New Faces and Names on Millersville Special Teams
8/19/2010 2:47:23 PM | Football
Millersville, Pa. - Specialists (punters, kickers, long snappers and returners) may only be on the field for a handful of plays each game. But each is expected to perform his duty flawlessly, and an extra point, a field goal, or change of field position may make the difference between a win and a loss.
Special teams coordinator Ron Rankin and long-time specialists coach Bill Bailes will be breaking in a new punter and kicker, but the return game could be exciting.
For three years Millersville enjoyed the consistency of All-PSAC East punter and kicker John Banzhof. He had a big leg that will be difficult to replace. He hit 10 punts of 50 yards or more and landed nine inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Millersville has a veteran punter waiting in the wings, though, and a trio of fresh faces at kicker will vie for the starting job.
It won't be the first time Bailes has mentored a new punter and placekicker. A member of the staff since 1986, Bailes has coached four All-PSAC East honorees and there's a chance that sophomore Jeff Lawson may join that list.
Despite not having seen game action, Lawson is more than ready to take over the punting duties as he enters his third year with the program. He'll be performing in real game situations for the first time, though. The A.I. DuPont product has bided his time behind Banzhof but learned a great deal and was able to perfect his craft in practice each day.
"He has a good leg," said Bailes. "He can really boot the ball. He's a consistent 45-yard kicker. When he gets into combat, that may change a little. Very seldom does he have a bad kick."
"It's going to be tough following John," said Lawson. "I worked with him for three years and with Coach Bailes and with (long snapper Andrew Tulio) for three years. I'm just going to go into it with a positive attitude--expect the bumps and the bruises. I'll just go into it with a good attitude, and I think I'll be alright."
The fact that Lawson has no real game experience doesn't bother him or his coach.
"It's always different when guys are rushing after you," said Lawson. "As the years have gone on I've gotten better at that. That's what I'm trying to instill in these freshmen. Relax when they are coming after you and go through your routine."
While Lawson is a lock for the punting duties, it's anyone's guess on who will emerge as the starting kicker. Three freshmen are locked in a battle that likely won't be decided until the final practice. Anthony Kassab is a redshirt freshman that transferred in from East Stroudsburg. As the kicker at Pine Grove, Kassab made two 46-yard field goals as a senior. True freshmen Tim Wright and Josh White are the other two candidates. Wright, from Cinnaminson, N.J., set a school record for the longest field goal as a senior. White was an all-conference second team pick at Hodgson Vocational Tech.
"It's too early to really evaluate them," said Bailes. "They are working hard. It's anybody's job."
"I've seen progress really," said Lawson. "Early it was a little shaky but once me and Coach Bailes teamed up and got them to calm down its really been neck-and-neck. Anybody could win the job. I'll be interested to see what happens in Saturday's scrimmage. We'll let them battle it out and see what happens from there."
Whoever wins the job should be helped by the experience of long snapper Andrew Tulio. The senior has served in that capacity for each of the last two years and is as steady as they come. He's accurate and strong with snaps and also hustles down field on kick and punt coverage.
There is only excitement among coaches when discussing the return game. Millersville has the potential to be ultra-explosive. With the addition of return specialist Mike Jones as well as the return of Jamal Smith and Matt Egenrieder, the Marauders have three proven commodities.
"We've got good experience with Jamal and Egenrieder," said Rankin. "Both have been back on punts and kickoffs and should have a good feel for it. A lot of our cover teams have been with us a couple years so they also have an understanding of what we do."
Coaches love the speed of Smith and the sure hands and toughness of Egenrieder, but Jones could supplant both after his outstanding performances in the return game playing against Big East competition. Jones' 24.1 return average on kickoffs ranked fifth in the Big East and eighth on the all-time Syracuse list. His long of 79 yards came against Minnesota.
"He'll definitely be in the mix on kickoffs," said Rankin. "He's never returned punts, but we'll give him a look. He had success at Syracuse, so he's a big addition."
The Marauders averaged 18.4 yards per kick return in 2009, but Smith, who averaged better than 20 yards per return, did not start returning kicks until part way through the season. The team did, however, rank third in the league in punt return average. Smith's 14.2 mark would have been second best in the league but with only four returns, he failed to qualify for the rankings.
