An 85-Year-Old College Football Record Falls

How does a college football team rank last nationally in total offense and still manage to finish with 10 wins? Start with having a very good punter. Tory Taylor of the Iowa Hawkeyes broke an 85-year-old record over the weekend when he eclipsed the single-season mark of 4,138 yards, reports the Athletic. The Australian native racked up 4,479 yards when all was said and done, thanks to his 93 punts on the season, the most of any kicker this year, per Hawk Central.

Taylor received a congratulatory message from the family of the late Johnny Pingel, who set the record in 1938 with Michigan State, though the family does point out that Pingel achieved the feat in nine games, compared to Taylor's 14. Still, just how good was Taylor this season? Sports Illustrated notes that one Big Ten coach gave him a first-place vote for conference player of the year, which is unheard of for a punter. "Pretty cool," Taylor said of his record after Monday's game, a 35-0 loss to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl. "I might be dead by the time it's broken, who knows?" The senior is expected to end up in the NFL, per Sportskeeda. (More college football stories.)