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Punting improvements apparent in ASU spring football game

Shawn Slocum
ASU special teams coach Shawn Slocum leads the punt block unit in drills at the Kajikawa Football Practice Field on March 31, 2015. (Daniel Kwon | The State Press)

Amidst a flurry of deep passes and strong defensive line play at ASU’s spring football game, it was apparent that the punting unit has taken another step forward in the offseason.

Two years ago, ASU’s punting team wasn’t very good. The team averaged 37.4 yards per punt, 121st-best — with “best” being a loose term — in the league. Then-redshirt sophomore Alex Garoutte and then-freshman Matt Haack were the primary punters and averaged fewer than 39 yards per attempt.

Last year, ASU took a big step forward. Haack averaged more than 43 yards per kick, which was 24th best in the nation.

Special teams coach Shawn Slocum said that power has blossomed into his strong suit.

“He’s got a very powerful leg and he’s athletic,” he said.

As a result, ASU jumped to 41.4 yards per kick, which garnered a respectable placement at 66.

Despite the higher placement, Slocum said Haack still needs to improve his consistency.

He did a good job on Friday night. Kicking from anywhere between his own 40-line and the opponent’s 40-yard line, every one of his kicks landed inside the 20-yard line.

As practice went on, more and more began bouncing into the end zone, but at the beginning and during warm-ups, his backspin was on point. His first kick, which landed inside the 3-yard line, bounced backward and a defender grabbed it. On his second punt of the day, he kicked it within the 5-yard line. The ball practically bounced straight up, and the defender grabbed it in play.

His improvement comes from fundamental work. He said that he focuses on the small aspects of kicking.

“The biggest thing is my drop,” he said. “When I turn the nose in, the ball kind of flutters and ends up going shorter.”

He added that he works to keep the hang time as high as possible to give his teammates enough time to get down the field.

At the spring football game, there was very little coverage on punts and there was no attempt to tackle the returner, redshirt junior De’Chavon Hayes. Nevertheless, Haack got the better of the returner known as "Gump."

Hayes fumbled twice — once, he was running forward to get it, and the ball bounced in and out of his hands. The second time, near the two-yard line, the ball hit his arms, bounced up and hit him in the facemask.

Hayes said Haack’s lefty kicks are unique.

“It’s definitely a little different but… we practice it a lot,” he said. “I’m going to get used to it.”

Haack said the difference between his southpaw kick and righties is in the spiral of the descent.

“It spins the opposite way so it comes down a different way,” he said. “It’s just something they’re not used to.”

Slocum was hired to be the special teams coach at the beginning of March. He’s already seen improvement.

(Haack’s) fine-tuned his technique and he’s been very focused,” Slocum said. “I’m very pleased with his progress.”

Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.

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