Since Billy Cannon ran a punt back on Halloween Night in 1959, the LSU football team has depended on special teams to create a spark to lift the Tigers to victory in pivotal moments.
On Saturday night against Kentucky, sophomore defensive back Tre’Davious White’s punt return opened up the game when he raced 67 yards for a touchdown giving the Tigers a lead from which they never looked back.
“It was a block call,” White said. “It was not designed to be a big return. The coaches tell me just get what you can get. I saw [freshman safety] Jamal Adams on the other side ready to block, and it worked. It felt great to that first punt return for a touchdown and to do it in front of our home crowd.”
Led by White and the special teams, No. 24 LSU (6-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) dominated Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) 41-3 from the opening kickoff.
White’s return was the first by a Tiger at home since Odell Beckham, Jr. returned a 89-yarder on Nov. 17, 2012, against Ole Miss. In conference games, White leads the SEC with 24.8 yards average per return and is second in total return yards, with 124 punt return yards.
While White’s speed and moves down the field earned him the touchdown, it was Adams’ perfectly executed block that opened up the right side of the field.
“I definitely told [White] the play before, ‘Man you gotta look my way. I’m coming on the side, and there’s no one over there,’” Adams said. “And he did. He trusted me, and that was a team effort. It wasn’t just me.”
The special teams unit excelled against Kentucky, putting the offense into position late in the first half to take advantage of the Tigers’ early lead.
Sophomore place kicker Trent Domingue’s squib kick in with 42 seconds left in the half surprised Kentucky and led to a 35-yard field goal by sophomore place kicker Colby Delahoussaye with only seven seconds remaining.
“It was a perfect squib kick because they were not expecting it, and we played it perfectly,” Delahoussaye said. “It is huge anytime you get the ball back right after you score and then score again.”
In fact, Kentucky entered LSU territory once in the second half. After driving from their own 25 to LSU’s nine, the Wildcats could not convert the opportunity and turned the ball over on downs.
The Tigers’ special teams play was a contributing factor in Kentucky’s offensive struggles by pinning the Wildcats deep in their own territory.
Junior punter Jamie Keehn averaged 44.5 yards per punt against the Wildcats, including two punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Kentucky’s average drive started on its own 23 yard line.
“[Field position] definitely is huge,” Adams said. “We definitely want to pin them back as deep as we can because we know that our defense is going to come out there and play hard.”
While Keehn pinned Kentucky deep, the Tigers’ return game put the Tigers in great field position offensively.
The Tigers’ average starting field position in the first half was their own 43 yard line.
White averaged 28.5 yards per return, and senior running back Terrence Magee opened up the game with a 49-yard kickoff return.
“I was just trying to make a play for team,” White said. “The opportunities presented themselves tonight. I was just out there able to capitalize on it.”
The success of the special teams against Kentucky was crucial to the development of the unit, especially after it struggled against Florida.
Special teams coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto took it upon himself to make the necessary changes after Florida’s redshirt senior wide receiver Andre Debose tallied 115 punt return yards, including a 62-yard return for a touchdown.
“Coach Peveto was stressing it all week,” Adams said. “He wanted us to get the swagger back. He wanted us to come with that fire that we used to have in the beginning of the season. He was hurt by those two returns by Debose. We practiced hard and we practiced long.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.