Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Spring Position Update: Special Teams
4/12/2018 4:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Spring football practices aren't just about working over things on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. They're also about fine-tuning special teams, and Middle Tennessee has plenty to work on this spring.
The Blue Raiders' main focus will be getting new kicker Crews Holt acclimated to a starting role vacated by the program's most accurate leg.
Canon Rooker capped his MT career last season by being named Honorable Mention All-Conference USA and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He finished the year 14-for-17 on field goals and was an impressive 7-for-7 from 45 yards or longer, becoming the first kicker in program history to hit two or more of 50 yards or longer in the same season. He also leads MT all-time with an 83.33 percent career conversion rate (30-for-36).
Replacing Rooker will fall to Holt, but he's not the only special teams member who needs to have a good spring to help Middle Tennessee take a step in the right direction.
"We have a new holder, as well, so it's kind of the whole mix," special teams coordinator Mike Polly said. "It's not just a new kicker and a new holder … they have to get a nice chemistry. That's what we're hoping to reach this spring."
Here are the Blue Raiders' anticipated special teamers:
Kicker
Crews Holt, R-So., 5-11, 185
Holt has taken over the kicking duties this spring for Rooker, and he enters the fold with a lot of promise and some expectations.
The Brentwood, Tennessee, native was the 2015 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Kicker of the Year and an all-state recipient when as a senior at Ravenwood High School he knocked home 17-of-22 field goals and 64-of-65 extra points. The Raptors also won the Class 6A state title, and in the championship game Holt was named Offensive MVP after hitting 4-of-5 attempts.
Holt has displayed a big leg in his career, setting Ravenwood's all-time record with a 55-yard field goal as a senior and netting his only try for the Blue Raiders last season, a 41-yarder against Old Dominion. If he can show some moxie in big moments to go with his booming leg, the loss of Rooker may not sting as much as it could have.
"Right now, he's kicking the ball really well," Polly said. "He's been extremely accurate and really shown us good stuff so far."
Punter
Matt Bonadies, Sr., 6-1, 208
In his second year of primary punting duties, Bonadies showed a stronger leg that more resembled what won him the job for eight games in 2015.
After his average per attempt dropped from 41.6 in 2015 to 38.8 in 2016, last season it crept back up, finishing at 39.6. He also set career highs with a 64-yard blast against Minnesota and eight punts of 50 yards or more.
If he's going to take a step in the right direction as a senior, Bonadies will have to show more consistency both in long punts and short ones where he has to pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line. He had only 13 such punts last season, down three from the previous year.
"The biggest thing for Matt is just punting well consistently," Polly said. "He's been better this spring, which is good for us, and he's working hard to improve."
Holder
Matthew Stephenson, R-So., 5-10, 212
Stephenson started backup punting duties for the first time last season after redshirting in 2016, and this year he'll also serve as Holt's holder during field goals.
He's in the midst of replacing Jim Cardwell, who served as MT's holder for the last three years. Cardwell was the team's Unsung Hero Award recipient in 2017, which goes to the Blue Raider who had the most significant contribution but the least amount of recognition.
Long Snapper
Daniel Sargent, R-Jr., 6-0, 224
Middle Tennessee didn't have to look very far last season to find a replacement for four-year starting long snapper William Eads. Sargent took over the role and was just as solid in his first year of snapping duties.
A former football and baseball letter winner at Portland High School in Portland, Tennessee, Sargent earned the Blue Raiders' Grinder Award for specialists following spring drills last season.
Russ Hiett, R-So., 6-0, 210
Hiett took a redshirt in his first year on Middle Tennessee's campus in 2016, then didn't see any action as a redshirt freshman last season.
The Kennesaw Mountain High School product from Kennesaw, Georgia, is one of the brightest players on the team and is going through the aerospace program at MT.
Returner
Reed Blankenship, So., 6-1, 197
Middle Tennessee spent most of the season searching for a reliable returner to receive punts, and it may have found one midway through the year with Blankenship.
Blankenship emerged as the Blue Raiders' starting strong safety in Week 2 and made an immediate impact, then expanded his role in their sixth game by stepping back for punts. The Conference USA All-Freshman Team member finished with six returns for a team-high 69 yards, good for an 11.5-yard average.
Desmond Anderson, Sr., 5-10, 176
Anderson is undergoing a position change this spring, as he's moving from the offensive side of the ball, where he was a running back and receiver the past few seasons, to the defensive side, where he'll line up as a cornerback.
While he's moving to a different side of the ball for his primary position, Anderson will also likely be a key factor in the kickoff return game. The senior led the team last season with 12 returns and 235 yards, and his 19.6-yard average was second among returners. His 38 career attempts and 784 yards are the most in the group.
Ruben Garnett, R-Jr., 5-9, 175
Garnett will also likely get a crack at returning kickoffs.
The redshirt junior receiver was productive in limited opportunities as a returner last season, taking six attempts for 89 yards, a 14.8-yard average. As a redshirt freshman in 2016, he had seven returns for 103 yards.
"Right now, those three are who we're looking at right now," Polly said. "But, we have a lot of guys who came in this winter and we'll have a lot of new guys this summer, and that's always a good competition for us.
"You'd love to have your guys set … but we'll just try to find the consistent guys who can get the ball fielded cleanly and who has a little bit of explosiveness to get us 10 yards or more to put us in a better position."
