Iowa State Cyclones Unheralded Special Teams Contributor Deserves Massive Praise

An Iowa State Cyclones special teams contributor deserves his flowers.

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The Iowa State Cyclones have been receiving stellar performances from players throughout the roster. It is a major reason why they are 5-0 and ranked No. 14 in the country heading into their Week 6 matchup on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Alas, there is still plenty of work that remains. Their dominant 39-14 victory over the Arizona Wildcats last week was impressive, but there were still some areas of the game that the team needs to iron out.

A lot of focus was on the special teams in that game after a shaky performance against the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Week 3. Penalties and missed kicks by Kyle Konrardy garnered a lot of attention. While it didn’t lead to the Cyclones losing, it certainly didn’t help them improve their odds of winning.

But there was one portion of the special teams unit that had gone under the radar despite some excellent performances. The punt team, specifically punter Tyler Perkins, deserves some recognition for the work being done.

Tyler Perkins has been stellar for Iowa State special teams

Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa State’s style of play is predicated on winning the field position battle. They don’t have the most explosive offense, more often than not methodically moving down the field and wearing down their opponents.

Because of that, every yard matters. If they can create an edge by making a long field for their opponent downing them close to the goal line, it helps immensely. Perkins has excelled in that area.

He was able to pin the Wildcats inside the 10-yard line twice this past weekend. The first time he did it, the defense forced a three-and-out. Rocco Becht and the offense took full advantage, needing to gain only 38 yards for a touchdown.

When Perkins did it a second time, the defense once again forced a quick change of possession. Arizona had to punt the ball back to the Cyclones' offense after a three-and-out. Iowa State was in a position to add more points before Becht threw an ill-advised interception.

This guy isn't getting talked about enough. Averaging 48 yards a punt, and pinned Arizona inside the ten yard line twice on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/hGGvtD8Vz1

— John Walters (@JWcyclonestv) September 29, 2025

Punting isn’t part of the game that fans pay much attention to, but it is an important piece of the puzzle for a team to find success. Perkins excelled against the Wildcats with four punts totaling 185 yards for an impressive 46.3 average. Three of those punts were down inside the 20, and he had a long of 53 yards.

Seven punts, half of his season total, have pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line. That already matches the total he had for the entire 2024 season. He has a long of 65 yards on the campaign and is averaging a strong 46.9 yards per punt.

Credit should be given to the coverage team as well. Perkins is booming punts, and they are getting down the field quickly. His net average is 46.0, meaning the Cyclones are allowing 0.9 yards per punt return thus far in 2025.

He is a legitimate weapon for head coach Matt Campbell, who might have the best kicker/punter duo in the nation if Konrardy is healthy.