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Oklahoma football: P Michael Turk Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of Week

By Chip Rouse

Sep 10, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Zach Schmit (34) celebrates with punter Michael Turk (37) during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Zach Schmit (34) celebrates with punter Michael Turk (37) during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma football punter Michael Turk got credit for a rare touchdown pass on Saturday along with a handful of booming punts, which is something he does regularly.

For his performance, however, on Monday he was honored as Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

Turk was the holder on a fake field-goal attempt by the Sooners in the second quarter against Iowa State on Saturday. Oklahoma was tied with the Cyclones at 3-3 early in the second quarter and after being stopped at the ISU two-yard line on a third-down play lined up on fourth down for what appeared to be a short field goal.

Instead, Turk fielded the snap from center and flipped the ball to kicker Zach Schmit who ran it untouched into the end zone to the complete surprise of the stunned Iowa State defense. The score gave the Sooners a seven-point margin that they held onto for the remainder of the game.

It was actually the fifth-year senior’s second completed pass of the season. Turk had one two week’s earlier on another fake field-goal attempt in the Sooner’s win over Kansas.

Turk became the first Oklahoma full-time punter to throw a touchdown pass since Joe Wylie did it against Nebraska in 1970.

The OU punter averaged 49.3 yards on six punts on Saturday in OU’s 27-13 win over Iowa State. Two of those punts in the fourth quarter were at least 60 yards in length. Turk has five such punts this season.

Turk joined Offensive Player of the week Will Howard of Kansas State; K-State’s Ty Zenter, Co-Special Teams Player of the Week; and Baylor teammates Gabe Hall and Richard Reese, Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, respectively. It was the second career honor for both OU’s Turk and Howard and the first for Zenter, Hall and Reese.

Turk is the second Oklahoma player to be honored this season with a Big 12 weekly award. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 12 and Newcomer of the Week on Oct. 17. Turk and Gabriel were also Big 12 preseason honorees: Turk was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, while Gabriel was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year.

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