2026 games, yards per punt per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Jake Ference
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane. Played for two head coaches in two seasons at Northern Illinois.
Play style
Handles the punting job without giving the return man a lane.
Punter archetype · season enumeration
Leg vs placement
42.4 gross, but 8 of 36 inside the 20 (22.2%) — a flipper. flipper
Net average is unavailable — no per-punt return-yardage linkage exists in the source data.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Northern Illinois’s specialists
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-40@ No. 22 Iowa | 11 | 460 | 41.8 | 49 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-28vs Illinois State | 5 | 217 | 43.4 | 55 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-42@ Arizona | 3 | 109 | 36.3 | 41 | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 14-35@ Georgia State | 4 | 138 | 34.5 | 55 | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 7-28vs Air Force | 2 | 85 | 42.5 | 52 | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | L 23-41@ Wyoming | 4 | 202 | 50.5 | 55 | 2 | |
| Wk 8 | L 21-56vs Hawai'i | 4 | 187 | 46.8 | 53 | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 24-31@ UNLV | 3 | 127 | 42.3 | 52 | 2 | |
| Total | 36 | 1525 | 42.4 | 55 | 8 |
Last game (Wk 9): 3 punts, 2 punts inside the 20.
Season context: team record and system
Punter profile · Distance and placement
Where his punts land, not just how far
Inside the 20
22%8 of 36Touchback rate
8%3 of 36Yards / punt
42.436 puntsLong
55yards42.4 yards/punt on 36 punts · 22% placed inside the 20 · 3 touchbacks.
Northern Illinois carries two punters; Ference has taken all 36 punts.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Thomas Hammock → Rob Harley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
