Sophomore punter Matt Haack punts the ball in a game against USC on Oct. 4, 2014. ASU won against USC 38-34. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)Last Saturday, the ASU football team played its most complete game in its 26-10 win over Stanford. One of the reasons the Sun Devils were so good was the emergence of the special teams unit.
Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson said that he decided to change the kickoff coverage plan during the bye week.
"Something that had been so good for us over the years suddenly wasn't working," Patterson said. "So you have to step back and look at that it might not be the kids. You have to look at yourself and what we're doing."
Since changing schemes, Patterson said that the unit better understands its responsibilities and Patterson believes it is a good sign moving forward.
"The kids are a lot more comfortable in what we're trying to do now," Patterson said, "We've got more people around the ball and going to the football."
ASU forced two turnovers on special teams including one of the biggest plays of the game, when Stanford senior wide receiver Ty Montogomery fumbled sophomore punter Matt Haack's punt, setting up a touchdown to put the Sun Devils up 14-0 before halftime. Patterson said that, while most people were surprised in the distance and hang time of the punt, he was not.
"It surprised probably everybody but me," Patterson said. "I sit here and watch him do it day after day with four and a half, five second hang times in practice. He just has to get to where he can do that on a more consistent basis and that's what I've challenged him with. We've got the deep snapping issues corrected which should show up in the consistency of the kicks."
Sun Devil special teams has been excellent today. Other than a missed long field goal, near perfect.
— Matthew Tonis (@Tonis_The_Tiger) October 19, 2014
Haack and redshirt junior quarterback Mike Bercovici each punted twice in the game and the only one where there was an attempted return was the fumble. Montgomery, who has a return touchdown this season, averaged 19 yards per kickoff return in the game.
Patterson said that the focus of the special teams players was probably higher than usual because of how dynamic Montgomery is at returning kicks.
"I think that everyone's focus was just maybe a little bit sharper knowing that if we do not execute on special teams, it can go to the house," Patterson said.
Additional Notes:
-Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly spoke to the media after practice, saying that he "feels a lot more comfortable" and he is "back to normal" going through practice this week.
-Redshirt freshman Marcus Ball joined the press scrum during Taylor Kelly's interview time. Ball asked about how Kelly spent his free time while injured and about who he loved on the team. Ball looked disappointed when Kelly replied with "my offensive line."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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