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2020 tOSU Special Teams Discussion

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ScriptOhio

ScriptOhio

Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Buckeyes have plenty of options to spark return game



There is nothing more mystifying than how arguably the most talented roster in the country continues to struggle to find a consistency returning punts and kickoffs.

Eventually the touchdown drought, the muffed kicks and the roller-coaster of emotions on special teams is going to end for Ohio State. It’s almost unthinkable that it has lasted this long for the Buckeyes, but there’s been some sort of hex on that position that zaps the powers of game-changers at their normal positions the second they drop back to catch a kickoff or punt.

This should be the season that spell is broken. And if a pool of candidates that includes Garrett Wilson, Demario McCall, Mookie Cooper, Jameson Williams and potentially C.J. Saunders can’t break through, maybe the Buckeyes really are doomed.

So, who is going to light the fuse? The smart money is on Wilson grabbing hold of the punt-return gig and never letting it go. Heading into his sophomore year, Ohio State is already making it clear by tweaking his role at wide receiver to put him in the slot that it wants the football in his hands as frequently as possible. And it proved last year that it was willing to endure a couple growing pains with him at punt returner, viewing that as an investment in his future by letting him keep learning with live reps.

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Wilson is a truly special athlete, and it feels inevitable that he’ll bust loose on a punt — and potentially snap the touchdown skid that dates all the way back to 2014.

“We have confidence in Garrett,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “He’s certainly a young player who made a mistake, and he’s going to learn from it and move on. But he’s going to practice better and again a lot of it goes back to how you practice, if you’re going to practice intently and do a good job with that, then, yeah, we’re going to have confidence because we see it in practice.

“If for whatever reason we don’t see it in practice, then we have to make a decision.”

Odds are Wilson is going to make it an easy call for the Buckeyes, though there will be competition from those other four wideouts — assuming Saunders gets his sixth year of eligibility approved, as he should.

The recent rule changes have really diminished the impact of kickoff returners, so it’s possible that Ohio State might consider rotating guys in with Wilson if there’s not a big gap between him and speedy threats like Williams and Cooper or an elusive weapon like McCall. Saunders is essentially the security blanket thanks to his sure hands, and there’s a case to be made that given Ohio State’s explosive offense, all it really needs is to make a fair catch and secure possession on every punt.

There will also still be occasional opportunities to return kickoffs, and that’s probably a spot that has McCall’s name on it with Williams angling for his shot alongside him. Return touchdowns are certainly tougher to come by given the current rules and the risk/reward with touchbacks allowing teams to start on the 25-yard line, but there will still be chances for the Buckeyes to break a drought there that extends all the way back to 2010.

Ohio State has more than enough talent on hand to break through. And if this group can’t get it done, there might really be some dark magic at play.

Entire article: https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state...yes-football-special-teams-return-candidates/

Re: Eventually the touchdown drought, the muffed kicks and the roller-coaster of emotions on special teams is going to end for Ohio State.

Hopefully it ends this season......:nod:
 
Spring’s Unanswered Questions for the Ohio State Specialists

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Every year following Ohio State spring football we recap what happened position by position.

Who stepped up, who stepped back, what got fixed, and what didn’t?

With 12 of the 15 spring practices cancelled due to the pandemic, however, essentially nothing happened, nothing got fixed, nobody stepped up, and no questions got answered.

So since we can’t talk about which questions got answered, we will instead discuss which questions still remain.

Position by position.

We have already discussed the quarterbacks, so up next is the Buckeye specialists.

Who is gonna snap the dang ball?
After four years of perfection from long-snapper Liam McCullough, the Buckeyes will now need to find a new triggerman. The good news is that while everyone is under quarantine, the long-snapping practice doesn’t have to stop. Somebody could take a football into a hallway and snap. Heck, keeping the ball from hitting any walls might actually improve the accuracy.

Or even in the living room. The ball has to “one-inch” the back of the couch while snapping from the dining room. You’ll need a bit of an open setup to accomplish that, however.

Or, I suppose, they could just go outside and snap with a buddy or a wall.

The Buckeyes have three long-snappers on the roster — senior Bradley Robinson, senior Phillip Thomas, and redshirt sophomore Roen McCullough, who is the younger brother of Liam.

McCullough was the No. 4 long-snapper in the 2018 recruiting class. Robinson — who began his career at Michigan State in 2016 — was the No. 20 snapper nationally and No. 1 in Michigan. Thomas has been with the team since 2017.

What’s the punt and kick return situation look like?
Garrett Wilson emerged as the team’s punt returner last season, returning 14 punts for 86 yards. The average wasn’t great, but Wilson did have a return of over 50 yards. He showed total comfort and competence in the role, which is half the battle.

With only three practices, however, the job wasn’t really competed for. Guys like Demario McCall, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Mookie Cooper, and a few others will get looks when camp opens up again.

Last year’s leading kick returner is back, as McCall led the way with 10 returns for 232 yards last year. He should once again be the favorite for the job, but will also get pushed. With the diminishing importance of kick return, however, this job isn’t as impactful as it used to be.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/03/buckeyes-unanswered-ohio-state-football-specialists/
 
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Will touchdown droughts finally end for Ohio State?
Matt Barnes was only a couple games into his Ohio State career when he was asked about the infamous streaks without a punt or kickoff return for touchdown. The special teams coordinator was already well aware of how long it had been and rattled off the years with ease, pointing back to 2010 for the last kickoff and 2014 for the last time a punt was taken back for a score.

