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Special teams often go under-appreciated, but they can affect a game in a number of ways. As a result, Saturday Down South is giving the SECs special teamers the credit they deserve in the weekly Special Teams Index.
KICKOFFS
Tennessee is still tops in the league yards per kickoff return by a wide margin at 35.2. Think about that. Averaging over 35 yards per kickoff is the same thing as the Vols getting an illegal procedure penalty in their favor on every kickoff. In fact, there’s only one team in the FBS that averages more yards than the Vols, and that’s San Diego State with a slightly better average of 35.6. However, the Aztecs’ new helmet design may lead every school in the nation by a much more comfortable margin. Tennessee and Mississippi State are still the only SEC schools to take a kickoff back to the house this season.
Meanwhile, no team in the league has allowed a kickoff return. Missouri ranks last by allowing 28.8 yards per return. Take a closer look at Auburn in the opponent kickoff returns section. The Tigers have only had to defend one kickoff return this season, the fewest in the FBS. That’s not a typo. They’re fourth in the FBS in touchback percentage (78%).
Here’s a complete rundown of every SEC team’s numbers on kickoff returns and in kickoff coverage this season:
| TEAM | YARDS PER RETURN | KICKOFF RETURNS | RETURN TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tennessee | 35.2 | 10 | 1 |
| 2. Mississippi State | 26.9 | 7 | 1 |
| 3. Auburn | 26.2 | 10 | 0 |
| 4. Kentucky | 25.8 | 10 | 0 |
| 5. South Carolina | 24.7 | 12 | 0 |
| 6. Vanderbilt | 22.7 | 11 | 0 |
| 7. Texas A&M | 21.7 | 13 | 0 |
| 8. Arkansas | 21.7 | 12 | 0 |
| 9. Florida | 20.8 | 11 | 0 |
| 10. Ole Miss | 19.1 | 11 | 0 |
| 11. Alabama | 18.6 | 12 | 0 |
| 12. Missouri | 16.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 13. LSU | 15.1 | 7 | 0 |
| 14. Georgia | 12.8 | 12 | 0 |
| TEAM | YARDS PER RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Vanderbilt | 15.1 | 13 | 0 |
| 2. South Carolina | 17.3 | 7 | 0 |
| 3. Kentucky | 17.5 | 13 | 0 |
| 4. Tennessee | 18.3 | 15 | 0 |
| 5. Texas A&M | 19.1 | 12 | 0 |
| 6. Arkansas | 19.1 | 17 | 0 |
| 7. Mississippi State | 19.6 | 16 | 0 |
| 8. Ole Miss | 19.9 | 18 | 0 |
| 9. Alabama | 21.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 10. Georgia | 22.3 | 18 | 0 |
| 11. Florida | 23.3 | 8 | 0 |
| 12. LSU | 25.3 | 13 | 0 |
| 13. Auburn | 27.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14. Missouri | 28.8 | 9 | 0 |
PUNTS
Texas A&M still leads the league in punt return average (27.7 yards per return), and they’re one of five SEC teams with a punt return TD. Alabama isn’t doing itself any favors, averaging just 7.1 yards per return, which is last in the SEC by a fraction.
Vandy is still the only team to allow a punt return TD. That one came in Week 2, when Isaiah McKenzie of Georgia returned a punt 77 yards for the first score of that contest.
