Saturday Practice Report: Special Teams

Although it definitely didn’t seem like it during the 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame’s 2015 special teams collectively had their best season in head coach Brian Kelly’s first six seasons.

The bar wasn’t high through the first five campaigns, but last year there was more overall emphasis placed on special teams. This included a fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown in the 34-27 win at Virginia and a blocked punt for a touchdown that helped spearhead an exciting win versus USC. Complementing those game-changing plays were the production of the top trio who made their debuts:

• Kicker Justin Yoon earned some Freshman All-American honors by converting 15-of-17 field goals, notably each of his last 12 (highlighted by one from 52 yards versus Navy). Over the final nine games, Yoon missed neither a field goal nor an extra point (50-of-52 overall).

• Fellow freshman C.J. Sanders became the first Notre Dame player since Vontez Duff in 2002 to return both a kickoff and a punt for a score in the same season. He also was the first to return a punt for a score since 2009, and the first to tally on a kickoff since 2011.

• With sophomore punter Tyler Newsome’s 44.5 average (no blocks, 21-of-55 downed inside the 20 and 18 punts over 50 yards), Notre Dame and Idaho were the only two schools in the country to have their kicker and punter rank among the top 15 in field-goal percentage and best punting average.

During Saturday’s open practice, only Yoon was actively involved in live situations. Hip surgery has sidelined Sanders for at least four months. Meanwhile, inclement weather has led to virtually every practice being held indoors, meaning controlled climate situations that don’t tell the full story as it would fielding kickoffs and punts outdoors.

Kelly indicated who the next options in the return game are will be answered more so in August. On kickoffs, running backs Josh Adams and Dexter Williams are initial candidates, while on punts sure-handed freshman receiver Kevin Stepherson is vying to challenge Sanders along with senior wideout Torii Hunter Jr. — whose baseball background makes him effective at tracking punts — and sophomore walk-on Chris Finke.

There was a brief session on Saturday with 3-on-3-kickoff return work that emphasized staying in lanes within confined space. Finke was used as a return man and was impressive at finding the smallest creases and exploding through them with zero hesitancy or dancing. It was easy to see why he averaged 18.9 yards on his 24 returns as a high school senior at Archbishop Alter (same as quarterback Malik Zaire and cornerback Nick Coleman) in Kettering, Ohio.

Meanwhile, Newsome was limited to punting into a net off to the side, as were walk-ons Jeff Riney and Sam Kohler. Riney is a left-footed sophomore, while the junior Kohler is listed primarily as a kicker.

That left Yoon and fourth-year starting long-snapper Scott Daly as the prime figures in special teams work. The top news on the unit earlier in the week was that junior quarterback Montgomery VanGorder replaced quarterback DeShone Kizer as the top holder for Yoon. Kizer found his niche last season as a holder mainly because during the spring he was the third-team quarterback. Now as the returning incumbent, Kizer is in a competitive situation for the starting job, and Yoon turned to VanGorder as an option he can work frequently with in practice with timing and chemistry.

“Me being a kicker, I was a little picky I guess,” Yoon said. “I need to be able to see the ball sometimes as fast as I can [on holds]. I think [VanGorder] has that small advantage … .01, .02 seconds, just that difference makes me more confident.

“I could tell that he wanted to be the holder. He came to me and asked what can I do to be better? What time should I come? When should I come? Should we do it four times a week, five times a week … He kept on coming to me asking me for feedback.”

There is the risk of trying to fix something that was not broken, and kickers in particular have a reputation for being ultra superstitious.

“I guess I’m the odd one: I’m not necessarily superstitious,” Yoon said.

In a practice earlier this week, Yoon missed three in a row from the 30-to-45-yard range during field-goal drills.

“That was all on me,” Yoon said. “I just couldn’t plant properly sometimes. Understanding that and watching film, I got myself to working on my plant. I got better at it. Here I am right now trying to prove myself once again. Every little kick, it’s a different routine, it’s a different ball game.”

On Saturday, Yoon converted 4-of-5, most of them beyond 40 yards. He missed his final two that were beyond 50 yards. One bounced off the left post, and the other from about 56 yards had the distance but sailed wide right.

Last year, the comfort level for Yoon was around 43 yards (despite his 52-yard make versus Navy), but this spring it has expanded to about 47 yards, maybe even more. He has detected more power in his leg after just one season of a college weight-training program.

“It looks like he’s got a little bit more pop in his leg, a little more strength,” Kelly said.

Unlike other positions, though, too much practice can be detrimental for a kicker because leg weariness can set in.

“I learned that my junior year [in high school],” Yoon said. “It was a mistake that I made. I kicked way too much because I was all excited about the recruiting process, all the coaches coming … I think eight coaches came and I kicked a consecutive eight days.

“It’s about the quality of each ball, not quantity.”

A pleasant surprise this spring has been senior walk-on kicker John Chereson has converted all four field goals we’ve seen in the two practices where he was used, and he too displayed better pop, plus accuracy, than in past years. His holder was … Kizer.

To remain a Playoff contender, the Irish will need to build on the success they achieved on special teams versus Virginia and USC — and erase the special teams clinic Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes had on them

The Buckeyes had Sanders walled in by the Irish 15-yard line on all five kickoff returns, with the possessions starting at the 17-, 13-, 13-, 12- and 10-yard lines. Meanwhile, OSU averaged 18.25 yards on four punt returns and 29.3 yards on three kickoff returns against Notre Dame to gain a substantial advantage all game in field position.