Stoops is Looking for More From the Special Teams

By: LONNY DEMAREE



Has there ever been a better way for a team to win games in which on paper they pre-season underdog against no less than eight of it's season's opponents. Specials teams is the way for the Wildcats.

You flip the field with booming punts - you split the uprights on makeable fields goals - you cover kicks and punts well - you get field position on return punts and kickoff returns - and most of all you get an occasional return an easy score.

Is there such a thing as the 'sophomore jinx?' some might say that punter Landon Foster went through such a thing last season. His freshman year had stardom written all over it. Foster's average was only a yard off from his freshman year however his hang time suffered somewhat. "Last season was tough year," a confident Foster said. "I had a couple injuries that didn't allow me to get my body in position to get full leg-extension. I'm not going to make any excuses I take blame for that. Use that as motivation and now I know what I have to do moving forward." Foster said this staff as well as all staffs have toyed with the rugby-punt but he doesn't know whether they will use.

The Wildcats have been very anemic in the return game in the last few seasons. Special teams coach Craig Naivar was ask if schemes are attributed to UK's lack of ability to get scores. He said - "I say this all the time schemes do not cause kickoffs for touchdowns. Technique and fundamentals do. You can draw up any scheme you want.The bottom line the team that blocks the best, tackles the best, gets off tackles, and takes care of the football are the best in the return game."

MacGinnnis, according to the coaches has been kicking the ball well. "I Started kicking in the ninth grade," MacGinnis said. "I grew up playing soccer and was convinced to come and kick the football and I liked it. He said the best the best thing for him was to be redshirted and just set back and watch Joe (Mansour) and get use to the crowds in the SEC.

Naivar described being a punt returner as "Just walk out in the middle of some oncoming cars and concentrate on getting out of the way."