From OnlineAthens.com
October 7th, 2015 06:35 AM
Georgia’s most glaring special teams breakdown Saturday turned into a momentum-building blocked punt for touchdown by Alabama.
It was hardly the only area in the kicking game where the Bulldogs didn’t measure up in the 38-10 trouncing by the Crimson Tide.
Georgia had a 28.3 net punt average with two going into the end zone on touchbacks instead of being downed deep in Tide territory. The Bulldogs averaged a paltry 1.5 yards on punt returns and 17.8 yards on kick returns.
As the Bulldogs hit the midpoint of the season Saturday at Tennessee, their special teams are sagging in the national rankings and they may be without their most explosive player — punt returner Isaiah McKenzie — due to a hamstring injury.
Georgia ranks last in the nation in kick returns at 14.0 yards per game, 119th of 127 teams in net punting at 32.2, 87th in punt coverage at 9.89 and 85th in kickoff coverage at 22.0.
Reggie Davis, Georgia’s top kick returner, thinks Georgia is close to breaking one.
“Eventually you keep hitting it and eventually one will spit through,” Davis said. “Just keep practicing and executing and eventually the little things will fall into play and big things will happen.”
Davis said he is in line to replace McKenzie on punt returns if need be against the Volunteers. Terry Godwin is next, coach Mark Richt said, and then Dominick Sanders, “a guy we really trust fielding the ball,” Richt said.
Richt pointed out Tennessee is “by far” the best team on specials teams Georgia will have played up to now including No. 1 in kickoff returns (37.9 average) and No 6 in net punting (42.7).
“When you watch the film you can see why,” Richt said.
Tennessee has its issues during a 2-3 start, but coach Butch Jones said: “Right now we’re excelling in the game of special teams.”
There have been bright spots, of course, for Georgia on special teams.
The Bulldogs are one of 11 teams tied for the nation’s lead in blocked kicks with two (on punts by De’Andre Walker and Malkom Parrish), McKenzie returned a touchdown 77 yards helping Georgia rank 40th in the nation at 11.7 per return and kicker Marshall Morgan is 5 of 7 on field goals.
Against Alabama, Minkah Fitzpatrick sailed past Georgia protector Josh Dawson to block the Collin Barber punt after first sliding by Roquan Smith and Sanders on the line.
“Hearing all the noise, I looked back and the punt was blocked,” Sanders said.
“If everybody would have done their job, we’d have punted down there and played defense,” Richt said.
Davis averages 20.7 yards per kick return, which ranks ninth in the SEC. He said he is working on getting better.
“I’ve got to watch on catching the ball with more forward lean,” he said. “It lets me hit the hole a little faster than the way I was.”
Davis and Sony Michel are back on kickoff returns in a twin safety look.
McKenzie has four returns for a 10.5 average, Keith Marshall one for 18 and Michel one for 17.
Teams have avoided kicking it deep on occasion, leading to Brendan Douglas having three returns for an 8.0 average.
Richt said Georgia’s kickoff return average is a little misleading because “there’s a bunch of bloop kicks. I mean a lot of them. You’re not going to get many yards on the return.”
Barber is 10th in the SEC at 41.0 yards per punt.
“I don’t get all that jacked up about a 55-yard punt if it’s a low line drive,” Richt said. “It just doesn't fire me up. We want the height to match up with the yardage. And then we want the direction to be correct.”
Georgia’s special teams will get their next chance in Knoxville.
“We’ve just got to show Tennessee,” Sanders said, “what we’ve got going on, what we’ve improved on.”
...READ MORE HERE...
October 7th, 2015 06:35 AM
Georgia’s most glaring special teams breakdown Saturday turned into a momentum-building blocked punt for touchdown by Alabama.
It was hardly the only area in the kicking game where the Bulldogs didn’t measure up in the 38-10 trouncing by the Crimson Tide.
Georgia had a 28.3 net punt average with two going into the end zone on touchbacks instead of being downed deep in Tide territory. The Bulldogs averaged a paltry 1.5 yards on punt returns and 17.8 yards on kick returns.
As the Bulldogs hit the midpoint of the season Saturday at Tennessee, their special teams are sagging in the national rankings and they may be without their most explosive player — punt returner Isaiah McKenzie — due to a hamstring injury.
Georgia ranks last in the nation in kick returns at 14.0 yards per game, 119th of 127 teams in net punting at 32.2, 87th in punt coverage at 9.89 and 85th in kickoff coverage at 22.0.
Reggie Davis, Georgia’s top kick returner, thinks Georgia is close to breaking one.
“Eventually you keep hitting it and eventually one will spit through,” Davis said. “Just keep practicing and executing and eventually the little things will fall into play and big things will happen.”
Davis said he is in line to replace McKenzie on punt returns if need be against the Volunteers. Terry Godwin is next, coach Mark Richt said, and then Dominick Sanders, “a guy we really trust fielding the ball,” Richt said.
Richt pointed out Tennessee is “by far” the best team on specials teams Georgia will have played up to now including No. 1 in kickoff returns (37.9 average) and No 6 in net punting (42.7).
“When you watch the film you can see why,” Richt said.
Tennessee has its issues during a 2-3 start, but coach Butch Jones said: “Right now we’re excelling in the game of special teams.”
There have been bright spots, of course, for Georgia on special teams.
The Bulldogs are one of 11 teams tied for the nation’s lead in blocked kicks with two (on punts by De’Andre Walker and Malkom Parrish), McKenzie returned a touchdown 77 yards helping Georgia rank 40th in the nation at 11.7 per return and kicker Marshall Morgan is 5 of 7 on field goals.
Against Alabama, Minkah Fitzpatrick sailed past Georgia protector Josh Dawson to block the Collin Barber punt after first sliding by Roquan Smith and Sanders on the line.
“Hearing all the noise, I looked back and the punt was blocked,” Sanders said.
“If everybody would have done their job, we’d have punted down there and played defense,” Richt said.
Davis averages 20.7 yards per kick return, which ranks ninth in the SEC. He said he is working on getting better.
“I’ve got to watch on catching the ball with more forward lean,” he said. “It lets me hit the hole a little faster than the way I was.”
Davis and Sony Michel are back on kickoff returns in a twin safety look.
McKenzie has four returns for a 10.5 average, Keith Marshall one for 18 and Michel one for 17.
Teams have avoided kicking it deep on occasion, leading to Brendan Douglas having three returns for an 8.0 average.
Richt said Georgia’s kickoff return average is a little misleading because “there’s a bunch of bloop kicks. I mean a lot of them. You’re not going to get many yards on the return.”
Barber is 10th in the SEC at 41.0 yards per punt.
“I don’t get all that jacked up about a 55-yard punt if it’s a low line drive,” Richt said. “It just doesn't fire me up. We want the height to match up with the yardage. And then we want the direction to be correct.”
Georgia’s special teams will get their next chance in Knoxville.
“We’ve just got to show Tennessee,” Sanders said, “what we’ve got going on, what we’ve improved on.”
...READ MORE HERE...
