DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University's Matt Ference was announced as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award given to the nation's most outstanding walk-on, today.
 
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Ference holds nearly every punting mark at NIU including career average (41.7), most punts in a season (86 in 2018) and a career (295). Ference has also accumulated the most punting yards in a career (12,303) and in a season (3,473 in 2018) in NIU history. He also owns three of the top four single-season punting averages, including a school record 43.6 average this season.
 
Ranking second in the MAC and 39th in the country in punting in 2021, Ference earned MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week honors following NIU's 22-21 win at Georgia Tech in the season opener, with two of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
 
Ference arrived on campus in the summer of 2017 as a walk-on and battled another punter on the squad throughout fall camp, with the winner of the competition earning a scholarship. Ference won the contest and earned his scholarship following the first game of the season.
 
One of seven representatives from the Mid-American Conference on the 88-man list, Ference is joined by Ball State's Cody Rudy, Nate Needham of Bowling Green, Jack Klenk of Buffalo, Central Michigan's Troy Hairston, Hassan Beydoun of Eastern Michigan, and Toledo's Devin Maddox.
 
In its 12th year, the Burlsworth Trophy is named after Brandon Burlsworth, a former walk-on and All-American offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas.
 
Ference in the Huskies are back in action Wed., Nov. 3 when NIU (6-2, 4-0) travels to Kent State (4-4, 3-1) for a crossover battle with the Golden Flashes. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be aired on ESPN2. NIU returns home Wed., Nov. 10 when the Huskies welcome Ball State to Huskie Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets, which start at $18, for the Huskies' final two home football games at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or call 815-753-PACK.
 
NIU