Senior Iowa State punter/holder Tyler Perkins has excelled in tense situations

AMES — What do you do when no good options remain? You punt.

What happens when a football team can’t sustain a drive, or fails to finish one with a touchdown? It punts or settles for a field goal attempt.

What does Iowa State senior Tyler Perkins’ entire on-the-field job description consist of? Punting and holding — and the Norwalk, Ohio, native’s become a master of making the most of miserable situations.

“It’s definitely tough, especially when we get one chance,” said Perkins, one of 16 Cyclones (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) who will enjoy a Senior Day sendoff in Saturday’s 11 a.m. regular season finale (FS1) against Kansas (5-5, 3-4) at Jack Trice Stadium. “Fourth down, we have a saying: One shot, one kill. So you’ve gotta make the best of your moment.”

Perkins has done that in three-plus seasons as the Cyclones’ starting punter. The former freshman All-American holds the program record for average yards per punt at 43.5, and opposing returners have gained a Big 12-low 13 yards this season off his boots.

So it’s a lonely job, but someone’s got to do it — and Perkins excels at flipping field position and holding for record-setting kicker Kyle Konrardy.

“I vividly remember recruiting Tyler,” said ISU head coach Matt Campbell, whose team hopes to end a three-game skid in the series with the Jayhawks. “He sent in a highlight tape, and where he’s from in Ohio is the snow belt. Literally, it snows like crazy. And he’s shoveling off his high school field, and sending a highlight video of him punting, and it’s snowing like crazy.

“Fast forward to his freshman year and we’re (playing Iowa) in Kinnick and it’s the end of the game. We had two punts partially blocked and it’s raining to beat the band, and I said, ‘Well, this isn’t as bad as the snow in Lake Erie,’ and he caught it and punted it away.”

The Hawkeyes’ last-minute rally fell short that day in 2022 and Campbell secured his first win in the Cy-Hawk series. Fast forward again to the last two matchups with Iowa. Perkins perfectly positioned the football for what would be a pair of game-winning 54-yard field goals by Konrardy. So whether punting or holding, he should hold a special place in Cy-Hawk lore from an ISU perspective.

“It’s a lot of fun (holding for Konrardy),” Perkins said. “I mean, he’s one of the best kickers in the country.”

And Perkins is firmly established as one of its top punters. He’s one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award and just one of his last 43 punts has resulted in a touchback, while 20 have been downed inside the 20-yard-line.

“I mean, it’s kind of like golf, yeah?” Perkins said. “Like, what kind of club can you pull out? It’s pretty fun.”

The same can be said of Perkins’ career. He’s seen a four-win season filled with close losses and a record-setting 11-win slate rife with narrow wins. Now it’s time to say goodbye.

“It’s really hard to believe,” he said. “Where does time go?”

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com