Augusta, GA – Austin Peay State University (APSU) football redshirt junior punter Matt Rigney has been named to the 2022 FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List, the Augusta Sports Council announced Monday.
A Newcastle, Australia native, Rigney was a Second Team All-OVC selection a season ago after averaging 40.73 yards per kick – the fifth-best mark in program history – while becoming just the third APSU Gov to average 40 yards per punt in a season. Of his 55 punts during the 2021 season, Rigney had 14 downed inside the 20-yard line and had seven punts of 50-plus yards while recording just three touchbacks.
After transferring to Austin Peay State University, Rigney debuted for the Governors during the spring 2021 season and immediately took over as the primary punter. Rigney punted a career-high ten times against Tennessee State (2/28/21), averaging 33.70 yards per kick while becoming the first Austin Peay State University punter with double-digit punts in a game since Ben Campbell punted 11 times against Eastern Kentucky (10/4/2014).
Rigney finished his first season as an APSU Gov with four 50-plus yard kicks, two 60-plus yard kicks, nine punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and just one touchback while averaging 36.31 yards per kick.
Rigney and the rest of the Austin Peay State University football team will kick off the season at 11:00am, August 27th against Western Kentucky in Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
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