By St. Clair Murraine, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Kicker Wesley Taylor's view of the field won't change this season just because the distance for kickoffs will be five yards longer. He's been preparing for almost a year now since he first read about the change.
FAMU's entire special-teams unit, especially Taylor and kick returner Donovan Johnson, is eager to see the effects of the change.
Adjusting hasn't been more than mind over matter, Taylor said.
“It's a mind-boggling thing, because the field looks longer, but if you do the right technique, it's really the same,” said Taylor, who averaged 56.2 yards per kickoff last year. “If you let it bother you, you will probably mess up.”
Johnson is stepping into the role of returner for the first time. He was the second man last year behind All-American receiver Roosevelt Kiser.
Special teams didn't return any kicks for a touchdown, although the Rattlers gave up one on punt returns. FAMU averaged 9.4 yards per punt return, the longest at 40 yards. Kiser returned 33 kicks, averaging 22.8 yards. As a team, the Rattlers averaged 21 yards per return.
Johnson said he expects those numbers to drastically improve because of the extra yards should give him leverage for better speed.
“Every kick will basically get returned,” he said. “A lot of things will open up with that extra five yards. I will get to see the field better to hit the hole and go the distance.”
During fall camp, special teams spent time making adjustments to get the most out of the extra distance. If executed effectively, Johnson, who plays cornerback on defense, would become an extension of the FAMU offense, Carter said.
“It could be the equalizer, especially if a team scores and then you come out and get a big return for an advantageous field position,” he said. “That gives you an opportunity to match that score from an offensive standpoint.”
The impact that special teams will have on the game could change the unit's image, Johnson said. Special teams could go from being a unit that simply marks a transition in the game to one that has greater significance, he said.
“If we want to be that well-rounded football team we've got to be good in the special teams area, too,” he said. “They say if you win two phases you'll win. If we win the defensive battle and the special-teams battle we'll win. We need that to be a complete team.”
That put the onus on punt returner Greg Clark, too. His goal on every turn would be to make drives as short as possible for his offense, he said.
“I want to get them as close as possible to the goal line,” he said. “My goal is to get it to goal line or score.”
Saturday: p.m. in Birmingham, Ala., on WHBX (96.1 FM).
No comments:
Post a Comment