ASU happy with Grace’s excellent punting

Arkansas State University has one of the country’s two best punt return defenses in football. The other is No. 1 Alabama, where punting is foreign for a Crimson Tide offense that has thrown for more touchdown passes (38) than it has punted (28) in 11 games. Returners have fielded just eight of ASU junior punter Cody Grace’s 53 punts in 11 games. ASU has allowed minus 15 punt return yards on those eight kicks, the fewest in college football. How? “It starts with Cody Grace,” said ASU coach Blake Anderson. “When he puts it where you want it and hangs it up there for five seconds, it’s really difficult. I think our guys have really been excited in terms of what he’s capable of doing and what we’re able to do with him back there. He’s truly a weapon not everybody’s got.” Grace’s leg is precise. Sky kicks, squib kicks, booming punts, rollers to the goal line — whatever the Red Wolves ask, they’re confident Grace can pull it off. Nine of his punts were of 50 yards or longer. One was a 62-yarder, his longest of the season. Grace has one touchback in 2018. It was the only time a ball escaped him and dipped into the end zone in his two-year career as ASU’s punter. This season, he’s pinned 21 punts inside the 20-yard line and 28 others were fair catches. “It’s a tremendous weapon,” said Defensive Coordinator Joe Cauthen, whose defense routinely has had to defend 80-99 yards after a Grace punt. Having a surefire punting option like Grace can force ASU to recalculate its decision-making on fourth

down. It also secured a win for ASU two months ago. Facing a fourth and 1 with a 27-20 lead at Tulsa on Sept. 15, converting the fourth down would have sealed ASU’s win and not given the ball back to the Golden Hurricane. With Grace holstered, it wasn’t worth the risk. He knocked a 44-yard punt and planted it on the 4-yard line. Tulsa needed 96 yards to tie the game. “Could’ve easily have gone for it,” Anderson recalled earlier this week. “But knowing he would pin them in, I felt like it was a calculated risk and it played out well.” Tulsa’s first offensive play following Grace’s punt was a safety. ASU’s lead stretched to 29-20 and a two-possession game with 7:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. The punt made it possible. “It does change my thought process in some areas, where we would potentially go for it,” Anderson added. “I just have so much confidence in his ability to pin the ball inside the 10 or even inside the 5. That’s truly a weapon to be able to put your defense back out there.” Grace was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award this season, given annually to the nation’s top punter. He was among 82 total candidates for the award but was not selected as a finalist on Tuesday.