BOULDER — An education in returning punts came one spin at a time for Isaiah Oliver.
Each revolution of the ball meant something different, and the Colorado sophomore was having trouble making heads or tails as the laces were boomed high into the sky, soaring in his general direction.
“The hardest thing to learn is the rotation of the ball,” Oliver said. “Sometimes when the tip (of the ball) is going down, you know it’s going to stop a lot shorter. When it’s up, it’s carrying. So being able to see that, as well as seeing, ‘OK, where are the gunners at? Do I need to fair catch? Do I need to not fair catch?’ Being able to do that all at the same time is probably the number one thing I still need to learn.”
The Buffaloes wanted Oliver to simply focus on the mechanics of fielding the ball when they first tried the athletic defensive back at the position during preseason camp in August.
“He wasn’t really good at catching them early,” said CU coach Mike MacIntyre. “We kept working with him and working with him.”
When CU’s first-string punt returner, Jay MacIntyre, suffered a concussion against Arizona State on Oct. 15, Oliver got his chance. He made the most of it last Thursday at Folsom Field against UCLA, setting up a score with a 42-yard punt return in the third quarter and sealing CU’s sloppy 20-10 victory with a 68-yard touchdown return late in the fourth quarter. Oliver, who also runs track for CU, gave the Buffs the kind of explosion they hadn’t had at the position.
As a result, CU’s special teams helped the No. 16 Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) win a game instead of nearly costing them one. The Buffs blocked a field goal, made two of their own three field-goal attempts and were stout on punt and kickoff coverage.
Still, despite Oliver’s big night and a steady performance by the rest of the unit, CU’s special teams are certainly an area of concern as the Buffs wade into the three pressure-packed games remaining on the regular-season schedule, beginning with Saturday’s 8 p.m. game at Arizona.
The Buffs rank last in the Pac-12 in net punting average, (33.7 yards), ninth in kickoff coverage (39.0), ninth in field-goal kicking (13-of-20, .650) and last in point-after percentage (34-of-37, .919). A disastrous performance from its special teams cost the Buffs a chance to upset Michigan and nearly cost them a narrow victory at Stanford.
MacIntyre, though, is hopeful last week’s performance was an indication his special teams are starting to find their collective footing.
“We keep moving forward,” MacIntyre said. “We’ve had some really good games. We’ve had some tough games. When you’re going through all your kickers and all the things we’ve had happen — and those kids are doing the best the can; they keep improving. I thought during the open week we worked on that hard. I think we saw some improvement in those areas.”
Kicking appeared to be a strong suit for the Buffs early in the season. Senior Diego Gonzalez was booting nearly every kickoff out of the back of the end zone. He also made three of his four field-goal attempts, appearing much more confident than he had been during a shaky junior season.
But the Buffs had to scramble once Gonzalez suffered a torn Achilles tendon during CU’s third game of the season, at Michigan. Junior Chris Graham and walk-on freshman Davis Price shared kicking duties with mixed results before Price missed the past two games because of mononucleosis. (He is expected to return Saturday.)
Graham (6-of-10 field goals) and Price (4-of-5) have made strides during practice, MacIntyre said, and the staff has done its part to help the kickers with the mental side of the job by, among other things, having them work with CU sports psychologist Chris Bader.
“Chris does a good job with them, and we talk to them, too, all the time,” MacIntyre said. “It’s just like your golf swing. You’ve got to go do it. You can be on the practice range, but when everyone’s there you’ve got to come through when the pressure’s on.”
There will certainly be plenty of that the next three games.
CU special teams by the numbers
A closer look at some of trouble — and success — the Buffs have found on special teams this season.
7: Missed field-goal attempts, tied for second-most in the Pac-12. Three of those misses have come in the red zone.
3: Missed PATs, most in the Pac-12.
33.7: Net yards per punt for CU, last in the conference.
11.4: Yards per punt return, third in the conference.
College Football Playoffs
Colorado again is in the Top 25 AP poll, also coming in at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff poll.
