One of college football’s great offensive breaks – not to mention bonehead moves – traditionally comes when the opposing kicker duck-hooks a kickoff out of bounds. The offense automatically gets the ball at the 35-yard line instead of the 20 after a touchback. This year, however, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema makes the opposing team re-kick it.
“People normally would take that,” Bielema said. “They didn’t move it ahead 5 yards to the 40, which I thought they’d do. Maybe that will be something they’ll do next year, because right now we’re making them re-kick.”
With this year’s new kickoff rules, that’s a better bet. Also up, with the return of the clock stoppages rules from two years ago, is the number of plays and the length of games, which are now averaging 3 hours, 21 minutes.
In short, there’s a whole lot more football this season. And the excitement starts with the opening kickoff, where the biggest change has taken place.
If one looks at the first month of the season, moving the kickoff back from the 35 to the 30 and lowering the tee to an inch high have made a lot bigger impact than a mere 5 yards. In the weird mathematics of kickoffs, 5 yards often equals seven points.
According to NCAA statistics, over the previous seven years the percentage of kickoffs returned ranged between .589 in 2005 to .648 in 2000. This year the percentage jumped to .713, and more and more of those returns are for big gains.
“We’ve had one return every game out to the 50,” Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick said. “We had one (Saturday at Houston) for 64 yards that set up our second touchdown. I know every team we’ve played has had one big return on the kickoff.
“If that’s what the fans want – but the defensive coaches don’t like it.”
Scoring returns are up
If the kickoff return for a touchdown is football’s most exciting play, then the NCAA Rules Committee injected a lot of excitement into the game. While restoring the old clock rules after last year’s botched experiment has produced more plays, no play has had a bigger impact than the kickoff. Four games into the season, 22 kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns.
All of last season produced only 42.
“It’s the biggest play in the game,” Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. “We always take the ball when we win the toss because we just feel like we won’t start on the 20. We’ll start on the 30 or more. That’s one first down. You win field position right off the bat.”
Or, in Arkansas’ case, merely let the offense rest more. Nutt’s kick returner, junior Felix Jones, already has taken kickoffs to the house against Troy and Kentucky and is second nationally at 38.5 yards a return. Minnesota sophomore Jay Thomas leads at 39.17. A year ago, Indiana’s Marcus Thigpen led with 30.13. This season, fifteen players average at least 30.
Sure, it’s early. Still, Jones’ average jumped from 24.1 a year ago.
“It’s helped, big time,” Jones said. “It gives us a lot more time to set our wedge up and execute. It gives our blockers up front more time to get their man under control. After that, it’s just a matter of finding the hole.”
In other words, the new rule, Jones said, has made kickoff “another source of offense.”
Take Purdue, which is leading the nation in kickoff returns at 33.94. In winning its four games, the Boilermakers’ average field position after kickoffs has been the opponent’s 46, then its own 34, 41 and 34.
“I don’t think there’s any question it has helped,” Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. “Balls aren’t being driven into the end zone the way they were in the past. Cover teams are further away from the guy catching the ball. With the timing of the kick, the return is more critical than it used to be. If you have time to put into it, you have opportunities to make more big plays in the kicking game.”
Has it gone too far?
Or give up big plays. The rule is only popular with some coaches. Others wait for the kickoff to get a Gatorade and a blindfold. Wyoming has been dreadful. Only San Jose State, at 33.78, has given up more yards per kickoff than Wyoming’s 31.35. Its opponents’ average starting point following kickoffs is its 36.
“We’ve played some younger people,” Tiller said. “We’ve coached it and coached it and coached it. We’re putting starters on the kickoff coverage team now. After a while, it’s not the scheme. Some kids just aren’t ready yet. It’s our fault. Kids don’t play defense and they don’t practice tackling every day.”
While the kickoff has returned more excitement to college football, too much college football may not be such a good thing. A year ago, in an attempt to speed up the game, the rules committee had the clock start at the referee’s signal after a first down and not at the snap. Coaches complained they lost too many plays and won their argument. This year the clock starts at the snap once again.
Average plays have jumped from 64 a year ago to 73 this year, but average game time has also leaped from 3:07 to 3:21. That’s average. Oklahoma State’s win Saturday against visiting Texas Tech lasted 4:02 – without overtime.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, a member of the rules committee last year, said the committee would consult with TV networks on how to shorten games. Right now the coaches still aren’t happy.
“We’re on schedule for the number of plays if we were playing an 18-game schedule,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. “Saturday we took 86 snaps on offense and when you consider a pro team’s statistics average 60 snaps a game, in my judgment the rules committee needs to do something to limit the number of plays. We’re playing 12 games. Now the number of plays being run is not in the best interest of college players.”
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
