Better/Worse in 2016: Missouri special teams
They will see change in one big area. They will want to live big changes in another.
The Missouri Tigers’ special teams will be interesting to follow this season. They will move on without long-time kicker Andrew Baggett. They will seek to recover from a woeful return threat. They will try to maintain the strength shown in the punting game and attempt to use it less often.
It remains to be seen how everything will work out. There’s hope in a young, promising kicker. There’s opportunity in starting fresh in the return game.
This much is clear: There’s room for improvement after last year.
2015 Stats
FG-A: 16-for-20
Longest: 41 yards (Baggett vs. Arkansas State)
Punting average (SEC rank): 42.93 yards per punt (sixth)
Kickoff return average (SEC rank): 15.08 yards per return (last)
Kickoff return TDs (SEC rank): 0 (tied for last)
Punt return average (SEC rank): 5.85 yards per return (12th)
Punt return TDs (SEC rank): 1 (tied for sixth)
Kickoff/punt return TDs allowed: 0
Here’s a closer look at Missouri’s special-teams situation:
THE KICKER
The Tigers will see a big change here. They’ll replace Baggett, a four-year starter who went 66-for-90 on field-goal attempts and 157-for-166 on extra-point tries from 2012 to 2015. Freshman Tucker McCann is expected to take Baggett’s place, and he has plenty of upside. 247Sports’ composite rankings dubbed him as a three-star prospect, and he was rated as the country’s No. 5 kicker in the 2016 class.
McCann has potential, but his inexperience will lead to inevitable questions about how he’ll handle the transition to the college game. Baggett made 14-of-20 kicks in 2012; his 70-percent conversion rate that year was the lowest of his career. To little surprise, most of Baggett’s misses that season came within the 40- to 49-yard range (he made 5-of-9 attempts).
Growing pains should be expected for McCann. Still, he was a valued target on the recruiting trail. He picked Missouri over Alabama and Illinois. There also was interest from Florida State, which just parted ways with kicker Roberto Aguayo, who had three stellar seasons before Tampa Bay selected him in the NFL Draft’s second round in April.
McCann should have a chance to make an impact right away. The Tigers need him to adjust as fast as possible.
THE PUNTER
Missouri appears to be in good shape. Corey Fatony returns after averaging 42.9 yards on 81 punts last season, with a long of 61 yards. (The 81 punts were a single-season school record.) He was named a freshman All-American by Sporting News and USA Today. He also was a member of the All-SEC Freshman team after leading all freshmen nationally in punting.
Of course, it’s not a great sign if Fatony punts more than 81 times this year. But at least the Tigers’ coaching staff should have peace of mind that he can do the job well if called upon often.
THE RETURNER
There are many unknowns here. Cornerback Finis Stribling IV and wide receiver Chris Black received reps as kick returners in the spring. Stribling was a kick returner last season, totaling 164 yards on 10 returns. He had a career-long 27-yard return against Tennessee on Nov. 21. Black, a graduate transfer from Alabama, only had one kickoff return for 7 yards with the Crimson Tide last season, so he has little experience in the area.
Running back Ryan Williams, plus wide receivers Ray Wingo and Cam Hilton returned punts in the spring. Cornerback Aarion Penton led Missouri with 116 yards on 15 punt returns last year.
No matter how the situation shakes out, Missouri needs way more production from its returners. The Tigers’ average of 15.08 yards per kickoff return was the lowest among FBS schools, and their average of 5.85 yards per punt return ranked No. 100.
Bottom line: Missouri can’t repeat that terrible output.
COVERAGE TEAMS
The punt and kickoff coverage units were decent last season. They didn’t allow a touchdown. Fatony had kickoff duties and totaled 18 touchbacks on 43 kicks with an average of 62.8 yards per kick.
If the status quo continues, that would be a good sign. Certainly, it would help if more kickoffs happened this season. Given the Tigers’ anemic offensive output last year, kickoffs weren’t exactly a common occurrence. Missouri would love to see the punt coverage team receive less of a workload.
SPECIAL MOMENT
It’s hard to peg a best special-teams moment of 2015, given that there were so few options to consider. But the victory over BYU on Nov. 14 in Kansas City was an emotional triumph for many reasons, and it would not have been possible without Baggett making two field goals to lift the Tigers to a 20-16 win. He converted a 23-yard field goal late in the first quarter, giving Missouri a 3-0 lead. Then he tacked on a 34-yard field goal late in the second to push the Tigers’ advantage to 6-3.
Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
This is no glamorous example, but it was that kind of year for Missouri. Penton had a 41-yard return for a touchdown on a blocked punt in the season opener against Southeast Missouri State, but the Tigers won that game in a 34-3 rout.
Clearly, Missouri will search for more dynamic special-teams contributions this season. Too often, special teams are overlooked when considering a team’s strengths. However, the lack of standout performances here last year contributed to the Tigers’ poor season. If sizable improvements are made, that would bode well for Missouri’s prospects.
ONE STAT THAT MUST IMPROVE IN 2016
The average of 15.08 yards per kickoff return has to improve. Period.
That’s a terrible total. Chances are, Missouri will see an uptick in production because it will be tough to do worse. The Tigers don’t need to be stellar in kickoff returns. Still, competency should be a basic expectation.
BETTER/WORSE IN 2016
There’s a good chance Missouri will be better, because it’s hard to see the returners being as bad or worse. That’s a low bar, but it’s a bar nonetheless. Expect the new coaching staff to tinker with various options throughout fall camp.
Meanwhile, the punting game should be solid again, and McCann is an intriguing addition for place-kicking duties. It wouldn’t surprise to see him experience growing pains, but he has the talent to be a dependable kicker in time.
Overall, it will be a good sign if the kickoff coverage unit receives much more work this season and the punt coverage unit way less.