Regardless of who special teams coach Ron Rankin puts deep, the Marauders will not only be more productive but will also possess the ability to be more creative in the return game.
Position Group Preview Schedule
Aug. 20 - Quarterbacks
Aug. 23 - Offensive Line and Tight Ends
Aug. 24 - Wide Receivers
Aug. 25 - Running Backs
Special teams coordinator Ron Rankin and long-time specialists coach Bill Bailes will be breaking in a new punter and kicker, but the return game could be exciting.
It won't be the first time Bailes has mentored a new punter and placekicker. A member of the staff since 1986, Bailes has coached four All-PSAC East honorees and there's a chance that sophomore Jeff Lawson may join that list.
Despite not having seen game action, Lawson is more than ready to take over the punting duties as he enters his third year with the program. He'll be performing in real game situations for the first time, though. The A.I. DuPont product has bided his time behind Banzhof but learned a great deal and was able to perfect his craft in practice each day.
"He has a good leg," said Bailes. "He can really boot the ball. He's a consistent 45-yard kicker. When he gets into combat, that may change a little. Very seldom does he have a bad kick."
"It's going to be tough following John," said Lawson. "I worked with him for three years and with Coach Bailes and with (long snapper Andrew Tulio) for three years. I'm just going to go into it with a positive attitude--expect the bumps and the bruises. I'll just go into it with a good attitude, and I think I'll be alright."
The fact that Lawson has no real game experience doesn't bother him or his coach.
While Lawson is a lock for the punting duties, it's anyone's guess on who will emerge as the starting kicker. Three freshmen are locked in a battle that likely won't be decided until the final practice. Anthony Kassab is a redshirt freshman that transferred in from East Stroudsburg. As the kicker at Pine Grove, Kassab made two 46-yard field goals as a senior. True freshmen Tim Wright and Josh White are the other two candidates. Wright, from Cinnaminson, N.J., set a school record for the longest field goal as a senior. White was an all-conference second team pick at Hodgson Vocational Tech.
"It's too early to really evaluate them," said Bailes. "They are working hard. It's anybody's job."
"I've seen progress really," said Lawson. "Early it was a little shaky but once me and Coach Bailes teamed up and got them to calm down its really been neck-and-neck. Anybody could win the job. I'll be interested to see what happens in Saturday's scrimmage. We'll let them battle it out and see what happens from there."
Whoever wins the job should be helped by the experience of long snapper Andrew Tulio. The senior has served in that capacity for each of the last two years and is as steady as they come. He's accurate and strong with snaps and also hustles down field on kick and punt coverage.
There is only excitement among coaches when discussing the return game. Millersville has the potential to be ultra-explosive. With the addition of return specialist Mike Jones as well as the return of Jamal Smith and Matt Egenrieder, the Marauders have three proven commodities.
"We've got good experience with Jamal and Egenrieder," said Rankin. "Both have been back on punts and kickoffs and should have a good feel for it. A lot of our cover teams have been with us a couple years so they also have an understanding of what we do."
Coaches love the speed of Smith and the sure hands and toughness of Egenrieder, but Jones could supplant both after his outstanding performances in the return game playing against Big East competition. Jones' 24.1 return average on kickoffs ranked fifth in the Big East and eighth on the all-time Syracuse list. His long of 79 yards came against Minnesota.
"He'll definitely be in the mix on kickoffs," said Rankin. "He's never returned punts, but we'll give him a look. He had success at Syracuse, so he's a big addition."
The Marauders averaged 18.4 yards per kick return in 2009, but Smith, who averaged better than 20 yards per return, did not start returning kicks until part way through the season. The team did, however, rank third in the league in punt return average. Smith's 14.2 mark would have been second best in the league but with only four returns, he failed to qualify for the rankings.
Regardless of who special teams coach Ron Rankin puts deep, the Marauders will not only be more productive but will also possess the ability to be more creative in the return game.
Position Group Preview Schedule
Aug. 20 - Quarterbacks
Aug. 23 - Offensive Line and Tight Ends
Aug. 24 - Wide Receivers
Aug. 25 - Running Backs
Monday, January 19
Saturday, November 15
Saturday, October 04
Saturday, September 27
