So was Cougar junior punter Ryan Rehkow.

“If you would’ve told me Sam Houston would’ve been a nine-punt game, I would’ve been thinking like two maybe,” Rehkow said after practice on Tuesday. “Selfishly, though, punting a lot was great — but I’m just grateful we got the win.

“I know that’s not going to be a common thing, especially with the offense that we have. I’m grateful to get opportunities but I’m not expecting it every week.”

But just like every player on the team, Rehkow had to be ready when his number was called — and the results were stunning.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior punted nine times for a total of 479 yards. His gross average was 53.2 yards and his net average was 49.1, due to having four punts returned for just 17 yards.

Four of Rehkow’s punts were downed inside the Bearkat’s 20-yard line and two of his punts went for 64 and 65 yards.

For that showing, the Augusta Sports Council announced Wednesday that Rehkow was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week for the first week of the 2023 college football season. He was selected from among eight honorees announced on Monday.

A finance major, with a 3.74 GPA, Rehkow was named CSC Academic All-District in 2023 and was selected CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team in 2022. He graduated in April with a degree in finance from the BYU Marriott School of Management.

“I feel like I have been here forever,” Rehkow said. “I’m going into my fourth season. It’s been the best four years and we’re trying to make the most of this one. I’m enjoying every moment like it’s my last. If it is, then great. If it’s not, than I’ve still got time.”

Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill talked on the Coordinator’s Corner show on BYUtv on Monday about how he views the punter in many ways as the first line of defense for the team and Rehkow said he agreed with the perspective.

“When the other team is starting with really good field position, I feel like that kind of falls on my shoulders,” Rehkow said. “Whatever I can do to set the defense up, I’m going to do the very best that I can. We attend the defensive meetings, which makes you feel bought-in and makes you want to contribute wherever you can.”

He also feels like Hill has contributed to Rehkow’s improvement since he joined the program.

“He (Hill) has helped me a ton with special teams as well,” Rehkow said. “He has been around the block with the specialists and seen as good as there is. He cares. I feel that is the magic. He is trying to understand better and that instills a lot of trust in other people.”

Rehkow’s longest punt in a game went for 83 yards (setting a BYU record) against Arizona State in Provo in 2021. He said he doesn’t know what his longest punt in practice has been since they don’t measure all of them, but he said “they can go pretty far.”

He explained that his goal is to be consistent.

“It’s better to be able to kick it consistently than just one really good one,” Rehkow said.

That’s what the BYU football team wants across the board. Rehkow said he’s glad the team took care of business last week but it needs to be better as it prepares to host Southern Utah in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday (1 p.m. MT, ESPN+).

“You go into every game wanting to go 1-0 for that week and we accomplished that last week,” Rehkow said. “Now we are moving forward with that same mentality.”