Rush Through the Numbers: Special Teams

Lindsey Lamar led the Bulls in kick returns, but couldn't break one for a TD this season (Picture: tbo.com)

Special teams. One of the most underrated units on any football team, but one of the most important on the field. The Bulls had an up and down season with their unit, from great coverage in the punt return game to bad kicks and blown coverages in the kick-off game. Missed field goals, no punt returns, and other elements added to an up and down season. Let's dig through the numbers and see who did what in 2011.

Kicking

Maikon Bonani was the sole place kicker for the Bulls in 2011. He was 19 of 26 in field goal attempts, including 6 out of 10 in 40-49 yard range. He hit a long of 49 and had one blocked. Compared to 2010, he hit 17 of 21 during the season, so he wasn't as accurate. One of the worst moments was his miss at Rutgers that allowed the Knights to get the win. While Bonani did not have a great season, he was still consistent and helped the offense when it could not find its way into the endzone.

Freshman Marvin Kloss took over the kickoff duties from Bonani this season and did a solid job. He kicked off 71 times this season, averaging 64.9 yards per kick, constantly pinning opponents deep. He has 9 touchbacks and only one kick out of bounds (of course against WVU). He did a solid job and has shown a strong leg, giving the Bulls a bright future.

Justin Brockhaus-Kann was the punter for USF and struggled this season. He punted the ball 62 times averaging 36.3 yards a kick, including a long of 55 yards. He had 4 touchbacks and downed 20 kicks inside the opponents 20 yard line. In 2010, he punted the ball 64 times averaging 37.6 yards a kick, so his average did drop. The punt return unit only allowed 9 returns on the season for just 19 yards, so they were able to fly to the ball. Compared to the kickoff return team that allowed 60 returns for 1485 yards on the season.

Return game

The USF return game was not as explosive as many wanted or expected it to be. With Terrence Mitchell going down for the year, the punt return team struggled with Victor Marc back. Evan Landi was solid, but just fair caught everything. The kick off team had a few flashes, but Lamar could never break one. In all, USF returned 33 punts for 215 yards. They return 51 kickoffs for 1054 yards.

The best punt return man was Terrence Mitchell. He had 13 returns for 67 yards. He missed the entire second half of the season due to a concussion, hurting the return game. Victor Marc had 13 for 93 yards, but fumbles and bad fielding made him unreliable back in returns. Evan Landi had 6 for 24 yards and Andre Davis had 1 for 38 yards.

The kick return team was led once again by Lindsey Lamar who had 40 returns for 817 yards (20.4 per return) and a long of 62 yards on the season. Marcus Shaw had 6 for 172 yards (28.7 per return) and a long of 79 yards, showing his speed in the open field.