Gators coach Dan Mullen always makes a big point to emphasize special teams. They eat first at meals, and Mullen has also been known to hand scholarships to walk-on contributors on special teams.
To some, this may come across as a bit of a gimmick. It might seem like a coach’s effort to draw more recruits by giving privileges to a part of the team that many deem the least important in football.
In truth, special teams is incredibly important, and I believe that much of the Gators’ success under Mullen last year was because of it.
UF kicker Evan McPherson stands out not only among special teams, but among the entire program. He went 17 for 19 (which included a miss in the Kentucky game that appeared to be a rare missed call by the referees) and went a perfect 50 for 50 on extra points. McPherson led the entire team with 101 points, and the stability at kicker has been a blessing for Mullen’s team.
Punter Tommy Townsend did his part as well, averaging 45.4 yards per punt and 14 punts over 50 yards last year. His efforts were enough to net him a Second Team All-SEC nod and a semifinal spot for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate punter.
Without the efforts of McPherson and Townsend – along with UF’s kicking teams that allowed just under 20 yards per return – Florida’s 10-3 record may have looked a bit different, and you can thank Mullen’s insistence on the third side of the ball for that.
The 2010 San Diego Chargers are a great example of why special teams are important. The Chargers had the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense in the NFL that year, but with a special teams unit that allowed four blocked punts (and one deflection), three kick return touchdowns and one punt return touchdown, the team only finished 9-7 and missed out on the playoffs.
The stability at special teams – a few years after Jim McElwain’s Gators brought in a walk-on dental student to kick – cannot be understated, and the emphasis on it under Mullen’s regime could bolster his Florida teams for the foreseeable future.
So here’s to special teams. Here’s to the kickers and punters who may get overlooked, the gunners on the kick team who stifle would-be touchdowns in their tracks, and to Dan Mullen, who is bringing awareness to an aspect of the game that can make or break a football team.
Follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells. Contact him at rwells@alligator.org.
Kicker Evan McPherson was a major contributor to the Gators' offense last season, netting a team-high 101 points and only missing two field goals.