Is this finally the year that Ohio State’s dynamic collection of playmakers ends the drought? Thanks to all the changes in rules for kickoffs, it’s getting more challenging just to even have a shot at a return. But when it comes to punts, there’s no reason the Buckeyes can’t bust loose for more big plays there — and that process starts with more reliable work simply fielding the football. It’s crazy that this is still a topic of conversation for the Buckeyes, but that skid is still hanging over their heads.
 
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SPECIALISTS (3)
Returning Starters: Blake Haubeil (kicker), Drue Chrisman (punter)
Newcomers: Jake Seibert (kicker – grayshirt)

Technically, Ohio State has only two specialists on scholarship for 2020: Haubeil and Chrisman, who give the Buckeyes a pair of trusty veteran options at kicker and punter. Seibert is expected to be placed on scholarship in 2021, but he’ll grayshirt – meaning he won’t be on scholarship, though he’ll still be eligible to play as a walk-on – in 2020.

Given the possibility that they could lose a starter for 21 days due to COVID-19, the Buckeyes are going to need their walk-on specialists to be ready to play, too. Seibert will likely be the next man up at kicker, while Michael O’Shaughnessy will likely be the next man up at punter. At long snapper, the Buckeyes don’t currently have a scholarship player, so they’ll need both Bradley Robinson and Roen McCullough to be ready to play, with one of them in line to start.
 
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  • He says the long-snapper battle was the "elephant in the room" with the specialists.
  • Chrisman says he could have "made a few bucks" on his name, image and likeness if he were allowed given his bottle-flipping prowess.
  • "That's one thing we don't do a lot around here is punt." Says you have to treat every punt the same.
  • Chrisman wearing his wedding band after he got married earlier this year. Said he's wearing it when he punts, too – hasn't caused any issues so far.
  • He says he has to "assert my dominance" when teammates challenge him to bottle-flipping challenges.
  • Asked whether there is any editing in his bottle-flipping videos, he says that would take longer
  • Chrisman said he got into a “really good routine” this offseason with working out on his own to stay sharp during the COVID-19 pandemic. He thinks sticking to a routine is crucial to avoid some of the special teams miscues that have happened elsewhere in college football.
  • On his comfortability with COVID-19 protocols: "If anything, we've exceeded the precautions."

  • He says he's a big believer in the idea that you're only as good as your routine.
  • Haubeil says they're going to miss Liam McCullough a lot but he enjoys the current long snappers. Bradley Robinson is his roommate.
  • Barnes was "striving to create a relationship with every specialist" when he arrived. The important aspect of working with him is "constant communication."
  • He says it was "very interesting" kicking in an empty Ohio Stadium. "Sort of, it doesn't change to much about me." He says he'll miss having fans in the stands.
  • Haubeil says he has seven or eight different types of kicks.
 
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MATT BARNES
ON RETURNING PUNTERS AND KICKERS
  • "I think any time you've got a veteran group ... You feel good. You think you know what to expect when they get in a pressure situation."
  • "We expect them to reach another level this year."
  • Barnes said it definitely adds a level of security."
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUNT RETURNER AND KICK RETURNER
  • Barnes said any time there's a kick, the priority is to catch the kick.
  • Barnes said he looks for "quiet feet" in a punt returner, someone who doesn't move their feet around a lot when they're trying to field the punt.
  • "Generally speaking, you're looking for more of a linear guy on kick return and more of a quick, lateral space guy on a punt return.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A LONG SNAPPER
  • "Really what we're looking for is consistency."
  • "The big thing with Liam was he was so consistent."
  • "The operation times are a little contingent on the situation."
  • Barnes said there is plenty of ability from both long snappers on the roster.
 
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Most glaring: There were two missed chip-shot field goal attempts.

“We left points on the field there, and those are heartbreakers,” Day said. “It’s one thing [to move that deep into red zone and then] not score a touchdown. But then when you miss a field goal, that just hurts momentum, and you just feel it. It’s real.

“But we were able to overcome it, and we’re going to get it fixed.”

The first was by regular kicker Blake Haubeil, who was trying to perform despite a groin muscle strain detected in pregame. The second miss was by backup Dominic DiMaccio, who otherwise did make his first collegiate three-pointer, a 22-yarder near the end of the third quarter.


Elsewhere in the special department, in the second quarter there was an unidentified holding call against the Buckeyes on what was a fair catch of a punt by Garrett Wilson. The penalty pushed the starting point back to the Ohio State 11-yard line, but Fields led the Buckeyes on a 15-play drive to their third touchdown of the game anyway.

And there was the brilliant wide-open wedge shot of a punt by Drue Chrisman midway through the fourth quarter that plopped down at the Penn State 4-yard line, bounced up and seemed destined to die a couple yards out of the end zone as cover man Chris Olave looked on. But deep snapper Bradley Robinson tried to corral it after the second low bounce only to have the ball go off his knee into the end zone, much to the disbelief of Olave — and, of course, Chrisman.
 
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