Florida State football has something special that a lot of teams don't have: a fantastic special teams unit. I heard the preseason hype about them, but three games in to the season I already have very high praise for them. The special teams unit the Seminoles have is- well, special. From Shaun Powell's masterful punting to Greg Reid's eye popping returns, the special teams unit has the potential to change the outcome of games this year.
Here's how the great special teams is changing the whole team:
1. It's all about Greg Reid. It would be in FSU's best interest to get Greg Reid the ball as much as possible. And to do that, the defense has to force the opposing team to punt as much as possible. Read this excerpt from the Florida State Football Preview magazine, talking about a big key to this season being "Make Them Punt":
Seems like a no-brainer, right? In 2009, though, it always seemed like a monumental challenge. Last year the Seminoles forced a grand total of 19 three-and-outs. There were 19 times all season in which the opposing offense took over possession, ran three plays and punted. Four of those came against Jacksonville State. So in the 12 game against Division1-A opponents, FSU forced 15 three-and-outs. Total. For comparison's sake, Duke forced 28. Florida forced 54. That simply has to change in 2010. New defensive coordinator Mark Stoops doesn't have to work miracles, he doesn't have to turn this defense into a reincarnation of the 1998 one. All he has to do is make it solid, get a few three-and-outs every game and get FSU's offense back on the field.
Well it looks like Mark Stoops read this magazine, because Florida State has already had 8 three-and-outs this season. Maximizing opportunities for Greg Reid is crucial this year.
2. Shaun Powell's punts are spectacular. Ira Schoffel has already done an article on it during the preseason. Coach Eddie Gran has been working with him on his hang time, which gives the team more time to get down the field. You can obviously see Powell has improved in this. The ball goes extremely high every time he kicks it.
At the same time that Coach Gran said they were doing to change his punt to give it more hang time, he said this would require Powell's punts to shorten. But from what I've seen in the first three games, the length of his punts haven't taken a hit at all. He's skyrocketing the ball 50 plus yars every time, giving the opposing team terrible field position. The defense needs all the help it can get, and this is a huge help.
3. Speed kills. Coach Gran also said at the beginning of the year no one was off limits to play special teams. The 'Noles have a tremendous group of athletes on the field every time they're kicking or returning a kick. The guys are never behind, the furthest four players down the field are always FSU players. Chris Thompson, Florida State's starting running back, plays special teams, and even blocked a punt against Samford. Eddie Gran is putting the best athletes out on the field for special teams, and it's showing.
And last, bust certainly not least- Dustin Hopkins has a golden toe. Partly because of the golden cleats he wears every game, but mostly because of the unbelievable consistency Hopkins has. Regardless of if FSU can't get in the end zone, Seminoles fans can almost guarantee that if FSU gets inside the 35 yard line, they're coming out of it with at least three points. That's a huge boost to the team. Plus, he kicks the ball out of the end zone every single time. It's ridiculous! I swear, watching the game at Doak against BYU on Saturday, he kicked it through the field goal post once. Putting the opposing team on the 20 yard line every time is a tremendous boost to the team.
There's four solid things that any football team would love to have. And FSU has all of them. It's going to change the course of the 2010 season, and something opposing teams are going to have to worry about every week. And to keep it short and sweet, it's a huge boost to the team. Keep up the good work, special teams!
