Auburn’s special teams truly are special

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, August 21, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Auburn Tigers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

There are three phases to a football game. Offense and defense get all the attention, but often it is that third phase, special teams, which can swing a game’s momentum most dramatically. Long returns, blocked kicks, made or missed field goals or strong coverage can do wonders for a team’s confidence, but rarely do special teamers get any publicity. They are the ultimate scapegoats and rarely the heroes, but that doesn’t diminish their significance. So, let’s give some love to Auburn's special teams, which has been winning games for Tommy Tuberville every year.

The Tigers' special teams are led by their kicker, Wes Byrum. As a freshman last season, Byrum made 17-of-23 field goals, with five of the six misses coming from over 40 yards. It wasn’t the misses that made headlines, though; rather, it was the two game-winning field goals he kicked that did. In one of the most memorable kicks of the year, Byrum nailed a 43-yard field goal as time expired to beat Florida in The Swamp. His celebratory “Gator Chomp” afterward is still being shown on CBS and ESPN highlight reels. Two weeks later, he kicked a 20-yarder at Arkansas to win. Two game winners on the road in your first seven contests? Not bad.

Let’s not forget the rest of Auburn's special teams, though. The punting duties are also held by a sophomore, Ryan Shoemaker, who won the job as a freshman. He averaged 42.4 yards per punt and dropped 16 punts inside the 20-yard line. Not bad for a freshman -- or anyone, for that matter. Of course, Tuberville thinks that Shoemaker still needs to improve his hang time for 2008. It’s that attention to detail which has made Auburn’s special teams some of the best in the country.

Led by Tristan Davis and Robert Dunn, Auburn also has a talented group of return men. Davis is one of the thoroughbreds in Auburn’s stable of running backs, and he also led the SEC in kick returns in 2006. He was injured for most of 2007, so if Davis can stay healthy, he should be able to do great things returning kickoffs.

Dunn is an explosive playmaker, but he as been inconsistent in the past. While coordinator Tony Franklin hopes to get him more involved in the offense, Dunn also wants to make an impact with his punt returns. He’s hoping to break at least one for a touchdown this year in his senior season.

The one area of concern is kickoff coverage, where players were undisciplined and Byrum’s distance left something to be desired in 2007. If Auburn can clean those areas up, it should be another dominant year in the vital third phase of the game. And that will mean another successful season on The Plains.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (2)

About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ACC.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report