Despite losing return man extraordinaire Tyrann Mathieu before the season, the special teams unit was again a strong suit for the No. 9 LSU football team.
Sophomore wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. provided a spark in the punt return game, taking two punts back for touchdowns on the season.
Beckham struggled at times during the season, but has seen his production increase as the campaign has wore on.
“[Beckham] is an amazing player, and he showed up at a critical time for us,” said junior defensive end Sam Montgomery. “He let people know that he’s still that guy that he was when he first came here.”
After establishing itself as one of the best kicking units in the country last season, this year’s kicking game has slightly regressed.
Senior kicker Drew Alleman missed a total of eight field goal attempts this season, up from last season when he missed only two.
Sophomore punter Brad Wing cited the new footballs as the reason behind his troubles. Alleman was forced to use them after the balls LSU used last season went out of production.
“It’s a little different ball; it flies different,” Alleman said. “It’s something we had to get used to, but then again, we’re not going to blame it on something like a ball.”
Kickoff rules also changed this year, leading to a change of strategy in covering opposing teams’ kick returns.
Touchbacks now are placed on the 25-yard line as opposed to the 20.
“We try to let them know when we’re going to kick it deep and when we’re going to kick it shallow so we can cover,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “But it’s the unexpected there that’s an issue. They’re supposed to go down 100 percent on each one, so I think there’s some of that, that gives a return team some advantages.”
LSU’s prowess in the recruiting world lends its hand in covering kickoffs, as the Tigers can field a unit full of world-class athletes to run down the kicks.
“I can’t say I’m trying to do anything but hit a touchback, since a return is always dangerous,” said sophomore kickoff specialist James Hairston. “But we have the fastest athletes in the country, just in case.”
