2011 Recap - Part 2 of 4 - Special Teams
The Hornets had a bad year in the special teams area and any of the positives were overshadowed by horrid place kicking and punting. In fact, statistically the Hornets had the worst punter and kicker in the BSC. The coverage teams slipped a bit from last year but the Hornets were able to block a handful of punts. The unreliable place kicking really hindered scoring opportunities for the Hornets. Poor punting also resulted in great field position for opponents time and time again which put added pressure on the defense. Special teams are a vital part of the game and we saw how much of an impact they can have when they are effective (blocked punts & returns) or ineffective (poor kicking).
The kick coverage teams had their ups and downs. The kick coverage unit wasn’t very effective at keeping opponents pinned deep and they did allow some big returns every now and then. A lot of this had to do with kickoffs not being very high and far which allowed opposing returners to catch the ball on a line drive and get up the field quickly. Kickoffs routinely only made it as far as the 10 yard line. With that said the Hornets did well at converging on the returner and making a tackle. The Hornets did allowed 1 kickoff TD so there is room for improvement. The punt coverage was solid however with the short punts; they didn’t have much ground to cover. The punt coverage didn’t allow any TD returns and did a good job at containing the explosive punt returners in the BSC. The punt blocking team did get after a couple of punts and were able to block 3 (down from 5 a season ago). I like this aggressive stance on punts and we should expect to see this so long as Coach DaPrato is the ST Coach.
The kicking game was horrible. With a senior punter in A. Heath returning, there were just too many shanked and very short punts that gave opponents great field position. The punting was so bad that S. Heath had his redshirt burned to take over the punting duties. Unfortunately he didn’t do any better and couldn’t provide a solution to the punting issue. To their credit, both punters did a decent job when it came to pinning teams inside the 20 and the upside to the short punts is that they resulted in a lot of fair catches which reduced the risk of allowing a big punt return.
On the place kicking side of things, the Hornets had freshman kicker Diniz step in to take over the kicking duties and he had a pretty rough year. He didn’t have a booming leg on kickoffs and his FG’s were routinely low and he struggled with accuracy even from short range. To make things worse, he had 2 PAT’s blocked and this caused the Hornets to abandon the kicking game all together and go for 4th down when in FG range, as well as go for 2 point conversions after every TD. Diniz did end the season on a high note by drilling 2 short FG’s and a PAT in the Causeway so there could be a chance at redemption next season assuming the coaches stick with him. The good news is the kicking and punting game has nowhere to go but up.
The returning game was mediocre for most of the season and there were some mistakes. There were a few fumbles on kick returns that were huge momentum swings for opponents, but all in all the return game wasn’t bad. Hendershott put together some decent returns, including a huge kick return for a TD at MSU and he had another TD called back in the Causeway. Carter had a good number of returns too and it seems like he has the ability to have some big returns in the future. He will need to hang onto the ball though as there is nothing more detrimental than putting the ball on the ground during a kick return. The Hornets didn’t have many punt returns so the impact there was minimal. It seemed as though the Hornets set up more to go after a block rather than set up a return. I don’t recall seeing any muffed punts this season which was a big improvement from a season ago. The Hornets did return a blocked punt for a TD by Williams during the UM game which statistically skews the return yardage.
Team Rankings/Stats
Players Leaving
Players Returning
Individual Stats
Kickers
2012 Outlook
There is plenty of improvement to be made in the special teams units for next season, especially in the kicking game. The kicking game needs to see drastic improvement for this area of the team to not be considered a liability. Abandoning the kicking game is no way to improve odds of winning a game. Both kickers are young and have plenty of room to grow, but patience is thin so improvement needs to be seen heading into the 2012 season. I recall hearing the announcers say that the kickers are walk-ons. If that is the case, Coach Sperbeck should probably look at using a scholarship or two to shore up the kicking game. Another option could be to bring in a specialty coach for some kicking sessions if the program has the funds to do so. It will be interesting to see how/if the kicking game is addressed in the offseason. I think both kicking positions are wide open to whoever walks-on or is recruited so that will be something to keep an eye on in the offseason.
As far as the coverage and return teams are concerned, I think there are talented players on the roster who can improve this aspect of the game. This roster has the depth to provide capable players to fill in on the special teams. For the most part this has been the case and although the coverage and return teams may not be the best, they are a solid group that is capable of getting the job done. Coach DaPrato has done an amazing job at getting after punts and creating some big plays on special teams. Hopefully this will translate across the board for all the ST units and some electrifying returns can be generated.
The other void I see heading into next season is at the punt returner position. The punt return game has largely struggled the past few seasons but so long as they can find a returner who doesn’t muff or fumble the returns, the Hornets should be fine. I am hoping for solid and consistent special teams play as well as a vast improvement from the kickers in 2012.
