Indiana University Athletics
Special Teams Feature
4/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Special teams players can be difference makers in college football. Making the opponent go the length of the field after pinning a punt inside the 10, returning a kickoff for a touchdown to push the advantage or having the big play with the punt return can dishearten opponents. Those are the types of benefits that good special teams can provide.
The Hoosiers have those difference makers in the punting game and in the return game, and IU head coach Terry Hoeppner believes special teams can be that difference for the Cream and Crimson.
"We have a couple of guys who are real solid in their positions," Hoeppner said. "Tim Bugg is our snapper both long and short, and Tyson Beattie is our punter. You have to have those two guys as necessary parts of special teams. Right now, we are having a kicking competition with five guys. We have been giving all five an opportunity. This final week, we are going to target our depth chart, and target a couple of guys going into next fall or spring. All of them have kicked pretty well. I think a couple of them will separate themselves."
Bugg will be in his first season as the Hoosiers' long-snapper after spending the previous two campaigns as a back up to graduating three-year veteran Kyle Warriner. Bugg came to Bloomington after a stellar career at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., which included a pair of Indiana High School Athletic Association 5A State Championships in 1999 and 2000. If the long snappers' names don't ring a bell, that is usually a positive sign that the job is getting done. The only time a long snappers' name is mentioned, typically, comes on a bad snap.
In the punt game, Bugg will be snapping to Beattie, who returns for his third season. In his first two campaigns with IU, Beattie averaged 41 yards per punt, including 35 downed inside the 20-yard line. His career long came in the Metrodome in Minneapolis during 2003, when he unleashed an 80-yard punt. A season ago, Beattie averaged 41.3 yards per punt with 20 boots inside the 20.
"To be a complete punter, you need to be dropping the ball inside the 20 and kicking for distance," Hoeppner said. "What people don't realize is how quickly [Beattie] gets the ball off. With Tim Bugg snapping and Tyson punting, we get the ball off very quickly. That is one part of the equation for sure. He has a fast leg, and hopefully, he can average in the 40's with good hang time. With pooch punting, if we can get the ball knocked down inside the 10-yard line and make them go the length of the field, that is a huge difference. I think Tyson Beattie will be a real weapon for us."
Despite the success Beattie has had as the Hoosier punter over the past two seasons, he envisions more out of himself entering his third year.
"The first two seasons I had here were really good years," Beattie said. "I pinned punts inside the 20 pretty well, and I had a decent net both years. Now, I really want to take my punting level to the next stage, which is right up there in the top 10 in the country. There is not a particular number I want to put on it; but in order for me to become better, I am going to have to take that next step up. There is a fine line between being a good punter and being a great punter. I am going to have to keep working every day on all the little things that can make you a great punter in the Big Ten."
Another facet of the special teams is the kicking game. The Hoosiers graduated their most experienced components at kicker last season in Bryan Robertson and Adam Braucher. The spring has seen a kicking competition with five players competing for the top spot on the depth chart. The quintet includes junior Aaron Reese, sophomores Drew Robbins and Michael Hines along with redshirt freshmen Austin Starr and Kevin Turlock. In a 125-play scrimmage on April 9, Starr, Trulock and Hines were perfect with Starr hitting on all four of his field goal attempts, while Hines and Trulock were 2-for-2. Furthermore, Starr hit on a pair of short distance kicks before hitting a 33-yarder and a 43-yarder before the end of practice. Hines and Trulock each hit on a short attempt and a 33-yard kick.
IU's excitement in the return game a season ago came in the form of sophomore Lance Bennett, as he returned a pair of kicks for touchdowns last season. He returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown in Memorial Stadium against Michigan State. He also put the finishing touches on the Hoosiers' 30-24 upset win over then-No. 24 Oregon with a 98-yard kickoff return. Bennett averaged 30 yards per kickoff return and 10.9 yards per punt return. He ranked third nationally and first in the Big Ten in kickoff return average. Bennett also was named CNNSI.com honorable mention All-American at the kick return position.
"Two years ago at Miami we led the nation in punt returns," Hoeppner said. "We put a lot of emphasis on the returns. I think we have some special people. You can block it perfectly and if you don't have a guy that can do something with it, you can't use that to your advantage. We have that person in Lance Bennett. Marcus Thigpen also has been returning punts this spring, and he is a guy with a lot of speed. Having someone back there that can return it is important because it inspires the other guys on that team to block. They want to block their best, because every play there is a chance for that to be a big play and possibly a touchdown."
For the second time in as many years, Bennett had knee surgery in the off-season. He had surgery on the opposite knee from his 2004 surgery in February. The surgery has kept Bennett out of spring practice.
"It is going real well," Bennett said of his recovery. "I am ahead of schedule from last year. I stepped up my running yesterday, so it is going real well. I have a whole summer to go with it."
Despite the surgery and success at returning kicks, Bennett has his eyes on providing the Hoosiers with explosive plays on offense as well.
"Last year, I had the same surgery on my other knee in April, so I didn't have enough time to be cleared to play wide receiver," Bennett said. "This year, I had the surgery in February, so that gives me two more months. I am not just a returner, I am an offensive player. I didn't have the chance in my first two years. I have two more years here, and I want to keep excelling and getting better at kick return, but I also have a lot to offer to the offense. That is really what I want to do, I want to step it up in both areas."
With the pieces in place, the Hoosiers have a host of players with the ability to be difference makers on special teams.
