Tag: Adam Korsak

James Franklin calls Adam Korsak the best punter in the college football

Rutgers football punter Adam Korsak might be the best in the country according to Penn State head coach James Franklin.

[mm-video type=video id=01fmnp557tza2asnech9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fmnp557tza2asnech9/01fmnp557tza2asnech9-b4ddd582915394151aaadc61bacaf46b.jpg]

It is Penn State week for Rutgers football, with the Scarlet Knights looking to get a sixth win against a Big Ten program that might be considered their rival.

And for Penn State head coach James Franklin, there is one player on Rutgers who is really standing out. One player who Franklin thinks is the nation’s best.

Punter Adam Korsak.

“Their punter is maybe the best punter in the country. Best punter in the conference,” Franklin said about Korsak on Tuesday during his weekly press conference.

“He is a senior from Australia, averaging over 46 yards. He does a really good job of using a wide variety, like a lot of the Australian kids do, a wide variety of kicks. Whether it’s [a] traditional punt, whether they’re trying to pin somebody down with a sky punt. Whether he’s doing a low roller. Does a lot of different things…cross-field kicks. We’ll have to be prepared for that as well.”

Korsak was recently named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top punter. On his 56 punts this year, he is averaging a strong 46.3 yards per punt.

But as Franklin noted, perhaps most impressive is his accuracy and placement.

In his last five games, Korsak has punted 36 times with 20 of those kicks inside the 20-yard line. He has not had a touchback since the last game of the 2019 season which was at Penn State.

Penn State (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) comes into this game looking to right their season after a disappointing 21-17 home loss to Michigan this past weekend. The Nittany Lions are a solid team but have come up short in the second half of the season against several ranked opponents in Big Ten play.

As for Rutgers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten), they have won two of their last three games, with both wins coming on the road. Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Rutgers has never beaten Penn State.

Rutgers football: Week 11 MVPs

Rutgers beat up on the Hoosiers 38-3. Now they’re one win away from a bowl game. Let’s take a look at the MVPs from each phase in week 11. 

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights came into a Week 11 matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers in desperate need of a win. With only four victories on the season and three games left to play, one against a very strong opponent in Penn State, the program needed this victory to solidify their chances of joining the bowling party that is the college football post-season.

It was time to control their own destiny. Even with ESPN FPI doubting the Scarlet Knights chances against the two-win Hoosiers, they beat up on the Hoosiers on their way to a 38-3 victory. Now, Rutgers is just one win away from qualifying for a bowl game.

This game was Rutgers largest margin of victory in conference play since they joined the Big Ten in 2014. There were plenty of Knights who made an impact all over the gridiron. Let’s take a look at the MVPs from each phase in week 11.

What top punters are up for the Ray Guy Award?

Five punters from the Big Ten are among 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award.

[mm-video type=video id=01fm7z7ek12s2437x7zj playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fm7z7ek12s2437x7zj/01fm7z7ek12s2437x7zj-154bbfe87d5fcde021a52e7260a5015d.jpg]

The Ray Guy Award announced 10 semifinalists on Wednesday, the annual award for the nation’s top college football punter being whittled down from 83 players on the preseason watch list.

The Big Ten conference has five punters on the list, leading the way for all conferences. Which begs the question: should Big Ten teams just punt every play?

And another question: how is the top punter in college football chosen? The good people at the Ray Guy Award have that answer:

A national voting body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, national media and previous Ray Guy Award winners will decide the three award finalists who will be announced on Tuesday, November 23rd. Voters will then vote again to determine the winner who will be announced live on Thursday, December 9th at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.

An additional vote is given to fans, who can vote via the award’s website.

Rutgers Adam Korsak named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Players of the Week

Adam Korsak once again gets a weekly honor from the Big Ten.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

At this point for Adam Korsak, they should simply start naming awards after him. The Rutgers football punter was named on Monday as the Big Ten Co-Special Teams Players of the Week.

Korsak had a tremendous Saturday for Rutgers at Illinois, with six punts for an average of 47 yards per punt. Most importantly, four of his punts were inside the 20-yard line, the field position switches helping to key Rutgers to a 20-14 win at Illinois.

He had punts land at the 4-yard line and the 1-yard line, cementing his reputation as the nation’s top placement punter.

 

The win was the first one in the Big Ten for Rutgers this season as the Scarlet Knights are now 4-4 (1-4 Big Ten) on the season. Korsak has punted 42 times this season and is averaging 47.5 yards per punt. His 47 yards per punt was the highest for any of his five Big Ten games this season.

It was the second time this season that Korsak was given the weekly award from the Big Ten. Three times this year, Korsak was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week. The Ray Guy Award is given out annually to the nation’s top punter.

Watch: Rutgers football’s Adam Korsak makes it 89 in a row without a touchback

Rutgers punter Adam Korsak continues to shine with another pinpoint punt.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

It is now 89 punts in a row for Adam Korsak without a touchback, the Rutgers football punter continuing to set a standard of excellence at his position.

Midway through the first quarter of Rutgers game at Illinois, Korsak had a 34-yard punt that landed inside the 10-yard line and rolled to the four-yard line. The Australian punter came into the game averaging 47.6 yards per punt and while this one is half of his season-best number for 2021 (Korsak came into the game with a season-best 69-yard punt), the placement and precision of the punt exemplifies just what an asset he is to Rutgers.

Korsak’s last touchback? The last game of the 2019 season which was a 27-6 loss at Penn State. That’s a long stretch for sure.

Here is Korsak’s beauty of a punt:

 

Rutgers (3-4), came into Saturday’s game at Illinois looking for their first Big Ten win of the season. They’ve lost all four games in conference play this season. The first three games were against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the most recent USA TODAY Sports ACFA Coaches Poll.

