Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/699309
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 111 SPECIAL TEAMS Finally, a top news item this spring was how junior quarterback Montgomery VanGorder replaced fellow signal‑caller DeShone Kizer as the top holder for Yoon. Kizer found a niche in 2014 as a holder mainly because during the spring he was the third‑team QB. Now as the returning incumbent QB, Kizer is in a competitive situation for the starting job, and Yoon turned to VanGorder as an option he can work frequently with in practice for timing and chemistry. "Me being a kicker, I was a little picky I guess," Yoon said. "I need to be able to see the ball sometimes as fast as I can [on holds]. I think [VanGorder] has that small advantage … .01, .02 seconds, just that difference makes me more confident. "I could tell that he wanted to be the holder. He came to me and asked, 'What can I do to be better? What time should I come? When should I come? Should we do it four times a week, five times a week?' … He kept on coming to me asking for feedback." There is the risk of trying to fix something that was not broken with Kizer, and kickers in particular have a reputation for being ultra superstitious. "I guess I'm the odd one; I'm not necessarily superstitious," Yoon said. However, during one indoor practice in April with the new holder, Yoon missed three in a row from the 30‑ to 45‑yard range during field goal drills. "That was all on me," Yoon said. "I just couldn't plant properly sometimes. Understanding that and watching film, I got myself to work on my plant. I got better at it. Here I am right now trying to prove myself once again. Every little kick, it's a different routine, it's a dif‑ ferent ball game." Last year, the comfort level for Yoon was around 43 yards — despite the 52‑yard make versus Navy — but this spring it has expanded to about 47 yards, maybe even more. He has detected more power in his leg after just one season of a college weight‑training program. "It looks like he's got a little bit more pop in his leg, a little more strength," Kelly said. Unlike other positions, though, too much practice can be detrimental for a kicker because leg weariness can set in. "I learned that my junior year [in high school]," Yoon said. "It was a mistake that I made. I kicked way too much because I was all excited about the recruiting process, all the coaches coming … I think eight coaches came and I kicked eight consecutive days. "It's about the quality of each ball, not quantity." Newsome would concur. In his debut campaign as a 2015 sopho‑ more, he had one of the best seasons ever by a Fighting Irish punter on paper: • He produced the fourth‑highest punting average in one season at Notre Dame with 44.5 yards per attempt, only the fourth time an Irish punter eclipsed a 44‑yard average. • Among his 55 punts, 21 were placed inside the 20‑yard line, the second‑best figure at the school since 2005, surpassed only by Ben Turk's 26 (on 68 attempts) in 2010. Those numbers result in nearly identical percentages, with Turk edging Newsome, 38.24 percent to 38.18. • About a third of his punts (18) traveled at least 50 yards. The totals from the three previous years at Notre Dame were 12, nine and seven. In his short time at Notre Dame, Newsome has displayed an NFL THE ART OF THE KICKOFF With his leg power and 6-2½, 210-pound frame, junior punter Tyler Newsome also doubles as Notre Dame's kickoff man. He even recorded four tackles in that role last year, three of them solo. Similar to punting, kickoffs also rely more on hang time and directional skills than just powering the ball out of the end zone (although he did that 21 times in 84 at- tempts last year). Ideally, the staff wants him to place the ball between the goal line and 5-yard line on one side of the field, thereby providing a better chance to pin the return man inside the 20 rather than just accept placing the ball at the 25 on a touchback. Ohio State worked this to perfection in its Fiesta Bowl win over the Irish. On four of its kickoffs OSU pinned Notre Dame inside its 15-yard line, including one at the 10, and on a fifth it made a stop at the 17. Five of Newsome's kickoffs last year went out of bounds, which put the ball at the opponent's 35-yard line. "It was almost frustrating at a point because I could put it inside the 5, but they would go out of bounds — and three went out at the 2-yard line," Newsome said. "You really have to be a master at your craft. I've been working on placing it where I want it to be." That would earn him more coverage as a kicker — and hopefully better coverage on returns. — Lou Somogyi QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Scott Booker (5th year at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: K Justin Yoon, P Tyler Newsome, LS Scott Daly and PR/KR CJ Sanders Departing Starters: None Projected New Starter: H Montgomery VanGorder Top Reserves: K John Chereson, P Jeff Riney and K Sam Kohler Waiting His Turn: Chereson Newcomer: LS John Shannon Moved In: H VanGorder Moved Out: H DeShone Kizer Other Departures: None FYI: Lindy's Sports 2016 College Football Preview ranked Yoon as the No. 7 kicker in the country, and the six ahead of him are either seniors or juniors … Yoon's cur - rent streak of 12 straight field goals converted ranks fourth in Notre Dame history, two off from second place but well behind David Ruffer's standard of 23 in 2009-10 … Phil Steele's 2016 College Football Preview ranks Notre Dame's special teams unit No. 14 in the country … Newsome's average per punt in his first season (44.5) ranks No. 1 on the Irish career chart, ahead of four-year starter Craig Hentrich's 44.1 from 1989-92; Hentrich played 16 years in the NFL … Sanders last year joined Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (1989), Allen Rossum (1996) and Vontez Duff (2002) as the four Notre Dame players who returned a punt and a kickoff for a score in the same season. Sophomore punter Tyler Newsome put together a strong debut campaign, ranking 15th nationally with an average of 44.5 yards per attempt. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA