Unselfishness, depth define MTSU Special Forces in 2022

8/27/2022 5:13:00 PM | Football

Added players in specialist room and good energy on the field leads unit to high expectations

By: Sam Doughton, MT Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Special Teams Coordinator Kenneth Gilstrap loves to cut up NFL film of MTSU players. Charvarius Ward in his first season with Kansas City, Jovante Moffatt with the Browns, even Reed Blankenship in the preseason with the Eagles this year.

And while the plays from scrimmage on PFF are great, it's the special teams opportunities those players took advantage of that make Gilstrap's job even easier. Because with the special teams clips, the evidence of what he's telling his guys on kickoff and punt teams is right in front them.

"All those guys, when they were young, made those plays," Gilstrap said. "And when scouts come in, they can relate to those plays. Because at the end of the day, you want guys to come in and graduate and chase NFL dreams."

Gilstrap took over Special Teams Coordinator duties from Mike Polly during the offseason staff responsibility reshuffle, but many of the same coaches that have led taken the lead on those units, Gilstrap, Polly and Dustin Royston, have continued their focus, creating a lot of continuity in both scheme and personnel from 2021 to 2022.

On the personnel side, every major contributing specialist returns, led by Ray Guy watch list punter Kyle Ulbrich and 2021 Freshman All-American punt returner Jaylin Lane. Ulbrich averaged 44.4 yards per punt in 2021, with 24 punts downed inside the 20. Lane, meanwhile, was second in the nation in punt return average at 15.5 yards per return. Zeke Rankin returns at kicker after 74 points (10 field goals, 44 PATs) a season ago, while kickoff specialist Scott Payne (10 touchbacks) and longsnapper Brody Butler round out the unit.

What's changed the dynamic of the specialist room through fall camp is the addition of Special Teams Quality Control Analyst Cam Curtis, who slid over from Offensive Quality Control for his second season on the coaching staff for the Blue Raiders.

"He gives us a good structure, he's a good ear between us and the coaches," Ulbrich said of Curtis. "If something needs to be done, he's been a good resource for us. If there's ever been something that could've been better, could've been switched, could've been changed, he's been a good source for us to go to."

Curtis is often helping the specialists through their one on ones during practice each day, usually helping with charting other tasks the unit would've had to do on their own in the past.

"He could come over here and do nothing," Butler said of their usual practice sessions in Floyd Stadium. "It's just been nice to have someone with a little bit of authority just being with us, it's making us feel equal."

Helping keep the unit engaged has also been an increased presence of specialists behind the returning starters, with two longsnappers (redshirt freshman Carson Garrison and freshman Connor Dougherty) returning punter Miles Tillman and new placekicker Justus Chadwick being able to step in on more scout team units throughout camp.

"It takes a lot of heat off of guys, especially during practice times," Rankin said. Last year, I remember having to hit kickoffs, field goals, KORs, (now) we've got three different guys doing all the same thing. So, we don't have to be as worried about crushing our legs or over snapping. It makes everybody healthy in the long run."

Rankin's offseason work was evident early in camp, when he went 6-for-7 on field goals in the team's first scrimmage, including five makes beyond 40 yards after making just one field goal at that distance a season ago. After attempting just 14 fields goals in 2021 (and not attempting any until the fourth game of the season), having a wider range of trust for the sophomore kicker could pay dividends on the scoreboard long term.

"I've definitely made a lot of growth in the weight room, gotten a lot stronger, shoutout to Coach Hickmann for that," Rankin said. "I think I'm starting to get a little bit more of coach's trust from deeper distances. I'm starting to grow a little more into the spot."

On the return units, Lane is expected to take both kicks and punts this season, just as his performance back there put him on the map a season ago with 580 combined kick return yards. Plenty of skill guys are pushing for time on that unit, with Darius Bracy, DJ England-Chisolm and Teldrick Ross all looking impressive during camp.

As per usual for an MTSU special teams unit, the gunners, blockers and everyone else in between will feature a mixture of offensive and defensive starters as well as key reserves that have earned time on the field. Dustin Royston cited the special teams experience of so many of his linebackers as crucial for getting them ahead of the curve as he reloaded on that unit this offseason, particularly their experience on kickoff.

"The goal this year is more touchbacks of course and making sure the guys can get down there and cover, hangtime," kickoff specialist Scott Payne said. "That's a big part of the kickoff coverage this year, is making sure they can get down there as quick as possible."

For Gilstrap, the commitment from the team to special teams, no matter what their spot may be on the depth chart, has made the whole team better every day.

"Scheme is scheme, but at the end of the day, you've got to have 11 guys out there who want to take pride in special teams," Gilstrap said. "You sometimes have guys that don't really want to do it, but we don't have any of that energy this year. We've got an unselfish team."