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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 doesn’t just lead the SEC, it leads the entire FBS in yards per kickoff return at 37.9. The next-best team is San Diego State at 33.4. Meanwhile, the Vols are one of only four FBS schools to return multiple kickoffs for TDs, along with San Diego State, Duke and Rutgers.
Georgia has struggled in the return game, only averaging 14 yards per return. That mark is dead last out of 128 FBS teams.
Meanwhile, Arkansas became the only SEC team this season to allow a kick return touchdown, when Evan Berry took the opening kickoff 96 yards to the house against the Hogs last week. Vanderbilt has done an exceptional job covering kickoffs, only allowing 15.8 yards per return, good for 5th-best in the FBS.
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 | 37.9 | 13 | 2 |
| 2. Auburn | 31.1 | 13 | 0 |
| 3. Kentucky | 25.5 | 11 | 0 |
| 4. South Carolina | 24.4 | 13 | 0 |
| 5. Mississippi State | 22.7 | 10 | 1 |
| T6. Texas A&M | 21.4 | 14 | 0 |
| T6. Vanderbilt | 21.4 | 14 | 0 |
| T6. Arkansas | 21.4 | 14 | 0 |
| 9. Florida | 20.8 | 13 | 0 |
| 10. Alabama | 18.9 | 15 | 0 |
| 11. Ole Miss | 18.4 | 15 | 0 |
| 12. LSU | 17.1 | 9 | 0 |
| 13. Missouri | 16.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 14. Georgia | 14.0 | 16 | 0 |
| TEAM | YARDS PER RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Vanderbilt | 15.8 | 14 | 0 |
| 2. South Carolina | 17.3 | 7 | 0 |
| 3. Texas A&M | 17.9 | 15 | 0 |
| 4. Tennessee | 18.5 | 17 | 0 |
| 5. Mississippi State | 19.5 | 17 | 0 |
| 6. Kentucky | 19.7 | 18 | 0 |
| 7. Ole Miss | 19.9 | 20 | 0 |
| 8. Alabama | 20.3 | 18 | 0 |
| 9. Florida | 21.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 10. Georgia | 22.0 | 21 | 0 |
| 11. Arkansas | 23.3 | 20 | 1 |
| 12. LSU | 23.9 | 20 | 0 |
| 13.Missouri | 28.0 | 10 | 0 |
| 14. Auburn | 28.7 | 3 | 0 |
PUNTS
Texas A&M is on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to the punting game. The Aggies lead the SEC yards per punt return with 23. However, they’re 12th when it comes to covering punts, allowing 13.6 yards per return.
Ole Miss is also on both ends of the spectrum but opposite of Texas A&M. The Rebels are last in the SEC with a measly 6.8 yards per punt return, but they lead the SEC by only allowing 1.8 yards per return.
Alabama recorded its first punt return TD although it wasn’t a traditional return. Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked Adam Griffith’s punt, then he tracked the ball down as it bounced favorably into his hands at the 1-yard line before he strolled in for the score. That was a huge play that put the Tide up 17-3 on the way to the 38-10 rout.
Only three FBS teams allow more than LSU’s 23 yards per punt: Rice (23.7), Syracuse (24.3) and Bowling Green (25.3).
