Following LSU’s struggle-filled win against Syracuse, one of team’s most unheralded positions seemed up for grabs.
I’m talking about the real heroes — the position that bails out the offense and makes the defense swoon.
I’m talking about punters.
After four games where LSU’s redshirt sophomore punter Josh Growden failed to adequately flip the field and pin opposing offenses deep, LSU implemented a two-punter system.
Now, Growden handles short kicks, and redshirt freshman punter Zach Von Rosenberg kicks it deep. It’s not a common sight across football, but it works.
Through the first four games against BYU, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Mississippi State and Syracuse, Growden almost exclusively handled punt duty. He kicked it 13 times and buried three inside the 20, though he only averaged 38.8 yards per punt.
In all, the two punters kicked it 17 times for an average of 39.7 yards with four inside the 20.
Since implementing the two-man system, LSU’s punt game has been a thing of beauty. Growden has excelled in the short game, pinning five inside the 20.
Von Rosenberg hasn’t been dominant by any means in the long game, but he is certainly surpassing Growden’s early season marks. He’s punted 11 times for an average of 42.4 yards and has had two inside the 20. These aren’t the booming numbers LSU has seen from its punters in recent years, but it’s an improvement.
Looking at the numbers, the change doesn’t seem that impressive. The average punt yardage has actually shrunk, and they’ve combined for three more inside the 20. But in terms of field position, the difference is significant.
In the first four games, LSU’s opponents had an average starting position near their own 30-yard line after a punt. The two-punter system moved that line back to close to the 22. Ask any coach — eight yards is a huge difference.