Rutgers Adam Korsak sets new Rutgers punting record

Adam Korsak is now the all-time leading punter in Rutgers football history.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Adam Korsak has arguably been the best player for Rutgers football this year. Now he is officially atop the program’s history books.

On Korsak’s second punt of the game, he became all-time leading punter in Rutgers history. With t1 41-yard punt early in the first quarter, he passed Michael Barr on the program’s punting list.

It is, of course, a difficult statistic for the program to celebrate. If Rutgers sustained drives and ended drives with scores, Korsak wouldn’t need to punt quite so much. But that doesn’t take away from Korsak’s fantastic punting career. He’s doing his job and has done it tremendously well in what is now his fourth season with the team.

Coming into Saturday’s game with 27 punts this season, Korsak is averaging 48.5 yards per game.

On his first three punts against Northwestern, Korsak averaged 47.3 yards per punt and had two of his punts land inside the 20-yard line.

Korsak’s punting has been tremendous for Rutgers this year and is a major reason why they are 3-3 and have legitimate bowl aspirations.

Double the Kick: Rutgers Football Adam Korsak Repeats Weekly Honor

Rutgers football punter Adam Korsak is the best punter in the country for a second straight week.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Adam Korsak might be the most dominant player in college football right now.

On Tuesday, Adam Korsak repeated as the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.

The Rutgers senior punter has had a tremendous first two games to start the 2021 season, with Korsak coming off a win at Syracuse where his six punts averaged 52.2 yards. Five of his six punts landed inside the 20-yard line and he had a net of 51.7 yards.

It was the second straight week where Korsak earned the weekly award and the fifth time in his collegiate career. In preseason, Korsak was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list; the honor is given to the nation’s top punter.

On the season, Korsak is averaging 50.9 yards per punt, the fourth-best in the nation.

He was instrumental in Rutgers win on Saturday at Syracuse, helping to lift the Scarlet Knights as the offense struggled through a scoreless first half.

 

Korsak’s ability to switch field position and pin opponents back was a big reason why Rutgers football was able to ride through the offense’s slow start and come out of Saturday’s game 2-0.

Aussie, Aussie: Two weeks, two honors for Rutgers football’s Adam Korsak

The honors continue to roll in for a second straight week for Rutgers football’s Adam Korsak.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Two games into the 2021 season and Rutgers football punter Adam Korsak has already been twice given weekly honors.

This time it was Korsak being named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. The Monday announcement only underscores what those around the Scarlet Knights and the Big Ten know about Korsak being one of the best punters in the nation.

In Rutgers 17-7 win at Syracuse on Saturday, Korsak had six punts and averaged 52.2 yards per punt. Four of his punts went for over 50 yards and five of his six punts landed inside the Syracuse 20-yard line.

 

His clutch performance was a major reason why Rutgers won the battle of field position on the road. His strong punting helped carry the Scarlet Knights as the offense struggled in the first half of Saturday’s win.

Last week, Korsark was named the ‘Ray Guy Punter of the Week’ following another big punting performance against Temple. The Ray Guy Award is given to the nation’s top punter.

Korsak was named to the award’s watch list in preseason.

Greg Schiano Rutgers football’s punter Adam Korsak: ‘he’s special’

For Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano, watching Adam Korsak in a win at Syracuse led him to liken his punter to a golfer with his ability to control the ball.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

It was a game ball type of effort from Adam Korsak as the Rutgers football punter changed the course of the game in helping the Scarlet Knights beat Syracuse 17-7 on Saturday afternoon.

Korsak’s ability to change fields was a huge reason why Rutgers defensively was able to limit Syracuse to 285 yards of total offense. On six punts, Korsak averaged a staggering 52.2 yards.

Perhaps even more impressive was the Scarlet Knights punter landing the ball five of six times inside the 20-yard line.

After the game, head coach Greg Schiano likened Korsak to “a really, really fine golfer” with his ability to place the ball where he wants it.

“Now there was some really great punting again. I mean, he is – he’s phenomenal, right?” Schiano told reporters after the game.

“He had [six] punts, [five] of them inside the 20 and a 50-yard average I mean, he’s special.

“And he changes the field position several times in that game so we’re very fortunate there. But overall we did not capitalize on some of the things that I felt we could on special teams, and obviously on offense, well you know we have work to do.”

Last week in Rutgers season-opening win over Temple, Korsak punted six times and averaged 49.7 yards per punt. His efforts last week saw him named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week. The Ray Guy Award is given annually to the nation’s top punter.

On the season, the senior is averaging 51 yards per punt.

Aussie Rules: Rutgers football Adam Korsak gets national weekly honor

The awards keep rolling in for Rutgers football as Adam Korsak gets weekly honors from the Ray Guy Award.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Adam Korsak followed up a big afternoon of punting with a pretty nice national nod. The Australian punter was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.

The national weekly honor comes after the senior punter averaged 49.7 yards per punt including one punt of 67 yards. Three of his punts against the Owls were inside the 20-yard line. Korsak played an important role in keying Rutgers to a 61-14 win over Temple in the Scarlet Knights’ season opener on Saturday.

The national attention is nothing new for Korsak, who was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List in preseason. The award is given to the nation’s top punter.

 

Last season, Korsak was named 2020 Second Team All-Big Ten by the media and 2020 Third Team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches. Last season, he averaged 43 yards per punt with 21 of 48 punts inside the 20-yard line. He is one of Rutgers’ six team captains.

Also on Wednesday, Rutgers linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi was named the Bednarik Award Player of the Week for his nine tackles and three sacks in the blowout win.