Big Blue Primers is 4thandBlue’s inaugural Kentucky Wildcat Football position-by-position preview. In today’s edition we bring you a look at the forgotten heroes of the Special Teams Unit. I had the luck and favorable class schedule that let me attend almost every session during UK spring practice at it is my personal goal to include as much insight from the spring as possible.
The Coach
Steve Ortmayer: Going into his 6th season as Special Teams coach at Kentucky, his 41-year head coaching and administrative career has been highlighted by 22 years in the NFL, a large part of which he spent with the Oakland Raiders. It should be noted that he is probably the only person on the UK staff with more Super Bowl rings than Coach Brooks himself, having won two as Director of Football Operations and Special Teams coach in ‘81 and ‘85 with the Raiders. During UK’s 2 year run of success the special teams unit has been rather mediocre in its performance and it partially rests with Coach Ortmayer to turn it around. More than ever the offense can use some beneficial field position and the defense never minds running onto the field with their opponents pinned inside the 20.
The Players
Punter:
The Star: Tim Masthay
A smart guy from Kentucky who spent the summer performing service in Africa, he faced a fairly strong challenge in the spring from Tydlacka but performed well enough himself that his experience will likely let him keep the starting job. In 3 years on the job he has showcased a monster leg but has frustrated everyone with his inconsistency. Punted 50 times last year for a net average of 39.8 yards, pinning opponents inside the 20 sixteen times. Has the ability to significantly up his average if he cuts down on his penchant for some godawful shanks. Is also the main kickoff man, having sent 23 of 83 kickoffs for touchbacks last year, his success in this department should continue and he will likely remain the starter there regardless of what happens at punter. Masthay’s responsibilities extend even farther as he is the primary holder for all kicks and has performed his job admirably the past 2 years.
The Backup: Ryan Tydlacka
The redshirt freshman from Louisville is “the future” for the special teams unit, either at punter, kicker, or both. In the spring he showcased a monster leg on his punts, almost every one was a spiral as well, indicating good form. He is heir apparent to Masthay and we know that Coach Brooks likely won’t hesitate to press him into action if Tim falters given the necessity of good field position this year.
Kicker:
The Star: Lones Seiber
A former soccer player and decently renowned kicker from Knoxville his career so far can largely be described as “meh”. Having gone 11-19 and 16-25 the past 2 seasons he is definitely not automatic and has not demonstrated any form of elite range. His clutch kicking against LSU was the exception rather than the rule as was painfully obvious by the lowball that partially cost Kentucky a chance to break the losing streak from hell against Ole Rocky Top. He has the talent to be dependable, hopefully some increased competition will help to improve his consistency this year.
The Backups: Ryan Tydlacka, J.J. Housely
Once again Tydlacka pops up here, however while he shined as a punter in the spring his kicking for was less than impressive, lots of range but little accuracy. Housely and fellow walkon Ross Uminger are both guys who will likely only come on in emergencies. It should be noted however that in filling in for an injured Seiber 2 years go Housely went 7-8 on PATs and 0-1 on FGs from 27 yards. Not impressive but he has been in a game environment.
The Long Snappers:
Brat Hart (Kicks), J.J. Helton (Punts)
As redshirt freshman both of these players performed admirably at their respective positions last year. The Wildcats experienced no major issues with snaps during the past year and it looks like these two young guys will ensure that this remains a future strong point.
Primary Holder: Tim Masthay, has a solid record of rescuing iffy/bad snaps.
Kickoffs: Tim Masthay, 2nd in the SEC with 23 touchbacks last year, strong leg.
The Return Crew:
The Primary Suspects: Dicky Lyons, Tony Dixon, Derrick Locke, Alphonso Smith, Taiedo Smith, Nik Brazely, David Jones, Demareo Ford, Eric Adeyemi
Perhaps the most unsettled positions on the team going into fall camp. UK has a bevy of players with elite open field speed and shiftiness to utilize here, hopefully in an effort to bolster production. Perhaps it is the blocking that needs to improve given that many of the listed players have plied this trade in the past few season without much success. With punt returner extraordinaire Rafael Little gone, Dicky Lyons is the only experienced punt returner with playmaking ability but Ford might get the green light there given the staff’s confidence in his sure hands. Whether it is some of Kentucky’s returning playmakers or a couple of the freshman speedsters, UK will have homerun potential on its kickoff team, perhaps the improved depth will allow some better athletes to pave the way for them this coming season.
The Final Word: If nothing else Kentucky will benefit from one thing here, experience. Both Kicker and Punter have been here before and though they could stand to improve it is reassuring to know that they have taken snaps in the big games already, some added competition shouldn’t hurt either. As far as the return game goes almost anything will be an improvement from last year with regards to punts as teams will likely kick to UK far more than they have in the past when they feared Little’s abilities. In the kickoff department Mathsay will likely continue to smack boomers far into the endzone and on the flipside Coach Ortmayer has plenty of SEC-caliber speedsters to a least give us hope for some electrifying touchdowns in the fall.
4th and Blue Power Rating: 6, “consistency please”
Tommorow: Tight Ends
Tags: Brad Hart, Demareo Ford, Dickly Lyons, Lones Seiber, Ryan Tydlackda, Tim Mathsay, Tony Dixon