As always my thoughts and analysis are always up for discussion. Please feel free to add your :twocents:
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 3 of 4 – Offense
The Hornets had a bad year in the special teams area and any of the positives were overshadowed by horrid place kicking and punting. In fact, statistically the Hornets had the worst punter and kicker in the BSC. The coverage teams slipped a bit from last year but the Hornets were able to block a handful of punts. The unreliable place kicking really hindered scoring opportunities for the Hornets. Poor punting also resulted in great field position for opponents time and time again which put added pressure on the defense. Special teams are a vital part of the game and we saw how much of an impact they can have when they are effective (blocked punts & returns) or ineffective (poor kicking).
The kick coverage teams had their ups and downs. The kick coverage unit wasn’t very effective at keeping opponents pinned deep and they did allow some big returns every now and then. A lot of this had to do with kickoffs not being very high and far which allowed opposing returners to catch the ball on a line drive and get up the field quickly. Kickoffs routinely only made it as far as the 10 yard line. With that said the Hornets did well at converging on the returner and making a tackle. The Hornets did allowed 1 kickoff TD so there is room for improvement. The punt coverage was solid however with the short punts; they didn’t have much ground to cover. The punt coverage didn’t allow any TD returns and did a good job at containing the explosive punt returners in the BSC. The punt blocking team did get after a couple of punts and were able to block 3 (down from 5 a season ago). I like this aggressive stance on punts and we should expect to see this so long as Coach DaPrato is the ST Coach.
The kicking game was horrible. With a senior punter in A. Heath returning, there were just too many shanked and very short punts that gave opponents great field position. The punting was so bad that S. Heath had his redshirt burned to take over the punting duties. Unfortunately he didn’t do any better and couldn’t provide a solution to the punting issue. To their credit, both punters did a decent job when it came to pinning teams inside the 20 and the upside to the short punts is that they resulted in a lot of fair catches which reduced the risk of allowing a big punt return.
On the place kicking side of things, the Hornets had freshman kicker Diniz step in to take over the kicking duties and he had a pretty rough year. He didn’t have a booming leg on kickoffs and his FG’s were routinely low and he struggled with accuracy even from short range. To make things worse, he had 2 PAT’s blocked and this caused the Hornets to abandon the kicking game all together and go for 4th down when in FG range, as well as go for 2 point conversions after every TD. Diniz did end the season on a high note by drilling 2 short FG’s and a PAT in the Causeway so there could be a chance at redemption next season assuming the coaches stick with him. The good news is the kicking and punting game has nowhere to go but up.
The returning game was mediocre for most of the season and there were some mistakes. There were a few fumbles on kick returns that were huge momentum swings for opponents, but all in all the return game wasn’t bad. Hendershott put together some decent returns, including a huge kick return for a TD at MSU and he had another TD called back in the Causeway. Carter had a good number of returns too and it seems like he has the ability to have some big returns in the future. He will need to hang onto the ball though as there is nothing more detrimental than putting the ball on the ground during a kick return. The Hornets didn’t have many punt returns so the impact there was minimal. It seemed as though the Hornets set up more to go after a block rather than set up a return. I don’t recall seeing any muffed punts this season which was a big improvement from a season ago. The Hornets did return a blocked punt for a TD by Williams during the UM game which statistically skews the return yardage.
Team Rankings/Stats
- • Net Punting: 9th in BSC (98th FCS) with an average of 31.6 yards per punt.
• Punt Returns: 1st in BSC (20th FCS) with an average of 11.7 yards per punt return, 1 TD.
• Kickoff Returns: 7th in BSC (66th FCS) with an average of 20.4 yards per kickoff return, 1 TD.
• Punt Coverage: Allowed 5.3 yards per punt return. 3 blocked punts.
• Net Kickoff: 6th in BSC with an average of 39.2 yards per kickoff.
• Kickoff Coverage: Allowed 24.1 yards per kickoff return. 3 touchbacks, 1 TD allowed.
• Field Goal %: 9th in BSC, 3/8, 37.5%
• PAT %: 8th in BSC, 26/28, 92.9%
- • Net Punting: 9th in BSC (98th FCS) with an average of 31.6 yards per punt.
Players Leaving
- • Augie Heath, P: After earning all-BSC honors his SO season, his output progressively decreased as his career progressed. I don’t think anyone really knows what happened here but it continued to disappoint.
• John Hendershott, KR/WR: There was a void in the kick return game when Shaw was lost for the season to injury. He stepped up and was able to fill the kick return role quite well. A solid versatile player that will be missed.
• Kyle Monson, PR/CB: He wasn’t able to take a punt for a TD this season and his return opportunities were limited; but he drastically improved his decision making in the return game from a season ago.
• Jake Croxdale, RB: For what he lacked in size he made up for in heart and determination. He saw a lot of time on special teams and he definitely left his mark while he was here. A true warrior and dedicated player whose emotion and attitude will be greatly missed.
- • Augie Heath, P: After earning all-BSC honors his SO season, his output progressively decreased as his career progressed. I don’t think anyone really knows what happened here but it continued to disappoint.
