During the Ted Roof era, Duke’s special teams were anything but. Consequently, David Cutcliffe emphasized improving the most under-appreciated unit in football after he took over as Duke’s head coach.
This season, fans could finally see some results.
“We’re expecting big things out of the specialists,” associate head coach for special teams Ron Middleton said. “They’ve put the work in during the offseason to get that done.”
Indeed, the Blue Devils have the talent at nearly every critical position to be solid in the kicking game. Redshirt junior Will Snyderwine returns after setting Duke single-season records for both field goals made and field goal percentage. Meanwhile, punter Kevin Jones ranked second in the ACC in average punting yardage just two seasons ago and a plethora of speedsters are now competing to return kicks.
But there are also signs of distress. After Snyderwine struggled during spring practice and training camp, Cutcliffe re-opened the kicking position to competition and has yet to name either Snyderwine or presumed-backup Nick Maggio, who was 2-for-4 in field goal attempts last season, as starter for the season opener. Jones, meanwhile, saw his punting average drop more than a yard and a half last season and was at one point benched in favor of backup Alex King.
To Middleton, the gap between talent and production comes down to one crucial variable—confidence.
“Football is a thinking man’s game, but you can overthink it also,” he said. “With [specialists] most of the time it’s between the ears. Just hoping that they go into the season confident, knowing that we have confidence in them, and they’ll rise to the occasion.”
While competition and uncertainty might impede upon the kickers’ confidence, it has been a plus for the kick return game. Cutcliffe’s emphasis on recruiting speedy playmakers has yielded an abundance of possible return men, giving the Blue Devils depth at a critical position. Running backs Desmond Scott and Josh Snead, receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon and others are all competing to return kicks.
“The talent pool has definitely increased,” Middleton said. “We have some speed and quickness. Everyone of them wants to do it, but only one maybe two at a time can be back there.”
As exciting as Duke’s offense may be this year, putting points on the board could prove difficult without the punters and kick returners providing good field position and the kickers putting the ball through the uprights.
Indeed, if this season’s Blue Devils are to be special, so must the special teams.
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