The Good and the Bad of OSU’s Kickoff Game

The kickoff.

It’s a part of the game that amounts to an afterthought for most of us. A time for you to make one last run to the fridge before the real action starts.

But don’t tell that to Mike Gundy.

Special teams has always been a priority for him as a coach, often making a point to be hands-on in that phase while sitting back in more of a “CEO” mentality on offense and defense.

Gundy has spoken repeatedly about the importance of special teams.

“We’ve talked about today’s football, in our opinion, is the offense being able to get big plays; trying to find a way to establish some sort of a run; control the ball as best you can; be sound in special teams; try to get one big play in special teams; and defensively, try to force turnovers,” he said after Game 1.

The Cowboys have shown marked improvement on their kickoffs this season, partially due to freshman Matt Ammendola who Mike Gundy has given the nickname “Philly.”

Last season the Cowboys ranked 96th in the nation (6th in the Big 12) in opponent kickoff returns, allowing 23.01 yards on average. But this year they rank 17th in the nation (1st in the Big 12), only allowing 17.95 yards per return.

Another big improvement? Fewer returns.

You can thank “Philly’s” big leg for that. Ammendola ranks fifth in the Big 12 in kickoff yardage at 63.31 and fifth in touchback percentage at 48.57 percent. That may not seem staggering but if you look at the Cowboys’ kickoffs the last couple years you’ll see the difference.

Here are the Cowboys who handled the majority of kick-off duties over the last few years.

• 2016 – Matt Ammendola – 63.31 avg / 48.57 TB%
• 2015 – Ben Grogan – 60.09 avg / 23.91 TB%
• 2014 – Kip Smith – 59.24 avg / 20.00 TB%
• 2013 – Kip Smith – 60.04 avg / 23.33 TB%
• 2012 – Quinn Sharp – 62.92 avg / 69.61 TB%

So while he hasn’t been perfect, Ammendola has been the best at getting the ball into the back of the end zone by far since cult hero Quinn Sharp left.

This has allowed Ben Grogan to focus strictly on his place kicking duties. Here’s Mike Gundy on that.

“Ben has done a really good job for us,” coach Mike Gundy said. “He’s stayed consistent. He’s had two significant surgeries and has rehabbed himself over the summers to come back and kick well. We took away the kickoff duties from him because we felt it stressed his body a little much, but he’s been very consistent for us. He’s level-headed and a guy we can trust.”

Return Issues

On the other side of the field, things haven’t been so great. OSU ranks 107th in the nation (8th in the Big 12) averaging just 18.74 yards per return on kickoffs. That’s the Cowboys’ lowest average since 2009 (18.52).

Kickoff return duties have been mainly handled by Barry J. Sanders as well as splitting punt returns with Jalen McCleskey. Sanders averages a decent 21.58 yards per kickoff return and 15.50 per punt return but after a couple of exciting plays early in the season has been ho-hum. Mostly it’s been just fair catch after fair catch.

The Cowboys haven’t had a game-changer in the return game since Tyreek Hill. In 2014, Hill returned two kickoffs and a punt for scores. The last two seasons? Jalen McCleskey’s punt return touchdown at Texas Tech. That’s it.

So while the kickoffs have been better, the other side of it has been worse. Hopefully the two can come together over the final two games as OSU goes for its second Big 12 title in the last six seasons.