Tricky to tease out.
It is difficult to determine the cost. None of the NCAA site stats determine lost yardage from not fielding punts. When he does field them, he does well (ranked 11th in the country in yards per return). But to your point, that doesn't account for the ones he chooses NOT to return. Remember, he had serious issues last year with fielding the ball. I think what happens is he sets up deep so as to not let balls get over his head. However, when the kick is shorter, he may lack the confidence to sprint up and catch the ball on the run. If he is unsure, he simply doesn't field it. That's my guess. I don't know what the solution is. If the punt returner lacks the confidence to attack the ball, I'd probably rather we give up some field position rather than risk a muffed punt.
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In response to this post by VTstateofmind)
Posted: 10/20/2021 at 4:01PM