Freshman punter Josh Smith earned the Mid-American Conference’s East Division Special Teams Player of the Week honor for his performance in the Kent State football team’s loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. 

In his first game, Smith punted eight times with an average of around 40 yards per attempt. His longest punt of the day traveled 57 yards. 

Four of Smith’s punts landed inside the 20-yard line. Two of those he dropped inside the ten, including one where he pinned the Aggies at their own three-yard line late in the 2nd quarter with his team trailing by only seven points. 

Texas A&M only managed 11 total return yards over the course of the game. 

Smith took over the punting duties from Ian Henzi, who averaged around 40 yards per punt last season, after he graduated in the offseason. 

Despite Smith’s great performance, the Flashes would likely love to see less of him as they prepare to play the Virginia Military Institute at Dix Stadium on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. 

Jimmy Oswald is a sports editor. Contact him at [email protected]