Football
2008 Special Teams Outlook
By John Porentas

The outlook for special teams in 2008 is mixed.

When discussing special teams it's tempting to look just at the kickers, but the truth is that on every special teams play there are 11 players on the field, each with a job. Additionally, the return game is a very important aspect of special teams that does not involve a kicker for the returning team. That being said, we'll look at the kickers and other specialists first, then the other aspects of special teams play.

Place Kicking

The Buckeyes are in great shape with place kickers. Aaron Pettrey and Ryan Pretorious both return in 2008 and both are proven, experienced kickers. Pettrey won the kicking job in 2006 and handled both kickoffs and place kicking. In 2007, Pretorious handled the place kicking and Pettrey was designated the kickoff man until an injury held him out of action at which time Pretorious took over those duties.

Pettrey has a slightly stronger leg than Pretorious but Pretorious is slightly more consistent. You could win with either one of them, and the competition for the place kicking job in 2008 should make both of them better kickers. The wildcard in 2008 is Andrew Good. Good got some late-season opportunities as strictly a kickoff man showed flashes of the ability to be outstanding. He has a huge leg. If he can be consistent he can be a weapon on kickoffs. Pretorious made 18 of his 23 field goal attempts last season with a long of 50 yards. All five of his misses came from within 50 yards, with four of the five coming from within 39 yards.

The kicker is certainly the most important cog in the actual place kick, but the snapper and holder are not far behind. Jackson Haas handled the short snaps last season (field goals and point after touchdown) and is back in 2008. Haas was for the most part reliable in 2007 with a couple of notable exceptions. With a year of experience he should be better in 2007.

In 2007 Pretorious and Pettrey each had their own holder with whom they developed a certain chemistry, and both those holders are back. Backup punter Jon Thoma held for Pretorious while punter A. J. Trapasso was the holder for Pettrey.

The holders have each had experience with their respective kicker and the value of that cannot be over emphasized. Perhaps as importantly, they also had a year with Haas as the short snapper.

The Buckeyes gave up 1,255 return yards in 2007, fifth-most in the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes kicked off 81 times, the most in the Big Ten. That happens when you score a lot. While that 1,255 yard number looks big at first, the Buckeyes were actually very close to the top of the league in average net kickoffs. OSU averaged 44.2 yards per kickoff while Minnesota averaged 45.9 and Wisconsin 47.0 to lead the league. Touchbacks aren't returnable, and with the return of both Pettrey and Good, the Buckeyes should be able to improve on their number of touchbacks in 2008.

The one thing the Buckeyes did not do well in 2007 was protect the kicker. OSU had four field goals blocked. That's probably four too many. At least one of those was on a long attempt by Pretorious that had a low trajectory, but the rest were the result of poor timing created by either a bad snap or bad hold.

Punting

Both A. J. Trapasso and backup Jon Thoma are back, giving OSU experience at the punter position. Trapasso averaged 41.5 yards per kick last season. To put that in perspective, OSU Ray Guy Award winner B. J. Sander averaged 42.2 yards per kick for his career, while Andy Groom averaged 45.0. Thoma had just one attempt in a game last year which went 13 yards.

Trapasso has been consistent and effective. Last season 21 of his 53 kicks were downed inside the 20. His longest boot was 63 yards. Trapasso is a former running back who is actually a bona fide threat running the football, though he has just one carry in his career.

The Buckeyes gave up an average of 1.7 return yards per attempt last year, second in the league to Iowa who gave up 1.4. The Buckeyes ranked third in the league in net punting at 39.3 yards per kick. Iowa averaged 39.4 and Penn State 41.1 to lead the league. While that isn't exactly bad, the Buckeyes would like to lead the league in that catgegory.

The long snapper position will be up for grabs in 2008. Demetrios Makridis held that position in 2007 and has now used up his elibibility. The leading candidate for the job is probably Jake McQuaide, but the long snapping position is one that will bear watching in spring football and in fall camp.

Kick Returns

The Buckeyes ranked dead last in the Big Ten in kick returns. OSU ranked last in total kick return yardage, but that can be explained away by the fact that they also ranked last in the number of attempts. That to large extent explains the low total yardage number. What is of concern is that they also ranked last in average kickoff return.

The Buckeyes averaged just 17.5 yards per kickoff return in 2007, dead last in the league. The longest kickoff return of the year of 39 yards was turned in by Brandon Saine who had just three attempts last season. Ray Small led the Buckeyes with 22 attempts and averaged of 17.8 yards per return with a long of 35 yards. Michigan State led the league in kick returns with an average of 25.7 yards per attempt.

Small has the reputation of being a big-play kind of player, but as yet has not shown that in a game. In fairness, he was injured early in the season last year and it is not known if he was a full strength later in the season. What is clear is that OSU return game did not strike fear into the hearts of opponents last season as it did when Ted Ginn was one of the men deep for OSU.

The kick return game has to better next fall. Either Small has to step up his game in 2008 or the Buckeyes have to find another option. Brandon Saine is an obvious possibility as is speedy incoming freshman Lamaar Thomas. Redshirt freshman Boom Herron may also be an option as is returning running back Maurice Wells who had four returns last season for a 20.2 yard average.

Punt Returns

Ray Small returned 21 punts in 2007, Brian Hartline 20. Small averaged 7.3 yards per return, Hartline 11.4. The difference between the two looks significant, but really is just one play. Hartline turned in a 90 yard touchdown return to account for nearly 40 percent of his total return yards on that one play.

The top four punt returners in the Big Ten last year had something in common. They all had a return of 71 or more yards and all four averaged 11 yards or more per return. The next next six averaged 8.0 yards or less per return, and had a long return of 35 yards or less. Put another way, the best returners are the ones who can come up with the occassional big play. The punt returner must first and foremost be reliable. He has to have good hands and be able to catch the ball and not let it bounce. That is the essence of a good punt returner. A great returner is the player who can turn in a big play from time to time as Hartline did and Small did not in 2007.

Hartline is a fearless football player who is going to catch the ball. He also has a track record as a playmaker. One returner, however is not enough. The Buckeyes like to use twin safeties at times and there is always the danger of injury. Much like in the kick return game, Small has to either step up in 2008 or the Buckeyes have to look elsewhere for another return man. OSU experimented with Malcolm Jenkins as a returner last year as well as Brian Robiskie. If Small can't step up, they may get another look in 2008 or the OSU coaching staff could look at other possibilities such as an incoming freshman or redshirt freshman.

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