 'punting chauffeur' in the city for the last three years, taking tourists on trips along on the River Cam in his boat. He says it's hands down the best, and most affordable, way of seeing Cambridge - thanks to the unique position the river has through the university colleges. Around 200 punts are manned by chauffeurs on the 4.5 mile stretch of the river. A punting tour in Cambridge costs just £15 per person and each boat holds up to 12 people. The tour lasts 45 minutes, where a chauffer pushes a flat-bottomed boat along the water with a 16ft pole. In total, guests pass seven University of Cambridge colleges, venture under nine bridges, including saac Newton's Mathematical bridge, and see Jesus Green Lock, built in 1836. Even in the winter when the weather is more depressing, he enjoys "people taking it as more of a romantic experience", where they wrap up and drink mulled wine. George said: "The land either side of the river is owned by the University so it is an affordable, concise way to see everything in one go. "Otherwise you'd have to pay to see the colleges individually - where here you can sit on the boat with a river tour guide and chauffeur." He added: "It's better than being in Oxford. If you look at other places - you don't really see as much as you see when you go punting in Cambridge." Futuristic electric boat that can FLY on water unveiled as luxury 'river limo' that quietly glides over bumpy waves However, with 900,000 people taking a ride each year, the 23-year-old has seen his fair share of obscure experiences. George said: "One guy on a boat was quite drunk and very peckish. "He saw another boat with a pizza and he dived in the river and swam over to the other boat. "He stole their pizza and swam back to his boat - and got attacked mid-swim by swans who wanted a bite themselves." George has also experienced a number of stag and hen-dos, where jumping into the River Cam is a usual part of the tour. He shared: "They cause lots of drama - all sorts of screaming and shouting and jumping in." Then there is the risk of falling in the water... 6 George explained: "I always tell people that the boats are really safe and there's no way you can fall in. "The only person who could fall in, is the guy at the back. "However we have had people falling in the river after their girlfriend has pushed them in whilst taking photos of King's College. And the company has also had some proposals go wrong. "We've had failed proposal tours where tour guides are told that there will be a proposal mid tour only for the answer to be a big fat no," George added. Some visitors, who feel extra confident are also keen to have a go at punting for themselves. George commented: "We have self-hire antics where people renting a boat out for themselves for the first time. 6 6 "They go round in circles, smash into bridges - causing general havoc. "They then blame the tour guides for not being skilled enough pushers to get out their way when they are blocking the entire river. "A collision in unavoidable." There was also one time during the May Ball fireworks at St John's, when around 50 boats are parked up to watch the fireworks, when some guests desperately needed the loo. George shared: "One boat load of people were parked up underneath a weeping willow and charged people £5 a pop to have a wee under the cover of the singular tree within the vicinity." Despite all the weird and wonderful experiences, George still loves what he does. Cambridge's counterpart Oxford is also has punting tours, as do some other UK locations including London on the River Thames, Canterbury on the River Stour and Stratford-upon-Avon on the River Avon. One man, who lives on a canal boat, says it is the best way to experience the UK. 6
CBC
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Aussie punter finding his footing with the Sask. Roughriders
Joe Couch is a long way from home. The Aussie punter has taken the long way to Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp. "I tried Aussie rules football back home and it just didn't work out for me," Couch said after the Riders rookie training camp practice on Thursday in Saskatoon. "I had a father that played for a long time and I tried to chase that, but I got to a point where I was like, you know what, I'm gonna try something different." Couch had friends who had come over to the U.S., so he sent film to some colleges and ended up playing three years at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. Couch said that when he came up to Regina last May, he was surprised at how warm it was. "Then you figure out a couple months later it's a little bit chilly," he said. Couch said he's been working on his consistency in his quest to be the team's punter. "I probably had the best teacher in Adam [Korsak] last year," Couch said of the fellow Aussie punter who retired this year after playing the past two seasons with the Riders. "He's the smartest punter I've ever come across. Learning from him wasn't just catch and kick, he taught me about the sport and the craft of punting." Riders head coach Corey Mace said Couch has a huge leg. "He has just a boomer of a leg and I know the thing he wanted to work on the most this off-season was just his placement," Mace said. "For him to have self reflection on that and put a full off-season into that, I'm looking forward to when we have full special teams periods to see that work come to fruition for him." Couch said having to kick in the windy conditions of the Prairies is challenging. "The wind is blowing one way and then it's going the opposite direction on the other side of the field," he said. "Playing in Saskatchewan is going to make you a better punter because your technique just has to be so spot on." Fellow rookie kicker Ben Hadley, who hails from the Maritimes, agreed the wind is something you have to contend with. "I thought I was coming from the windiest part of the the country, but I guess it's pretty windy out here too," said Hadley, who played five seasons with USport's Saint Francis Xavier X-Men. "It's definitely a different environment out here," Hadley said of his first pro experience.. "I'm just trying to come in, do my job, have some fun and and do whatever the team kind of needs me to do." He said one difference is he did a lot more kicking in practice at the university level. "They're always telling me stop kicking, don't over kick. And that's been hard to get through at first, because all I want to do is just kick, kick, kick," he said. "I have to realize that it's a long training camp and I got to be healthy at the end too." Rider placekicker and fellow Bluenoser Brett Lauther reached out to Hadley before camp. "He's a Nova Scotia, kind of, legend and to hear from him was pretty cool," said Hadley, who skipped his graduation ceremony to get ready for camp. Mace said Hadley has shown he belongs in camp. 'He's been a good kicker throughout USports and even in pre-practice you see him one-stepping some 45 to 50 [yarders]," Mace said. "So he's got the leg talent to do it and he definitely deserves an opportunity."
