Special Teams Index: Week 13 update
Special teams often go under-appreciated, but they can affect a game in a number of ways. As a result, Saturday Down South is giving the SECs special teamers the credit they deserve in the weekly Special Teams Index.
KICKOFFS
Tennessee still ranks 1st in the FBS in yards per kick return at 38.1, which is nearly eight yards better than the next-best team in Michigan (30.7). The Vols are also just one of five teams with 3 punt return TDs on the season. However, UT is only averaging 2.0 kick returns per game, tied for 10th-fewest in the FBS.
Auburn is 2nd in the SEC in kick return average at 28 yards per game. It’ll face an Alabama team that ranks 4th in defending them (18.2) this week in the Iron Bowl.
Meanwhile, Florida faces a Florida State coverage unit that ranks 2nd only to Wisconsin among Power 5 teams (16.1 yards).
Missouri resides on the other end of the spectrum in both regards. The Tigers are last among Power 5 teams in kick returning and 2nd-worst only to Arizona State in kickoff coverage.
Here’s a complete rundown of every SEC team’s numbers on kickoff returns and in kickoff coverage this season:
TEAM | YARDS PER RETURN | KICKOFF RETURNS | RETURN TDs |
---|---|---|---|
1. Tennessee | 38.1 | 22 | 3 |
2. Auburn | 28.0 | 32 | 0 |
3. South Carolina | 24.1 | 29 | 1 |
4. Kentucky | 22.1 | 27 | 0 |
5. Mississippi State | 21.2 | 30 | 1 |
6. Florida | 20.9 | 22 | 0 |
7. Arkansas | 20.5 | 30 | 0 |
8. Texas A&M | 20.5 | 27 | 0 |
9. Vanderbilt | 19.4 | 34 | 0 |
10. Alabama | 18.6 | 28 | 0 |
11. LSU | 18.0 | 30 | 0 |
12. Georgia | 17.8 | 31 | 0 |
13. Ole Miss | 17.1 | 28 | 0 |
14. Missouri | 15.3 | 34 | 0 |
TEAM | YARDS PER RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
---|---|---|---|
1. Texas A&M | 17.5 | 34 | 0 |
2. Tennessee | 17.8 | 37 | 0 |
3. Mississippi State | 17.9 | 39 | 0 |
4. Alabama | 18.2 | 34 | 0 |
5. Ole Miss | 19.0 | 36 | 0 |
6. South Carolina | 19.1 | 15 | 0 |
7. Vanderbilt | 19.5 | 26 | 0 |
8. Florida | 20 | 23 | 0 |
9. Arkansas | 20.9 | 50 | 1 |
10. Auburn | 21.2 | 15 | 0 |
11. Georgia | 21.3 | 39 | 0 |
12. Kentucky | 21.4 | 42 | 1 |
13. LSU | 22.2 | 43 | 1 |
14. Missouri | 27 | 22 | 0 |
PUNTS
Alabama became the first and only FBS team this season to take four punts back to the house just a week after Georgia became the only FBS team to take three back. The Bulldogs are the only other team in the country with at least 3 punt return TDs.
Alabama’s never had a player return two punts for touchdowns in the same game since beginning to keep records in 1944, but Cyrus Jones accomplished that with his 43-yarder and 72-yarder against Charleston Southern.
Punt returns could be a major factor this week as three of the top five teams in punt return average (Texas A&M, Tennessee and Alabama) all face teams ranked in the bottom five in the conference. The Aggies (19.7) face an LSU team that ranks dead last in the league (18.9) while 2nd-ranked Tennessee faces 11th-ranked Vanderbilt and 4th-ranked Alabama faces 13th-ranked Auburn.