Here’s a full rundown of every SEC team’s numbers on punt returns and in punt coverage this season:
| TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN | PUNT RETURNS | RETURN TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Texas A&M | 27.7 | 6 | 1 |
| 2. Arkansas | 25.0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3. LSU | 20.0 | 5 | 1 |
| 4. Tennessee | 16.8 | 12 | 1 |
| 5. Georgia | 13.4 | 12 | 1 |
| 6. South Carolina | 10.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 7. Auburn | 9.7 | 3 | 0 |
| 8. Mississippi State | 9.1 | 7 | 0 |
| 9. Ole Miss | 8.9 | 10 | 0 |
| 10. Florida | 8.6 | 12 | 0 |
| 11. Kentucky | 8.5 | 4 | 0 |
| 12. Missouri | 7.6 | 12 | 1 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 7.1 | 12 | 0 |
| 14. Alabama | 7.1 | 14 | 0 |
| TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ole Miss | 1.0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2. Mississippi State | 3.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. Missouri | 3.7 | 6 | 0 |
| 4. Alabama | 4.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 5. Georgia | 6.7 | 3 | 0 |
| 6. South Carolina | 7.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7. Florida | 8.4 | 8 | 0 |
| 8. Tennessee | 8.5 | 11 | 0 |
| 9. Auburn | 9.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10. Kentucky | 10.8 | 6 | 0 |
| 11. Texas A&M | 14.7 | 6 | 0 |
| 12. Arkansas | 15.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 17.7 | 6 | 1 |
| 14. LSU | 23.0 | 4 | 0 |
INDIVIDUALS
All that damage mentioned in the first section about the advantage the Vols are getting on kickoff returns comes from Evan Berry. He’s averaging an impressive 38.3 yards per return, which is fourth-best in the FBS. Mississippi State’s Brandon Holloway has the SEC’s only other kick return TD, which was actually the Bulldogs’ very first score of the season against Southern Miss in Week 1.
Meanwhile, LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White surged to the top of the punt returners after taking one 69 yards for a TD in the third quarter against Syracuse last week.
Here’s a full rundown of the SEC’s best individual kickoff and punt returners this season:
| NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER KICK RETURN | KICK RETURNS | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Evan Berry | Tennessee | 38.3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2. Shon Carson | South Carolina | 25.6 | 10 | 0 |
| 3. Sihiem King | Kentucky | 24.1 | 8 | 0 |
| 4. Darrius Sims | Vanderbilt | 22.7 | 11 | 0 |
| 5. Eric Hawkins | Arkansas | 22.7 | 7 | 0 |
| NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN | PUNT RETURNS | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tre’Davious White | LSU | 20.0 | 5 | 1 |
| 2. Isaiah McKenzie | Georgia | 14.5 | 8 | 1 |
| 3. Cameron Sutton | Tennessee | 13.8 | 9 | 0 |
| 4. Antonio Callaway | Florida | 10.2 | 9 | 0 |
| 5. Pharoh Cooper | South Carolina | 10.0 | 5 | 0 |
Mississippi State’s Westin Graves and LSU’s Trent Domingue are still perfect on the season. There are only two other Power 5 kickers that are perfect kicking five or more field goals this season: Oregon’s Aidan Schneider (6-for-6) and Duke’s Ross Martin (6-for-6). There’s a five-way tie for the next-best field goal percentage.
And no one’s been better at flipping the field than Texas A&M senior Drew Kaser, who’s booming punts at an average of 51.6 yards. The only FBS punter averaging better is San Jose State’s Michael Carrizosa at 52.8.
Here’s a breakdown of the top individual kickers and punters in the country.
| NAME | TEAM | FG PERCENTAGE | FG MADE | FG ATTEMPTED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Westin Graves | Mississippi State | 1.000 | 5 | 5 |
| 2. Trent Domingue | LSU | 1.000 | 3 | 3 |
| T3. Austin MacGinnis | Kentucky | 85.7 | 6 | 7 |
| T3. Gary Wunderlich | Ole Miss | 85.7 | 6 | 7 |
| T3. Andrew Baguette | Missouri | 85.7 | 6 | 7 | T3. Taylor Bertolet | Texas A&M | 85.7 | 6 | 7 | T3. Daniel Carlson | Auburn | 85.7 | 6 | 7 |
| NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT | PUNTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Drew Kaser | Texas A&M | 51.6 | 14 |
| 2. Trevor Daniel | Tennessee | 48.6 | 22 |
| 3. Kevin Phillips | Auburn | 44.8 | 16 |
| 4. Johnny Townsend | Florida | 44.4 | 19 |
| 5. Tommy Openshaw | Vanderbilt | 44.3 | 18 |
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
