FARMINGTON, Utah (October 24, 2022) – Earning Northern Arizona's second Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor this season,
Eemil Herranen was honored for his performance against Idaho State this past weekend.
Punting four times against the Bengals in Pocatello, Herranen averaged 46.0 yards per punt while dropping three of the four inside of Idaho State's own 20-yard line. The Bengals managed just 10 return yards on the four punts, all coming on Herranen's 55-yard boot in the fourth quarter with the game decided.
In a game where field position became crucial early on, Herranen's kicks set the Lumberjacks up for success on multiple occasions with Northern Arizona's defense taking advantage of the long fields the Bengals faced.
Herranen's first punt of the day went for just 25 yards with the Lumberjacks kicking from the Bengals' 37, but forced a fair catch at the Idaho State 12-yard line. The second kick of the day went for 47 yards and pinned Idaho State at its own 2-yard line with just 2:36 left on the clock. Seven plays later, Northern Arizona picked off a pass by quarterback Hunter Hays and returned it back to the Idaho State 23-yard line thanks to the field position on Herranen's kick.
The freshman's third punt went for 57 yards, his longest of the game, and put the Bengals at their own 7-yard line to open the drive. Herranen's kick beat out Idaho State's pair of punts on the previous and proceeding drives, as the Bengals two kicks went for a combined 48 yards. Coming out ahead on the exchange of field position, Northern Arizona went on to score on its next drive that began at its own 31.
Herranen's season average of 42.2 yards per punt now ranks 26th in the FCS and third in the Big Sky Conference. Over his past four games, Herranen has averaged 43.58 yards per punt which would rank just outside the Top 10 of the FCS's season rankings.
The Player of the Week award follows
RJ Martinez's award for his game against Cal Poly on Oct. 8 and is the first for a specialist since former Lumberjack punter
DJ Arnson earned the honor last September for his performance in Northern Arizona's upset of Arizona. The first ever Division I punter from Finland, Herranen joined the Lumberjacks during this past offseason after transferring from McNeese State.
Northern Arizona is off this week for its bye before hosting the No. 2/3 Montana State Bobcats on Homecoming on Nov. 5 at Findlay Toyota Field.
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