This is the third in a three-part series looking back at the 2016 Arizona Wildcats football season and ahead to next year. Today’s installment: Special teams.
Special teams were an area of strength for the 2015 Arizona Wildcats. That was not the case this past season.
Some growing pains were expected after the departures of steady, veteran specialists Drew Riggleman and Casey Skowron. But Arizona never got the spark it was seeking — and desperately needed at times — from the return game.
The Wildcats played with a field-position deficit during much of their 3-9 season, and subpar special-teams play contributed to that.
Will those units improve markedly next season? We explore the possibilities by asking — and answering — three lingering questions.
1. Does Josh Pollack have what it takes to be the long-term solution at placekicker?
Certainly. The redshirt sophomore had one poor performance this season as a kicker. (Pollack’s punting was another story; more on that later.) Aside from that one off game — a 1-for-4 performance against Colorado — Pollack made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts.
All of Pollack’s misses came from 44 or more yards. In the Colorado game, his misses were from 44, 50 and 44. His mechanics were off that night — his plant foot was landing too close to the ball. Additionally, he had to assume kickoff duties — giving him all three kicking jobs — after then-kickoff specialist Edgar Gastelum couldn’t play because of a concussion.
Going 1 of 6 from 40-plus yards is nothing to be proud of, but it’s not as if Pollack lacks the leg strength to make those kicks. With better technique, more experience and more confidence, he can become effective from long range.
Pollack’s overall performance was almost in line with Skowron’s first season as the first-team kicker. Skowron made 20 of 28 attempts in 2014. He improved his success rate by more than 10 percentage points the following season.
Another factor working in Pollack’s favor: He appears to be out of the mix to be Arizona’s punter. It’s impossible to quantify, but having to do both jobs for most of this season didn’t seem to help him. Concentrating solely on placekicking moving forward should.
2. Did Arizona find its punter late in the season?
Once Pollack had to take over the kickoff duties, Arizona needed to go in a different direction at punter. Pollack had handled the role for most of the season. His average of 42.2 yards per punt looks good on the surface.
However, Pollack struggled at times, especially with rugby-style punts. He seldom achieved sufficient hang time, resulting in only six fair catches in 48 attempts. Pollack’s net average — a more meaningful statistic — was just 36.8 yards.
Jake Glatting, another redshirt sophomore, took over as the punter for the final two-plus games and performed respectably. Glatting averaged 39.4 yards on 10 punts, but only one was returned, for 7 yards.
So Glatting’s net average was 38.7, almost 2 yards greater than Pollack’s (admittedly with a much smaller sample size).
Four of Glatting’s 10 punts resulted in fair catches; four others landed inside the 20-yard line. Some of that is circumstantial, based as much on where you’re punting from as how well you’re hitting the ball. But Glatting’s ratios are encouraging.
While it’s far from a given that he will keep the job next season, Glatting showed enough promise in his brief stint to suggest he’s capable of handling it.
3. What can the Wildcats do to improve their return game?
That it was so middling doesn’t make much sense, because Arizona had more than enough playmakers fielding the ball. Additionally, special teams were a daily point of emphasis for Rich Rodriguez and his staff.
Nonetheless, the Wildcats averaged 17.0 yards per kickoff return and 4.7 yards per punt return. Both figures ranked 11th in the Pac-12.
Arizona finished fourth and tied for first, respectively, the previous season. The yards the Wildcats lost — or didn’t gain — hurt a team that struggled in other areas.
Incredibly, Tyrell Johnson’s 33-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter of the season opener was Arizona’s longest return of any kind all season. The Wildcats had only one other return of at least 30 yards, by Shun Brown on a kickoff against Washington State two months later.
Special teams will continue to be a priority next season, especially after Arizona encountered so many issues this season, and that’s a critical first step. Rodriguez also is hopeful that a deeper, healthier roster will supply better personnel to the return units.
The return of J.J. Taylor could provide a boost. The talented freshman returned only three punts before suffering a season-ending broken ankle, but one went for 22 yards. If healthy, Taylor possesses the shiftiness and instincts to become a superb return specialist.
