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Alabama would prefer if All-American sophomore JK Scott barely played this season.
But facing a schedule featuring stout defenses in the SEC West as well as Wisconsin, the need to send the punter into action is inevitable. That’s why the Crimson Tide is thrilled to have the best punter in the nation at its disposal.
Few players have ever had the kind of freshman debut Scott produced in 2014. He uncorked the best season ever for an Alabama punter and was a finalist of the Ray Guy Award. He averaged a Division I-best 48.0 yards per kick and placed more than half his punts inside the 20-yard line.
It seems possible the Denver product could be even better this season after another year of work with Alabama’s strength and conditioning staff as well as special teams coordinator Bobby Williams. But it’s also hard to imagine improving much on those outstanding numbers.
But if Scott can have anything close to as good a season in his second year in Tuscaloosa, it puts Alabama in much better position to win the SEC and get into the College Football Playoff. Scott’s ability to flip field position pays off for the Crimson Tide in two ways.
Alabama’s stout defense operates out of a position of power when Scott pins the opposing offense deep in its own territory, and knowing Scott has the ability to boot it deep takes pressure off quarterback Jake Coker (or David Cornwell) and the rest of the Tide’s inexperienced offense.
The punter is often an afterthought at powerhouse programs such as Alabama, but Scott has an opportunity to be the Crimson Tide’s most valuable player.
Look back at last year’s 14-13 victory at Arkansas, for example. The Alabama offense had a tough time getting going and outside of Scott, the special teams were shaky at best. But Scott punted eight times and put seven of them inside the 20-yard line. The Razorbacks’ average starting field position after those eight punts was the 16.5-yard line.
If Scott shanks just one of those punts, or mishandles a snap, or puts one in a better position for a return, Arkansas could have found itself in position for at least another field goal and the victory. A loss in that game dramatically changes the outlook of Alabama’s season, forcing it to end without a trip to the Sugar Bowl in the national semifinals.
In the 20-13 overtime win at LSU, Scott punted nine times for an average of 48.6 yards, including a 66-yarder downed at the 8-yard line.
Wins Above Replacement is a statistic more often used in baseball and not officially kept in college football, but it doesn’t take number-crunching genius to figure out Alabama likely doesn’t win as many games in 2014 with an average punter.
Considering the significance of each Alabama game on the playoff picture, it’s not a stretch to put Scott on the short list of the most important players in the nation.
Yes, a punter. Just no ordinary punter.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
