MVFC names Matthew Cook as special teams player of the week

[ronfitch]

“Cook matched a career high with four made field goals as UNI downed No. 6 South Dakota State in Brookings. He was 4-for-4 on his attempts, which included two makes beyond 50 yards.”

Entire read:

https://valley-football.org/news/2021/10/24/valley-football-players-of-the-week-oct-24.aspx

[sivert]

The 55-yard FG was followed by SDSU going 58 yards and kicking a FG. If Cook missed it, and SDSU got the ball at midfield, good chance they score a TD on that drive. That FG was probably worth 7 points and a bunch of momentum.

[sevelev711]

Well earned. Heck it'd be shocking if someone else got it on a day he went 4-for-4 with two being loooooooong.

[vbfan19]

loving his FG kicking this season.
just wish he'd stop booting kickoffs out of bounds. I've never understood why that happens so often. I could maybe understand it outdoors if it is windy, but there wasn't that much wind in Brookings for this game, and it happens frequently in the Dome too. Why not just put it to (or through) the back of the endzone (or does he not have the consistent leg strength to do that?)

[FOTY]

I believe that’s coaching. We have been kicking to the corner about the 2-3 yard line for years and numerous kickers. Its rare to see UNI kick it in/through the end zone.

[UNIAlum95]

The kick off games we seem to play is really frustrating. I agree, this isn't on Cook or his leg. He was kicking them into the end zone in high school. We have some weird coaching obsession about kicking to the corner and kicking short to let the coverage team get down the field. Just kick the dang ball.

[BCPanther]

It's not just us. Never underestimate the ability of coaching groupthink...

[vbfan19]

The kick off games we seem to play is really frustrating. I agree, this isn't on Cook or his leg. He was kicking them into the end zone in high school. We have some weird coaching obsession about kicking to the corner and kicking short to let the coverage team get down the field. Just kick the dang ball.

high school kickoffs are from the 40 while college kickoffs are from the 35, so it isn't an exact comparison.

aiming for that corner might have made some amount of sense back before they changed the fair catch rule; but now that the returner can fair catch anywhere inside the 25 and it get placed at the 25, I don't see the point in that strategy. Why risk giving it to them at the 35 instead?

[ronfitch]

high school kickoffs are from the 40 while college kickoffs are from the 35, so it isn't an exact comparison.

aiming for that corner might have made some amount of sense back before they changed the fair catch rule; but now that the returner can fair catch anywhere inside the 25 and it get placed at the 25, I don't see the point in that strategy. Why risk giving it to them at the 35 instead?

Given the new rule, I am surprised by how many attempted returns I am seeing (granted, that is a small sample size over the past few seasons). Has anyone found any stats for median starting point for college football when there is an attempted return? I am finding stuff for average return yards and overall average starting point - combining both returns and fair catches - but nothing that isolates attempted returns.

Ryan Day - coach at THE Ohio State (/s) suggested last week eliminating KOs entirely and spotting the ball at the 25. About ten years ago, a Rutgers coach suggested that after scoring, the team which scored would be given the ball at its own 30 - fourth-and-15 - pretty much forcing a punt rather than a KO and also eliminating the onside kick as we know it.

[vbfan19]

Given the new rule, I am surprised by how many attempted returns I am seeing (granted, that is a small sample size over the past few seasons). Has anyone found any stats for median starting point for college football when there is an attempted return? I am finding stuff for average return yards and overall average starting point - combining both returns and fair catches - but nothing that isolates attempted returns.

attempting a return gives you a CHANCE at breaking free for a big return (possibly even taking it to the house). The offense starting at the 20 or even the 15 isn't really THAT much of a downside compared to the momentum that a big return can give.

I suppose the other side of that is that kicking the ball OoB and letting the other team start at the 35 isn't THAT much of a downside compared to risking them getting a big return. But still, if you have the leg to put it out the back of the endzone, meaning no chance of a return and a start at the 25, that is better.

Ryan Day - coach at THE Ohio State (/s) suggested last week eliminating KOs entirely and spotting the ball at the 25. About ten years ago, a Rutgers coach suggested that after scoring, the team which scored would be given the ball at its own 30 - fourth-and-15 - pretty much forcing a punt rather than a KO and also eliminating the onside kick as we know it.

I despise OSU. But I wouldn't lose any sleep over eliminating most kickoffs, if there was at least the option for a desperation attempt to get the ball back after scoring (i.e. what an onside kick attempt does).

I don't like the 4th-and-15 notion as a total replacement of the kickoff, because I think with an average punter, the other teams average starting position would end up being better than the 25 and that seems too much (plus the risk of blocks or muffed longsnaps and the like). But I wouldn't mind it as an option for that desperation attempt to get the ball back after scoring. The odds of converting a 4th-and-15 are likely better than the odds of recovering an onside kick with today's rules; but that is balanced by the increased penalty of the other team getting better field position on a failed attempt