Special teams a strength for Terps, Edsall says
But coach is seeking more consistency on punts
COLLEGE PARK — Maryland football coach Randy Edsall says the blockers on the Terps’ kick- and punt-coverage teams have an understanding.
As Edsall tells it, they know if they block and do their job that Maryland has two returners who can take the ball the distance on any given play.
Edsall is still looking for more consistency from punter Nate Renfro. He also was not pleased with the two punt returns of 18 yards or longer that Maryland has allowed the past two games or the late hit on a West Virginia kick returner Saturday that drew a 15-yard penalty and gave the Mountaineers favorable field position.
However, Maryland has already received several big returns from Stefon Diggs and Will Likely. Brad Craddock has further established himself as one of the better kickers in the country. And as a whole, special teams play has proved to be a strength for the Terps.
“I think our special teams understands the potential that we have to be really good in those areas when you have a place-kicker like Brad who is a weapon, when you have a young man like Will Likely as a punt returner who is a weapon, and then you have Stefon Diggs as a kick returner and the pressure he can put on people,” Edsall said.
Maryland’s offense has had problems through the first three games. The defense has had trouble at times as well. But the special teams have provided big plays in each game.
Against James Madison in Week 1, Diggs had a 59-yard kick return, Likely had a 35-yard punt return, and Craddock hit a 49-yard field goal.
Against South Florida in Week 2, the Terps’ first two touchdowns were set up by a 46-yard punt return by Likely and a 49-yard kick return by Diggs. Then, with Maryland trailing 17-14 early in the fourth quarter, fullback Kenny Goins (Gilman) blocked a punt. Reserve linebacker Avery Thompson recovered the ball for a goahead touchdown, and the Terps held on to win.
Maryland allowed a 17-plus-yard punt return against West Virginia and had the 15-yard personal-foul penalty on a kick return. The Mountaineers also blocked a
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Line: punt because of a mental lapse by a player on the Terps’ punt team.
However, Maryland wide receiver Jacquille Veii recovered a muffed punt during the fourth quarter to set up a field goal by Craddock. Minutes later, Likely returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 37. Likely is averaging 27.5 yards per punt return, the third-most in the country. Diggs is averaging 33.4 yards per kick return, which ranks fourth-best nationally.
“It is good to have weapons like that throughout the game,” Edsall said after Maryland’s win over James Madison.
Craddock, meanwhile, made 84 percent (21 of 25) of his field-goal attempts last year and is one of just 10 kickers in the country not to have missed a try after five or more attempts. He also has been an asset on kickoffs.
Craddock had just 12 touchbacks on his 69 kickoffs last season. But he already has 12 on 23 kickoffs this year, which has limited opportunities for returners.
Even when the ball has been in play, though, the Terps’ kick-coverage team has limited returners to an average of just 18.5 yards and has yet to allow a return of longer than 25 yards.
“The big thing with our kickoff coverage is that I don’t want to have our guys get into a lull or a comfort zone thinking that Brad is going to kick it out of the end zone every time ... so maybe they don’t run as hard as they should every time,” Edsall said. “They can’t take it for granted that he is going to kick it out. They have to go hard every time. We’ve done well there.”
Edsall, however, is still looking for more consistency from Renfro, who he has said can be a weapon for Maryland as well. Renfro, though, has been erratic since preseason practice.
Renfro did have a 64-yard punt that was downed at West Virginia’s 5-yard line Saturday, but he also had two touchbacks.
“When we get the opportunity to pin them back inside of the 20, we want to put them down there instead of kicking the ball into the end zone,” Edsall said, later adding, “Then we can make them go 90 yards instead of 80 yards. We still have to work on that, but Nate’s working hard.”