Special teams big part of Tigers' success

• By GARY LANEY
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 6, 2009 - Page: 1C

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On Sept. 12, when LSU’s offense was still sputtering and misfiring like a used pickup bought from a salesman in a plaid sports coat, the Tigers had to turn to some other element for offense.

Nursing a 16-9 lead early in the fourth quarter and slowly giving up field position to lowly Vanderbilt, the Tigers faced a fourth down at their 23, meaning Vandy would likely get at least workable field position to mount a tying drive.

Instead, Derek Helton launched a high, arching 50-yard moon shot of a punt, forcing the Commodores’ Alex Washington to fair catch at his own 27. Seven plays later, Vandy had to punt from its 24, and Trindon Holiday grabbed a more modest punt, a 41-yard line drive, and returned it 19 yards to the Vandy 46.

Can’t generate offense? Win a field position exchange through defense and punts. In this case, an exchange of punts netted LSU a whopping 31 yards and set up a touchdown drive that gave LSU the final cushion in a 23-9 win.

“Hidden yards,” is what LSU coach Les Miles calls them. and they are hardly yards taken for granted at LSU.

“I think LSU approaches a lot of things differently as far as special teams,” said Tigers running back Stevan Ridley, who can be found excelling on most of LSU’s special teams units. “We come out here and the first thing we do is we stretch, then we go straight to special teams. And we spend a good 45 minutes to an hour before we even get to any offense and defense.

“We treat special teams like it’s a third of football. There’s offense and defense and special teams.”

Special teams will likely be a key factor Saturday when the ninth-ranked Tigers visit No. 3 Alabama. While the Crimson Tide owns statistical advantages over LSU in offensive and defensive yardage, LSU has outperformed Bama in all areas of special teams coverage and returns.

If LSU is to pull off the upset, it would seem like it would have to continue to win that category.

The pride LSU takes in coverage comes out in the Southeastern Conference statistics. The Tigers lead the SEC in kickoff coverage (46.1 net yards a kick), are third in net punting (36.5 yards a punt), first in punt return average (17.3 yards a return) and last in kickoff returns, but that’s a deceiving statistic.

With opponents choosing to avoid kicking deep to the speedy Holliday, the opponents’ net average on kickoffs is 35.1 yards per kickoff. Opponents of Arkansas, which leads the SEC with an average return of 27.5 yards, are averaging 37.2 yards a kick.

“They are not allowing (LSU return men) to have the opportunity to hit the home run,” Miles said, “so they are giving us a little shorter field and allowing our big men to catch balls and return them a short distance, but yet really give us field position that we enjoy.”

Part of LSU’s special teams success can be credited to those talented returners. Chad Jones’ 93-yard punt return for a touchdown at Mississippi State provided LSU with a winning margin. In last week’s 42-0 win over Tulane, Holliday had a pair of 50-yard returns.