Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Austin Barnes Named MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week
10/3/2016 11:31:00 AM | Football
The redshirt junior punter earns the award for the first time in his career
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University redshirt junior punter Austin Barnes (Fairview Heights, Ill.-O'Fallon) was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 1. It is the first weekly award of his career and the fourth league accolade by an Eagle this season.
Barnes' incredible performance in the punting game helped Eastern Michigan to a 28-25 conference-opening win over Bowling Green State University on the road, Oct. 1. Punting five times, Barnes' averaged a season-best 50.0 yards per punt, highlighted by a long of 56 yards. The Fairview Heights, Ill. product pinned the Falcons inside their own 20 on three occasions and forced two fair catches. More impressively, two of his five punts left BGSU with long fields as the Falcons had to start drives inside their own five yard line.
Barnes' season average of 47.6 ranks fourth in the country and first in the MAC. The fourth-year punter holds a career average of 43.0 yards, which is second all-time in EMU history, while his 6,019 total yards ranks eighth all-time.
With the win, the Green and White moved to 4-1 on the season, its best start since 1995, and 1-0 in league play. The MAC-opening victory marked the first for the Eagles since 2005.
The Eagles return home Saturday, Oct. 8, for the school's 96th Homecoming against the University of Toledo. Kickoff against the Rockets is set for 3 p.m. at "The Factory" inside Rynearson Stadium. For the complete list of homecoming events, visit emich.edu/homecoming.
Save time and save money by purchasing tickets in advance of gameday by calling 734.487.2282 or visiting EMUEagles.com/tickets. Fans can purchase adult tickets for $15 in advance or $20 on the day of the game, while youth 12-and-under are just $8. Additionally, pro-rated season tickets are still available for EMU's four remaining home contests for just $50!
Barnes' incredible performance in the punting game helped Eastern Michigan to a 28-25 conference-opening win over Bowling Green State University on the road, Oct. 1. Punting five times, Barnes' averaged a season-best 50.0 yards per punt, highlighted by a long of 56 yards. The Fairview Heights, Ill. product pinned the Falcons inside their own 20 on three occasions and forced two fair catches. More impressively, two of his five punts left BGSU with long fields as the Falcons had to start drives inside their own five yard line.
Barnes' season average of 47.6 ranks fourth in the country and first in the MAC. The fourth-year punter holds a career average of 43.0 yards, which is second all-time in EMU history, while his 6,019 total yards ranks eighth all-time.
With the win, the Green and White moved to 4-1 on the season, its best start since 1995, and 1-0 in league play. The MAC-opening victory marked the first for the Eagles since 2005.
The Eagles return home Saturday, Oct. 8, for the school's 96th Homecoming against the University of Toledo. Kickoff against the Rockets is set for 3 p.m. at "The Factory" inside Rynearson Stadium. For the complete list of homecoming events, visit emich.edu/homecoming.
Save time and save money by purchasing tickets in advance of gameday by calling 734.487.2282 or visiting EMUEagles.com/tickets. Fans can purchase adult tickets for $15 in advance or $20 on the day of the game, while youth 12-and-under are just $8. Additionally, pro-rated season tickets are still available for EMU's four remaining home contests for just $50!
Players Mentioned
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