Matt Ference: P · Northern Illinois · #36.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Northern Illinois’s specialists
Matt Ference
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane. Played for two head coaches in five seasons at Northern Illinois.
Play style
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
Punter archetype · season enumeration
Leg vs placement
44.4 gross, but 7 of 45 inside the 20 (15.6%) — a flipper. flipper
Net average is unavailable — no per-punt return-yardage linkage exists in the source data.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 22-21@ Georgia Tech | 7 | 287 | 41.0 | 52 | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | L 43-50vs Wyoming | 2 | 96 | 48.0 | 52 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-63@ No. 25 Michigan | 7 | 339 | 48.4 | 56 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 41-14vs Maine | 4 | 178 | 44.5 | 65 | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | W 27-20vs Eastern Michigan | 3 | 131 | 43.7 | 49 | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 22-20@ Toledo | 3 | 118 | 39.3 | 48 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-26vs Bowling Green | 2 | 83 | 41.5 | 49 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 39-38@ Central Michigan | 2 | 78 | 39.0 | 41 | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 47-52@ Kent State | 5 | 190 | 38.0 | 48 | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 30-29vs Ball State | 2 | 93 | 46.5 | 48 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 33-27@ Buffalo | 2 | 106 | 53.0 | 56 | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 21-42vs Western Michigan | 5 | 242 | 48.4 | 58 | 2 | |
| Wk 14 | W 41-23vs Kent State | 1 | 57 | 57.0 | 57 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 1998 | 44.4 | 65 | 7 |
Season context: team record and system
Punter profile · Distance and placement
Where his punts land, not just how far
Inside the 20
16%7 of 45Touchback rate
13%6 of 45Yards / punt
44.445 puntsLong
65yards44.4 yards/punt on 45 punts · 16% placed inside the 20 · 6 touchbacks.
Northern Illinois carries two punters; Ference has taken all 45 punts.
How it ended
Five seasons at Northern Illinois — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 58 games over five seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Rod Carey → Thomas Hammock. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
