Spring - Special Teams
Special teams for Clemson used to be an afterthought. Whether it was allowing long kickoff returns or shanking punts, special teams was always a thorn in the side for Clemson. Those days are gone.Kickoff returns used to be a killer to watch. For years, the tigers had a problem kicking the ball into the endzone, so their coverage had to get better. For example, the tigers, as a whole, had 88 kickoffs in 2017. Of those 88 kickoffs, 59 were returned for 1159 yards for a 19.6 return average, with only 26 touchbacks. Enter B.T. Potter, and the difference was astounding. In 2019 Clemson kicked off 116 times with 83 touchbacks, allowing only 17.6 yards a return. Potter led the way with 100 kickoffs and 79 touchbacks. This is big time, making the other team go 75 yards to score. B.T. Potter returns to handle the majority of the kickoffs, with redshirt freshmen Aiden Swanson and Jonathan Weitz waiting in the wings. A player of interest to watch will be incoming freshman Tanner Tessman. Tessman did not play high school football, but was a star soccer player, top 25 in the country and will play both sports at Clemson
While Joe Ngata led the team with 14 kickoff returns, the team leaned towards Travis Etienne in the final game against LSU. Cornell Powell could also see action as could incoming freshman Demarkcus Bowman. The tigers have a plethora of talent they can use.
Punting will remain in the hands of senior Will Spiers. Spiers averaged 42.3 yards a punt last year on 53 punts and a long of 64. Of those 53 punts, only 3 were touchbacks and he forced 22 fair catches, 20 of those inside the 20. Redshirt freshman Aiden Swanson is waiting on his turn and will likely see more than two punts in 2020.
Amari Rodgers and Derion Kendrick will more than likely see the bulk of punt returns for the tigers. Rodgers returned 18 punts for 151 yards, with a long of 53. The punt return defense only allowed 68 yards on 9 returns. In comparison to 2017, Clemson allowed 21 returns for 206 yards.
Place kicking in 2020 was erratic at best. There were times when it looked like B.T. lost focus. From 50+ yards, Potter was 3-3. From 30-49 yards, he was 10-18 and that’s not going to get it done. It’s not just Potter. As a matter of fact, in his freshman season, he was 7-7, but Greg Huegel was 11-16. Potter has got to improve his focus inside the 50 and will get stiff competition from redshirt freshman Weitz. Weitz is accurate inside the 40 and Dabo might well use both kickers depending on distance. Potter was perfect on 79 extra points and should retain that job.Long snapper Patrick Fibbs has graduated and there will be a competition starting in the spring to replace him. Fibbs snapped in all 15 games for the tigers in 2018 and 2019, and was named special teams player of the year at the annual sports banquet this past season. Look for senior Tyler Brown and junior Jack Maddox to battle for the 2020 job.Special teams play was always one of those “hold your breath” areas of the team. Those days seem to be gone and the tigers are on solid ground.
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CSN staff no problem at all! Thank you for giving me a positive and professional debate! Some great points on both sides! Usually when I debate with other fans about the specialists I get the rude, jabbing, and belittling ones that make it seem like our unit is terrible and that I'm an idiot for being their biggest fan. I think I already said it, but they named me their biggest fan in 2015 because I sent them support and encouragement in their inboxes instead of the usual badgering for missing a kick. Naturally, I now defend them like it's my job. I look forward to having Tanner Tessmann on the team!
Great Stuff guys.. keep the conversation going... and on the PK duties.. I think you may very well see a "shared" role there in the first few games... to challenge BT to "focus" ... and give Wietz a chance to see if he can handle the "live bullets" .
As for Will Spiers, I noticed he tends to kick the high ball instead of the low one, which can actually be more beneficial considering it gives the coverage team more time to surround the opposing receiver. Some punters can do both, kick long and high, but very few of them can. So with that in mind, which one would you rather have, a punter that kicks long but with the possibility of the returner being able to return it even farther do to coverage not being fast enough, or a punter that can kick the ball high and the coverage unit being there right when the ball is caught? As for the times he DIDN'T cause a fair catch,…
cnb Happy to do so! I can't exactly speak on BT's behalf since he and I haven't spoken, and honestly I'm not too entirely sure on it, but from what I gathered of your reply, is that 1). it's all about teamwork (and they do work well as a team) and 2). it may or may not be a similar scenario to near-sided vs far-sided. You know how people who are far-sided can see things well from a far distance but can struggle seeing things right up close? Vise versa for the near-sided? I think the same principle could apply to BT, Jonathan, and many other place kickers. Some kickers are great from long distances and others are better from…
Thanks for the feedback. Kicking 9 times out of 10 comes down to mental over physical. It takes a different mindset to be a kicker. If BT can be perfect outside the 50, why cant he have a better percentage INSIDE the 50? Hard to explain sometimes. Kicking field goals is not as easy as you would think, but you already know that. Three things have to happen before the actual kick; the snap, blocking, and the hold. The kicker must then focus on a spot that the holder is supposed to have the ball. Anything could happen. Punting is not much different. Snap, blocking, and then the kick. Several things affect punting. Snap, block, wind, and type of pu…