University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Byrns Named to Ray Guy Award’s “Ray’s 4”
9/15/2020 8:31:00 AM | Football
Punter averaged 42.0 yards in upset win over No. 23 Iowa State
LAFAYETTE – After a strong performance in No. 19 Louisiana's upset win over No. 23 Iowa State, junior punter Rhys Byrns was named to "Ray's 4", the Augusta Sports Council and the Ray Guy Award announced on Monday afternoon.
Byrns, who was one of 19 punters named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, punted the ball five times in Ames for 210 yards. Averaging 42.0 yards a boot, he produced a long of 48 yards in the game and pinned one ball inside the 20.
The junior broke the school record a season ago by averaging 44.2 yards per punt, the highest average in a single season.
With the win in Ames, Louisiana earned its second-ever win over a top-25 team, the first coming on Sept. 14, 1996, when Louisiana defeated No. 25 Texas A&M, 29-22, in Lafayette. It was also the program's first win over a ranked team on the road.
The Ragin' Cajuns also received their first-ever national rankings in the modern era after the historic victory after being voted No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll.
Louisiana returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Atlanta to open Sun Belt Conference play against Georgia State. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CST and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
Byrns, who was one of 19 punters named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, punted the ball five times in Ames for 210 yards. Averaging 42.0 yards a boot, he produced a long of 48 yards in the game and pinned one ball inside the 20.
The junior broke the school record a season ago by averaging 44.2 yards per punt, the highest average in a single season.
With the win in Ames, Louisiana earned its second-ever win over a top-25 team, the first coming on Sept. 14, 1996, when Louisiana defeated No. 25 Texas A&M, 29-22, in Lafayette. It was also the program's first win over a ranked team on the road.
The Ragin' Cajuns also received their first-ever national rankings in the modern era after the historic victory after being voted No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll.
Louisiana returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Atlanta to open Sun Belt Conference play against Georgia State. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CST and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
Players Mentioned
P
/ FootballMichael Desormeaux Media Availability (Dec 3, 2025)
Wednesday, December 03
Jaden Dugger Media Availability (Nov 29, 2025)
Sunday, November 30
Bill Davis Media Availability (Nov 29, 2025)
Sunday, November 30
Brent Gordon Jr. Media Availability (Nov 29, 2025)
Sunday, November 30