Here’s a full rundown of every SEC team’s numbers on punt returns and in punt coverage this season:
TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN | PUNT RETURNS | RETURN TDs |
---|---|---|---|
1. Texas A&M | 19.7 | 19 | 2 |
2. Tennessee | 17.0 | 26 | 2 |
3. Arkansas | 16.5 | 11 | 0 |
4. Alabama | 14.3 | 32 | 4 |
5. Florida | 13.1 | 27 | 1 |
6. Georgia | 12.8 | 28 | 3 |
7. Mississippi State | 11.8 | 17 | 1 |
8. LSU | 9.4 | 16 | 1 |
9. Auburn | 8.0 | 8 | 0 |
10. Kentucky | 7.4 | 11 | 0 |
11. Missouri | 6.4 | 23 | 1 |
12. Vanderbilt | 6.2 | 29 | 0 |
13. South Carolina | 4.58 | 12 | 0 |
14. Ole Miss | 4.19 | 26 | 0 |
TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
---|---|---|---|
1. Florida | 3.5 | 21 | 0 |
2. Ole Miss | 5.9 | 15 | 0 |
3. Missouri | 7.5 | 23 | 0 |
4. Alabama | 7.6 | 18 | 1 |
5. South Carolina | 8.1 | 10 | 0 |
6. Georgia | 8.2 | 17 | 1 |
7. Arkansas | 8.5 | 13 | 0 |
8. Kentucky | 9.3 | 20 | 1 |
9. Texas A&M | 9.7 | 17 | 0 |
10. Tennessee | 11.7 | 17 | 1 |
11. Vanderbilt | 13.3 | 26 | 1 |
12. Mississippi State | 15.6 | 8 | 1 |
13. Auburn | 16.8 | 5 | 1 |
14. LSU | 18.9 | 11 | 1 |
INDIVIDUALS
Evan Berry’s return average of 39.6 is still far and away the best in the FBS by at least six yards. However, he did get some company in terms of kick return TDs. Entering last week, he and Rutgers junior Janarion Grant were the only two players with 3 kick return TDs, but Duke’s DeVon Edwards and Kansas State’s Morgan Burns have made room for themselves on top of that list.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M freshman Christian Kirk also comfortably leads the conference in punt return yardage by at least six yards with his average of 24.4. As mentioned above, he has a favorable matchup this week against LSU and it’s average of 18.9. The only FBS team allowing more yards per punt return is Bowling Green (19.3).
Here’s a full rundown of the SEC’s best individual kickoff and punt returners this season:
NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER KICK RETURN | KICK RETURNS | TDS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Evan Berry | Tennessee | 39.6 | 20 | 3 |
2. Johnathan Ford | Auburn | 28.7 | 14 | 0 |
3. Kerryon Johnson | Auburn | 27.7 | 13 | 0 |
4. Brandon Holloway | Mississippi State | 24.3 | 19 | 1 |
5. Shon Carson | South Carolina | 23.8 | 13 | 0 |
NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN | PUNT RETURNS | TDS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Christian Kirk | Texas A&M | 24.4 | 14 | 2 |
2. Cameron Sutton | Tennessee | 17.2 | 20 | 1 |
3. Antonio Callaway | Florida | 14.9 | 23 | 1 |
4. Cyrus Jones | Alabama | 14.4 | 28 | 3 |
5. Isaiah McKenzie | Georgia | 12.1 | 15 | 2 |
Trent Domingue finally saw his run of perfection end last week against Ole Miss, and it came in rather stunning fashion. Domingue missed an easy 27-yarder with three minutes left in the first quarter. He rebounded by making a 43-yarder in the third quarter to bring him to 11-for-12 on the season.
Amazingly, Texas A&M senior Drew Kaser and Tennessee’s Trevor Daniel were not nominated as finalists for the Ray Guy Award given to the college punter of the year despite being among the leaders in average yards per punt for most of the season. Kaser, specifically had been leading the FBS for most of the season.
Here’s a breakdown of the top individual kickers and punters in the country.
NAME | TEAM | FG PERCENTAGE | FG MADE | FG ATTEMPTED |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Trent Domingue | LSU | 91.7% | 11 | 12 |
2. Daniel Carlson | Auburn | 87% | 20 | 23 |
3. Gary Wunderlich | Ole Miss | 84.2% | 16 | 19 |
4. Austin MacGinnis | Kentucky | 81.3% | 13 | 16 |
5. Westin Graves | Mississippi State | 80% | 12 | 15 |
NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT | PUNTS |
---|---|---|---|
1. Drew Kaser | Texas A&M | 47.5 | 47 |
2. Trevor Daniel | Tennessee | 45.6 | 55 |
3. Johnny Townsend | Florida | 43.8 | 62 |
4. Sean Kelly | South Carolina | 43.7 | 50 |
5. Corey Fatony | Missouri | 43.2 | 73 |