Wednesday, September 9, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 3
Matt Tyler, Kansas punter, kicks the ball. Tyler punted six times and averaged 46.5 yards per punt against Oklahoma State during Saturday's game, Kansas' special teams foundered in the game. Photo by Dan Elewsky/KANSAN.
Special teams take lesson away from mediocre day
By Jodi M. Smith
Kansan sportswriter
To those who watch football, offense scores the points, defense keeps the other team from scoring points, and special teams take up the time in between.
But to those who play on special teams, nothing could be further from the truth.
Special teams players are responsible for successful kick returns and punt returns, point-after attempts and field goals.
But last Saturday, in the Jayhawks' season opener, success was not the way to describe their performance.
"We basically weren't very good, bottom line," said Darrell Wyatt, special teams coach. "In just about every phase of special teams, we had some kind of bust. They had good returns on us, we didn't do a good job covering kicks and our kicks weren't especially good or long."
After the jayhawks' second touch
down, place kicker Joe Garcia's extra point attempt was blocked. Then, late in the fourth quarter, a bouncing, 78-yard punt from Oklahoma State's Scott Elder left Kansas batting a tied score from their own 11-yard line.
But rather than being unprepared, inexperience might have been a factor.
And although it was Childs who bumbled fielding the 78-yard punt, the whole thing was chalked up to a bad roll.
Kansas has two players on its special teams who, until Saturday, hadn't played at the college-football level: freshman running back Henri Childs and freshman punter Matt Tyler.
"I thought he was going to try and run it down; it looked like he was going to try to run it down, but he made the judgment not to, and we can't question that," coach Terry Allen said. "It would have been a running-out-of-control catch, which may have potentially led to a turnover.
Obviously, it was a great kick, and Henri did a nice job back there all day. He just didn't quite track it down, and we're not going to hold that against him."
Pressure might have been a factor for Childs playing in his first college game, but after his first return, he felt right at home.
"The first time I went back there on punt returns I was nervous," Childs said. "But after that, not really."
And he wasn't the only one at ease on the Javahaws' home turf.
Tyler felt comfortable during the game but was disappointed after, not so much in the outcome, but in his own performance.
"Personally, I wasn't satisfied with it." Tyrler said. "I guess the coaches thought I did all right, but I'm a little bit of a perfectionist."
Now they are trying to put last Saturday's performance behind them and concentrate on their battle against the Missouri Tigers this Saturday.
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