Ragin’ Cajun P Rhys Byrns Named Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week

Louisiana Ragin' Cajun punter Rhys Byrns hasn't been playing American football for long, but it hasn't kept him from being dominant in his medium.

The sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, had a remarkable game against Appalachian State last week, hitting 4 punts inside the 20-yard line, with 4 of his 6 punts on the night traveling 50+ yards.

For his efforts, Byrns was named the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week today.

"He's a weapon for us," said head coach Billy Napier. "The way he was performing affected decisions I made later in the game as to whether or not to punt it (or go for it on 4th down)."

Byrns is the third Ragin' Cajun to earn a Sun Belt POW honor this season, joining running back Elijah Mitchell and linebacker Jacques Boudreaux who earned Sun Belt offensive and defensive POW recognition earlier this season.

While Byrns earned the conference honor, he was quick to deflect praise to his teammates.

“Without (the entire punting unit), the successful punts wouldn’t happen at all," explained Byrns. "They deserve more credit than me, honestly.”

Louisiana (4-2, 1-1) travels to Arkansas State (3-3, 2-4) this week for a Thursday night matchup with the Red Wolves. Pregame on ESPN1420 begins at 4:30, with kickoff set for 6:30.