The Blue Raiders' main focus will be getting new kicker Crews Holt acclimated to a starting role vacated by the program's most accurate leg.
Canon Rooker capped his MT career last season by being named Honorable Mention All-Conference USA and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He finished the year 14-for-17 on field goals and was an impressive 7-for-7 from 45 yards or longer, becoming the first kicker in program history to hit two or more of 50 yards or longer in the same season. He also leads MT all-time with an 83.33 percent career conversion rate (30-for-36).
Replacing Rooker will fall to Holt, but he's not the only special teams member who needs to have a good spring to help Middle Tennessee take a step in the right direction.
"We have a new holder, as well, so it's kind of the whole mix," special teams coordinator Mike Polly said. "It's not just a new kicker and a new holder … they have to get a nice chemistry. That's what we're hoping to reach this spring."
Here are the Blue Raiders' anticipated special teamers:
Kicker
Crews Holt, R-So., 5-11, 185
Holt has taken over the kicking duties this spring for Rooker, and he enters the fold with a lot of promise and some expectations.
The Brentwood, Tennessee, native was the 2015 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Kicker of the Year and an all-state recipient when as a senior at Ravenwood High School he knocked home 17-of-22 field goals and 64-of-65 extra points. The Raptors also won the Class 6A state title, and in the championship game Holt was named Offensive MVP after hitting 4-of-5 attempts.
Holt has displayed a big leg in his career, setting Ravenwood's all-time record with a 55-yard field goal as a senior and netting his only try for the Blue Raiders last season, a 41-yarder against Old Dominion. If he can show some moxie in big moments to go with his booming leg, the loss of Rooker may not sting as much as it could have.
"Right now, he's kicking the ball really well," Polly said. "He's been extremely accurate and really shown us good stuff so far."
Punter
Matt Bonadies, Sr., 6-1, 208
In his second year of primary punting duties, Bonadies showed a stronger leg that more resembled what won him the job for eight games in 2015.
After his average per attempt dropped from 41.6 in 2015 to 38.8 in 2016, last season it crept back up, finishing at 39.6. He also set career highs with a 64-yard blast against Minnesota and eight punts of 50 yards or more.
If he's going to take a step in the right direction as a senior, Bonadies will have to show more consistency both in long punts and short ones where he has to pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line. He had only 13 such punts last season, down three from the previous year.
"The biggest thing for Matt is just punting well consistently," Polly said. "He's been better this spring, which is good for us, and he's working hard to improve."
Holder
Matthew Stephenson, R-So., 5-10, 212
Stephenson started backup punting duties for the first time last season after redshirting in 2016, and this year he'll also serve as Holt's holder during field goals.
He's in the midst of replacing Jim Cardwell, who served as MT's holder for the last three years. Cardwell was the team's Unsung Hero Award recipient in 2017, which goes to the Blue Raider who had the most significant contribution but the least amount of recognition.
Long Snapper
Daniel Sargent, R-Jr., 6-0, 224
Middle Tennessee didn't have to look very far last season to find a replacement for four-year starting long snapper William Eads. Sargent took over the role and was just as solid in his first year of snapping duties.
A former football and baseball letter winner at Portland High School in Portland, Tennessee, Sargent earned the Blue Raiders' Grinder Award for specialists following spring drills last season.
Russ Hiett, R-So., 6-0, 210
Hiett took a redshirt in his first year on Middle Tennessee's campus in 2016, then didn't see any action as a redshirt freshman last season.
The Kennesaw Mountain High School product from Kennesaw, Georgia, is one of the brightest players on the team and is going through the aerospace program at MT.
Returner
Reed Blankenship, So., 6-1, 197
Middle Tennessee spent most of the season searching for a reliable returner to receive punts, and it may have found one midway through the year with Blankenship.
Blankenship emerged as the Blue Raiders' starting strong safety in Week 2 and made an immediate impact, then expanded his role in their sixth game by stepping back for punts. The Conference USA All-Freshman Team member finished with six returns for a team-high 69 yards, good for an 11.5-yard average.
Desmond Anderson, Sr., 5-10, 176
Anderson is undergoing a position change this spring, as he's moving from the offensive side of the ball, where he was a running back and receiver the past few seasons, to the defensive side, where he'll line up as a cornerback.
While he's moving to a different side of the ball for his primary position, Anderson will also likely be a key factor in the kickoff return game. The senior led the team last season with 12 returns and 235 yards, and his 19.6-yard average was second among returners. His 38 career attempts and 784 yards are the most in the group.
Ruben Garnett, R-Jr., 5-9, 175
Garnett will also likely get a crack at returning kickoffs.
The redshirt junior receiver was productive in limited opportunities as a returner last season, taking six attempts for 89 yards, a 14.8-yard average. As a redshirt freshman in 2016, he had seven returns for 103 yards.
"Right now, those three are who we're looking at right now," Polly said. "But, we have a lot of guys who came in this winter and we'll have a lot of new guys this summer, and that's always a good competition for us.
"You'd love to have your guys set … but we'll just try to find the consistent guys who can get the ball fielded cleanly and who has a little bit of explosiveness to get us 10 yards or more to put us in a better position."
Players Mentioned
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