International Centre for Special Teams Research....Florida

Another years has passed, Fall has arrived, and the International Centre for Specials Teams Research is open for business again, starting a fourth year of questionable and probably useless "analysis" of the play of special teams.

It was clear to the naked eye that Saturday was not a great day for Bowling Green's special teams.  How "not great" becomes apparent on further analysis.

The basic idea here is that it isn't the small yardage differences that you are really worried about. If you typically have 35 net yards on a punt, you don't really care if it is 31 or 39. What matters is when it is 20 or 50, or when a game changing play (touchdown, turnover, block) occurs.

On that idea, I founded the International Centre for Special Teams Research. I score each play....most plays will be worth no points, meaning that what occurred was in the neighborhood of what should be expected. Plays above that get positive points, plays below that negative. Total scoring explanation is here.

The only change has been that a kickoff return must get to the 25 to be neutral.  Anything short is -1. Touchbacks remain a +1 for the kicking team and neutral for the receiving team.

Against the Gators BG ended up -4, which is tied for their third worst performance of the Clawson era.  (The worst were Kent 2011 and Temple 2010).  It is even a little harder to swallow because BG converted a fake punt, which is a +3 play, so we must have had plenty of negative plays.

And we did.

Exclusive shot of ICSTR members entering the Centre
after a summer spent cross-pollinating sugar peas and
studying new touchback rule.

First, positive scoring plays (+7):

Schmiedebusch 45 yd net punt.
Florida kickoff return to the 15
Schmiedebusch 56 yard net punt and inside 20 (+2)
Schmiedebusch fake punt succeeds (+3)

BG Negative scoring plays: (-11)

BG Kickoff return to 16
Schmiedebusch net punt of 20 yds
Schmiedebusch net punt of 16 yards
Stein missed 31 yd FG
Florida kickoff return to BG 47 (-2)
Schmiedebusch net punt of 10 yards
Stein missed 29 yard FG
Lost fumble on punt (-3)

Not a pretty picture.  It is usual for Schmiedebusch to have 3 negative plays, though the first one was on a big return.  The return game generated a couple plays for the Gators and of course those missed FGs hurt.  The fumble (a lost possession) negates the fake punt (a gained possession).

FWIW, Florida was +7, which is pretty good.

Florida positive plays: (+14)

BG kickoff return to 16
Fla punt return moves ball outside 20
Punt to BG 11
Net punt of 20 yards for BG, due to return
Fla KO return to BG 47 (+2)
Punt to BG 2 (+2)
51 yrd FG
Touchback on kickoff
Touchback on kickoff
Recovered fumble on punt (+3)

Florida negative plays: (-7)

Fla Kickoff return to own 15
F-ed up 15 yard pooch punt
25 yard net punt due to penalty
Allowed fake punt (-3)
Missed 27 yd FG