Players Returning
- • James Bobak, LS/TE: Returning for his SR season. Coming in with a season of LS experience under his belt we expected a solid and consistent performance from him, and that is exactly what we got. Every punt and FG/PAT begins here and it’s in pretty good hands. The big question here is will there be a second season of “Jimmy Likes” videos posted on Hornet Football Facebook during 2012 fall camp? One can only hope.
• Jason Diniz, K: Returning for his SO season. He struggled mightily throughout the season but looks to have rebounded in the final game of the season. He has lots of career left but he needs to drastically improve if he wants to keep the job. I can tolerate the short kickoffs if he can be close to perfect from 40 yards out or less. If he can get his kicks higher, he shouldn’t have any issues with blocked FG’s/PAT’s.
• Smith Heath, P: Returns for his SO season. Had his redshirt burned to replace his brother, he didn’t produce better results and was benched by the end of the season. He needs to see drastic improvement as well. My computer monitor cannot take another season of regularly shanked punts.
• Jordan Bettencourt, K: Returns for his redshirt FR season. If the coaches felt he was better than Diniz, his redshirt probably would have been burned too. The kicking spot is wide open so if he can impress in spring and fall camp, the spot could be his.
• DeAndre Carter, KR/WR: Returns for his SO season. I like this kid. He is fast, shifty, and just has something to him that feels like he is always one step away from making something big happen. He needs to hang on to the rock or he won’t see many chances in the return game.
• Sam McCowan, KR/RB: Returns for his SR season. He saw limited action in the return game and will probably see less next season as he looks to be the primary RB for next season.
• Markell Williams, DB: Returns for his JR season. He was voted special teams MVP and had a huge scoop and score off of a blocked punt during the UM game that drastically changed momentum in the Hornets favor. He played on all 4 ST units and had some playing time at nickel back. His hustle and aggressive play will make him a top contender for one of the open DB spots.
• Corey Vanderbeek, DB: Returns for his JR season. He is our punt block specialist plain and simple. A tremendous special teamer who will be looking to challenge for one of the open starting spots in the defensive secondary. He probably has the inside track to ST MVP for the 2012 season if he can continue to create momentum changing blocked punts.
Individual Stats
Kickers
- • Diniz: 3/8 (37.5%) FG’s, long of 32 yards, 26/28 (92.9%) PAT’s, 46 kickoffs for 2,873 yards (62.5 ypk), 39.2 ypk net, 3 touchbacks, 1 out of bounds, 1 FG & 2 PAT’s blocked.
• A. Heath: 47 punts for 1,666 yards (35.4 ypp), long of 50 yards, 8 inside the 20, 4 touchbacks, 14 fair caught, 1 punt blocked.
• S. Heath: 16 punts for 533 yards (33.3 ypp), long of 42 yards, 4 inside the 20, 5 fair caught, 0 punts blocked.
- • Monson: 4 punt returns for 26 yards (6.5 ypr), 1 kick return for 16 yards
• Deadder: 2 punt returns for 17 yards (8.5 ypr)
• McMahon: 1 punt return for 9 yards
• Williams: 1 punt return/block recovery for 30 yards, 1 TD
• Hendershott: 31 kick returns for 668 yards (21.5 ypr), 1 TD
• D. Carter: 8 kick returns for 170 yards (21.2 ypr)
• McCowan: 6 kick returns for 129 yards (21.5 ypr)
• Croxdale: 5 kick returns for 66 yards (13.2 ypr)
• M. Smith: 1 kick returns for 11 yards
2012 Outlook
There is plenty of improvement to be made in the special teams units for next season, especially in the kicking game. The kicking game needs to see drastic improvement for this area of the team to not be considered a liability. Abandoning the kicking game is no way to improve odds of winning a game. Both kickers are young and have plenty of room to grow, but patience is thin so improvement needs to be seen heading into the 2012 season. I recall hearing the announcers say that the kickers are walk-ons. If that is the case, Coach Sperbeck should probably look at using a scholarship or two to shore up the kicking game. Another option could be to bring in a specialty coach for some kicking sessions if the program has the funds to do so. It will be interesting to see how/if the kicking game is addressed in the offseason. I think both kicking positions are wide open to whoever walks-on or is recruited so that will be something to keep an eye on in the offseason.
As far as the coverage and return teams are concerned, I think there are talented players on the roster who can improve this aspect of the game. This roster has the depth to provide capable players to fill in on the special teams. For the most part this has been the case and although the coverage and return teams may not be the best, they are a solid group that is capable of getting the job done. Coach DaPrato has done an amazing job at getting after punts and creating some big plays on special teams. Hopefully this will translate across the board for all the ST units and some electrifying returns can be generated.
The other void I see heading into next season is at the punt returner position. The punt return game has largely struggled the past few seasons but so long as they can find a returner who doesn’t muff or fumble the returns, the Hornets should be fine. I am hoping for solid and consistent special teams play as well as a vast improvement from the kickers in 2012.
As always my thoughts and analysis are always up for discussion. Please feel free to add your :twocents:
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 3 of 4 – Offense
