FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas junior Zack Hocker ranked third nationally last season when 43 percent of his 90 kickoffs resulted in an SEC-high 40 touch backs. He figures to have a lot more touch backs this season with a new NCAA rule moving kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35.
“There shouldn’t be any reason I can’t have a touch back every time if that’s what the coaches call for,” Hocker said. “I’ll be ready to blast it.”
But will coaches around the country always want their kickers to blast the ball into the end zone considering NCAA rules also have teams starting at their 25 rather than the 20 after a touch back?
“In talking to some of the special teams coaches in the spring, those that have really good kickers and good coverage will be tempted now to sky-kick it and see if they can pin them back deep,” said Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of officials. “It will be interesting to see how this plays out.”
Five yards factored into a drive in some cases could determine if a team attempts a field goal or punts.
“Coaches know how valuable every inch is, how valuable that real estate is,” Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin said. “So if you can pin them inside the 10 or 15 with some kind of kick or coverage, you want to do that, no doubt about it.”
The NCAA made its rule change a year after the NFL moved kickoffs from the 30 to 35 for safety reasons.
“The intent there is more touch backs, less collisions, less injuries,” Shaw said. “As we compile statistics, that’s a play that has a higher level of potential injury in it than a regular scrimmage down.”
Concussions on kickoffs in NFL games decreased from 35 in 2010 to 20 in 2011 when the kickoff rule was implemented, according to NFL statistics.There were touch backs on 44 percent of kickoffs last season, the NFL reported, a 17-percent increase from 2010. Kickoff returns for touchdowns fell from 23 in 2010 to nine last season.
Hocker said most of the feedback he’s gotten from Arkansas coaches is that their preference is to have him kick for touch backs.
“The feeling is it will be beneficial for our defense to get in a set plan and get in a consistent rhythm,” Hocker said. “Make the offense have to start at the 25 every single time.”
Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said he loves having a kicker with Hocker’s leg strength.
“It’s huge when you talk about drive start analysis,” Haynes said. “If offenses can start on the 25-yard line on half the drives and we play good solid defense and don’t give up big plays, it’s definitely a plus.”
Weather conditions at times will impact kickoffs and may keep them from going deep into the end zone.
“Obviously, there will be some days when the wind will be in our face, so we’ll have to make dang sure we have got great coverage because it won’t go in there,” Razorbacks special teams coach Steve Caldwell said.
First-year Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said he’s a big fan of kickoff returns. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Sumlin previously coached at Houston, where Tyron Carrier had his seventh kickoff return for a touchdown last season to tie an NCAA career record he shares with Clemson’s C.J. Spiller.
“I think it’s something the fans like,” Sumlin said. “I think it’s something the players enjoy. There’s an art to it.
“It was a play for us. The first offensive play is for the return team, and it can be a tone-setter.”
Kickoff returns also have been big for Arkansas in recent years thanks to Felix Jones and Dennis Johnson.Jones had four touchdowns on kickoff returns in 2005-2007 and Johnson, a senior this season, has four as Jones’ replacement.
Johnson said he plans to return some kickoffs even if they go deep into the end zone.
That might get mixed reviews from Arkansas Coach John L. Smith.
“Dennis probably would have a tendency to bring some out,” Smith said. “ ‘Stay in, stay in Dennis. Oh, here we go.’ I’m sure that will happen.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 08/25/2012