Special teams player of the week: Dominic Panazzolo

Every week we give out an offensive player of the week award. However, this week, the offense wasn’t as impressive as usual, so we’ve switched up the award a little bit to highlight a player who has improved from last year and continues to show out on the field.

That player is senior punter Dominic Panazzolo.

Last year, Panazzolo averaged 41.4 yards per punt. This year, in just eight games, he’s increased it to 41.7. Last week against Kansas, Panazzolo earned Big 12 honors as he averaged 45.3 yards, with one as long as 46. This week, he punted four more times and averaged 43.1 yards with a 56-yard punt and six punts inside the 20-yard line.

The special teams unit as a whole has been fun to watch, which is something we couldn’t say last season. Not only did Panazzolo have a great game, but so did sophomore Thomas Leggett who blocked a punt in Ames, and scored for the Red Raiders. Kicker Clayton Hatfield is also a great player to watch - Hatfield has only missed one field goal this year out of 11 attempts, and ranks in the top 10 in college football for field goal percentage.

Way to go, guys.

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports