Let’s be honest, of the three phases of football, we always give special teams the least credit. They are on the field the least and, up until the new age-based eligibility ruling, mostly saw players limited to reserve roles, hitting the field. But all that being said, it can very easily make the difference between a win and a loss, and for the Kansas Jayhawks, it has leaned towards the losses so far throughout this season.
Where has Kansas most struggled?
Here are the three position groups we are really covering here. Kicker, punter and returning defense/offense.
Kicker: Redshirt sophomore Martin Connington joined the Jayhawks from Michigan State last season after totaling 63 points with the Spartans, including 12 field goals and 27 PATs. Connington was 12/16, and here are his distance-specific stats.
6-of-7 from 20-29 yards, 5-of-5 from 30-39 yards, 0-of-1 from 40-49 yards and 1-of-3 from 50-plus yards. Connington converted 27 of his 28 PATs.
So far this season, Connington has marked 17 points with 11 PATs and 2-4 in field goals. His misses came against Missouri and Arizona State, 52 and 44 yards.
His miss against the Tigers came when the game was deadlocked at zero nearly three minutes into the second quarter. The second time, when KU was down 17-7, a conversion would have dropped the deficit to just one score.
Punter: Freshman Matt Gill has averaged 37.6 yards per punt so far across 9 punts. Not great numbers, as most would like to aim for an extra 10 yards or so more distance to fully be able to flip the field. But up until the Union Jack Classic, it wasn’t a massive problem.
Against Arizona State, Kansas was pinned up against its own 8-yard line, and Gill’s punt was botched in a major way, turning the ball over at the KU 25 for a net of just 17 yards. Of course, one play later the Sun Devils made the Jayhawks pay and scored a touchdown.
Returning: There are two different things to quickly address.
Bad news first: The Jayhawks rank last in the nation in kickoff return defense. KU has allowed 118 yards in just two kickoff returns, one of which was for a touchdown. Of course, two kickoff returns is a small sample size, but that touchdown they allowed against Arizona State is what separated the two on the scoreboard.
If there is one bright spot in this situation, it is the play of Tate Nagy, who has served as a returner for two seasons running and ended up getting his first touchdown against the Sun Devils in week three, taking advantage of poor punt coverage.
“I don't wanna use the word scrappy, but he's a highly competitive guy that's kind of a great feel for the game. He can make people miss in the return game.” Those are the words of Leipold following the 24-17 Union Jack Classic loss that saw Kansas drop to 1-2 overall.
The last two seasons have been defined by Kansas losing in the fine margins, as cliché as it sounds, special teams is certainly a margin that has to be won to get back to a bowl game.
Overall Grade: D
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