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 | 23.0 | 9 | 1 |
| 2. Arkansas | 22.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 3. LSU | 17.0 | 6 | 1 |
| 4. Tennessee | 15.8 | 15 | 1 |
| 5. Georgia | 11.7 | 14 | 1 |
| 6. Kentucky | 10.6 | 5 | 0 |
| 7. South Carolina | 10.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 8. Auburn | 9.7 | 3 | 0 |
| 9. Mississippi State | 8.9 | 8 | 0 |
| 10. Florida | 8.5 | 13 | 0 |
| 11. Alabama | 8.4 | 20 | 1 |
| 12. Missouri | 7.8 | 13 | 1 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 7.5 | 13 | 0 |
| 14. Ole Miss | 6.8 | 12 | 0 |
| TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN ALLOWED | OPP. RETURNS | RETURN TDS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ole Miss | 1.8 | 6 | 0 |
| 2. Alabama | 3.6 | 7 | 0 |
| 3. Missouri | 3.7 | 6 | 0 |
| 4. Florida | 6.0 | 10 | 0 |
| 5. South Carolina | 7.8 | 4 | 0 |
| 6. Kentucky | 8.8 | 9 | 0 |
| 7. Auburn | 9.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8. Mississippi State | 9.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 9. Tennessee | 9.6 | 11 | 0 |
| 10. Georgia | 9.9 | 9 | 1 |
| 11. Arkansas | 13.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12. Texas A&M | 13.6 | 7 | 0 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 13.9 | 8 | 1 |
| 14. LSU | 23.0 | 4 | 0 |
INDIVIDUALS
Only one other player averages more yards per kickoff return than Evan Berry, and that’s Rashaad Penny of San Diego State. Berry has been a force in the return game, one of the few consistent bright spots for the Vols this season.
Meanwhile, no player in the FBS has a better punt return average than Texas A&M’s freshman phenom Christian Kirk (27.1). And when it comes to the SEC, Kirk is more than 10 yards better than the next-best punt returner, LSU’s Tre’Davious White (17.0).
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 | 40.6 | 11 | 2 |
| 2. Johnathan Ford | Auburn | 33.5 | 6 | 0 |
| 3. Shon Carson | South Carolina | 25.2 | 11 | 0 |
| 4. Sihiem King | Kentucky | 23.9 | 9 | 0 |
| 5. Darrius Sims | Vanderbilt | 21.4 | 14 | 0 |
| NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT RETURN | PUNT RETURNS | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Christian Kirk | Texas A&M | 27.1 | 7 | 1 |
| 2. Tre’Davious White | LSU | 17.0 | 6 | 1 |
| 3. Cameron Sutton | Tennessee | 15.3 | 10 | 0 |
| 4. Isaiah McKenzie | Georgia | 11.9 | 10 | 1 |
| 5. Antonio Callaway | Florida | 9.9 | 10 | 0 |
Mississippi State’s Westin Graves and LSU’s Trent Domingue are still perfect on the season. Domingue went 3-for-3 last week, nailing field goals of 26, 45 and 22 yards in the win over Eastern Michigan. Consider that there are only five Power 5 kickers that are 6-for-6 or better on field goals this season, and two of them are in the SEC. The others are Duke’s Ross Martin (9-for-9), Oregon’s Aidan Schneider (8-for-8) and Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert (7-for-7).
So the SEC excels in field goal kicking, but how about punting? Well, Texas A&M’s Drew Kaser (51.0) and Tennessee’s Trevor Daniel (48.3) are 1st and 2nd among Power 5 players in yards per punt.
Here’s a breakdown of the top individual kickers and punters in the country.
| NAME | TEAM | FG PERCENTAGE | FG MADE | FG ATTEMPTED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Trent Domingue | LSU | 100% | 6 | 6 |
| 2. Westin Graves | Mississippi State | 100% | 6 | 6 |
| 3. Andrew Baggett | Missouri | 87.5% | 7 | 8 |
| 4. Austin MacGinnis | Kentucky | 85.7% | 6 | 7 |
| 5. Taylor Bertolet | Texas A&M | 81.8% | 9 | 11 |
| NAME | TEAM | YARDS PER PUNT | PUNTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Drew Kaser | Texas A&M | 51.0 | 18 |
| 2. Trevor Daniel | Tennessee | 48.3 | 26 |
| 3. Johnny Townsend | Florida | 44.9 | 24 |
| 4. Kevin Phillips | Auburn | 44.3 | 18 |
| 5. Corey Fatony | Missouri | 42.5 | 29 |
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.
