Just went back and "checked the numbers". Yoder had 33 touchbacks last season. So far this season we have 0. Numbers seem to back up the memories.
Special Teams
- Thread starter SpiderFan26
- Start date
Just went back and "checked the numbers". Yoder had 33 touchbacks last season. So far this season we have 0. Numbers seem to back up the memories.
Thanks for the video reference -- no fun to watch! Not sure that we can pin that one on the kicker based upon hang time and depth...other than the missed shot at midfield. Kicker had to make tackle on another kickoff against SB if I am not mistaken.
Save your bad statistics for somewhere else... Yoder only had 15 touchbacks in 2015 (and 5 of them were in one game against VMI).
My math is bad. Help me out. Is 15 > 0? Regardless of who is kicking, having the opponent catch the ball at a dead sprint around the 10 yard line is concerning. Especially when the hang time is not anything close to special.
SpiderBacker, as someone who knows special teams and grew up with a brother who kicked at Nebraska, the hang time on kickoff is one of the most crucial parts of the kicker's job. As far as I can tell, Trau's kickoffs are low and short. Regardless of touchbacks, kicking it to the goal line and with good hangtime is crucial in winning the field position battle. We have already seen our short and low kicks bite us in the ass this year. We need to let Seegers take kickoffs or even consider another player to squib it everytime, because what we are doing now simply isn't working.
I think we can ask all we want but unless reports are bad I think there's an injury affecting our kickoff approach. I'm pretty sure if Seagers could put the ball in the end zone every time he'd be handling it.
But while we're at it, I think our kickoff coverage would be improved if we had 10 guys that were 250 and ran 4.2s handling coverage. Not sure why they haven't been accepting our scholarship offers...
But while we're at it, I think our kickoff coverage would be improved if we had 10 guys that were 250 and ran 4.2s handling coverage. Not sure why they haven't been accepting our scholarship offers...
Please refer to 32 Counter post of kickoff video against SB (the one that was taken all the way back)... If that is a low kick with poor hangtime, I guess I have very poor skills of observation. If you want to see low kickoffs with less-than-adequate hangtime, take a look at video of Colgate's kicker from Saturday's game. Perhaps you should send your suggestions and analysis to Coach Rocco as he is most likely unaware of the importance of kickoffs/associated coverage and the field position battle.
SpiderBacker, unfortunately, I think your impartiality when it comes to discussing the problems our special teams unit is facing may be compromised. Rather than place the blame on the coverage unit, it is clear that the problem rests firmly with the ineffective kickoffs that we are using. I propose that Legg have Trau pooch kick it like we did at UVA. Until we get another kicker in there, we have no business trying to kick the ball deep.
Could the kicks be better? Sure. Could the coverage be better? Sure.
With Trau kicking, I'm not saying we should pin them inside the 25 each time. But allowing big play returns can't keep happening.
With Trau kicking, I'm not saying we should pin them inside the 25 each time. But allowing big play returns can't keep happening.
This is spot on. I think that Trau actually did all the kicking in both William and Mary games last year.
Hopefully this clip of 96 yard kickoff return by Stony Brook (please enable sound), if viewed from 2:35 - 2:55, will illustrate the SB returner running with a full head of steam to field a low kick with limited hang time somewhere around the 15 yard line before taking it directly to the house... I'm heading to Wal-Mart to pick up a new pair of glasses and a hearing aid, or maybe I should just check myself into Western State Hospital For Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds.
Last edited:
Believe me, you won't be the only Spider there. A large portion of our fan base visits there every Saturday after a game. This is the real Old Spiders Club (OSC).
And so I'm sitting here watching Ivy league Penn playing Dartmouth, Penn is up 21-3. Nothing special about that, other than the Penn (0-2) kicker has kicked off 3 times, 2 of which went deep in the end zone, in the air not, bouncing in. The third one went all the way over the end zone, also in the air. All 3 were touchbacks.
A FCS, 0-2, Ivy league school with NO scholarships, has a kicker that kicks all touchbacks. Don't give me the BS argument that we can't find someone because they all go to BCS schools.
UPDATE: Penn just scored again, yet another kickoff all the way through the endzone.....
A FCS, 0-2, Ivy league school with NO scholarships, has a kicker that kicks all touchbacks. Don't give me the BS argument that we can't find someone because they all go to BCS schools.
UPDATE: Penn just scored again, yet another kickoff all the way through the endzone.....
Similar threads
