This Aussie punter wanted ‘more eyes.’ He’s opening them at Boise State

Boise State’s Oscar Doyle lines up to punt against UNLV last weekend. | Sarah Miller, Idaho Statesman. BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The first time Oscar Doyle stepped on the field for a competitive football game, he could barely keep a steady hand on the turf as he set himself up to take a snap and hold the ball for a field-goal attempt for Weber State. It wasn’t really nerves, though. The stadium around him was just so loud that the ground was actually shaking a little. Doyle was a fresh-faced Australian punter, newly arrived in America and to the game of American football. And there he was, all eyes on him in front of nearly 67,000 screaming fans at Husky Stadium in Seattle, where the University of Washington was hosting the Wildcats. “That was surreal,” said Doyle, now a junior at Boise State. The 48-yard kick sailed about a yard wide, and the heavily favored Huskies went on to beat Weber State 35-3, the opening game of a 4-8 season for the Wildcats, a member of the Big Sky in FCS. His life has changed quite a bit. Back then, Doyle barely knew the game of football. He didn’t know what constituted a holding penalty or really much of anything outside of his duties as a punter and placeholder. He’d grown up in Brisbane, Australia, playing Australian Rules Football, and hadn’t even considered American football until after high school, when he joined Prokick Australia. “I was just looking for something new, I guess,” Doyle told reporters Tuesday afternoon. Now he’s really found it, punting and holding for a winning program at the FBS level, and finding himself involved in even more than those duties, after a fake punt last week against UNLV and an improvised play the week before against New Mexico, when he bobbled a snap and wound up throwing a touchdown pass. From Down Under to the U.S. Prokick Australia is a program that trains Australian Rules Football players in punting technique to try to earn roster spots and scholarships at American colleges. As of 2025, Prokick has helped punters earn over 300 scholarships. Doyle first joined Prokick Australia in 2021, briefly returned to Australian Rules Football, and then earned a scholarship with Weber State in 2024. By the time he stepped on a football field for a live game situation, it had been two-and-a-half years since he first began punting. Once Doyle arrived in the U.S., he made an impression. He spent one year in Ogden, Utah, punting for the Wildcats before entering the transfer portal and landing at Boise State. His arrival came after the surprise departure of fellow Australian punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, who transferred to Oregon after three seasons in blue and orange. Ferguson-Reynolds, whom Doyle said he didn’t know personally, was another product of Prokick Australia. “I kind of just got sick in the routine (at Weber State), and I just wanted something a little bigger, more eyes looking on,” Doyle said. That has happened. Doyle made his Boise State home debut against Eastern Washington in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,887, punting twice, for 48 and 59 yards, in the 51-14 victory. “I remember running out and I was like, ‘Wow, this is my home crowd,’” Doyle said. “It was insane. I just loved every minute of that game.” Doyle has punted 21 times in his burgeoning Boise State career for an average of 44.7 yards. But he’s also made a name for himself the past two weeks for different reasons. Against New Mexico two weeks ago, he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Troy Grizzle after bobbling the snap. Instead of kicking, he used his legs on that play to roll to the right and loft a perfect pass to Grizzle, a tight end who lined up to block, and then took off when the “fire drill” call came after the snap. In last week’s 56-31 dismantling of previously unbeaten UNLV, Boise State called a fake punt in the fourth quarter, and Doyle delivered again, on an 11-yard pass play to tight end Matt Wagner. That revived a drive that led to the Broncos’ final touchdown. Some of his teammates, including Grizzle, said they were surprised by Doyle’s ability to put some spin on the ball. Doyle said he grew up throwing around a football with his dad and brothers — but certainly never thought he’d be doing it in a game. And now he might have more opportunities. “He’s done a great job punting the football and making sure we win the hidden yardage,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said this week. “But those are two big-time plays, and we’ve got to continue to use those. We want to be on the attack or to continue to find ways to use his arm.” Doyle doesn’t see too much of a future throwing the football, of course, but he has a better understanding of this American game now. In fact, he said, don’t be surprised if he pretends to throw a flag on the sidelines when he sees what should be a holding penalty, he said. And now his goals remain with American football, rather than the Down Under version. “My biggest goal is the NFL,” Doyle said. “That’s my dream.”The post This Aussie punter wanted ‘more eyes.’ He’s opening them at Boise State appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com