Longer kickoffs good, bad

Extra 5 yards could topple return records

When North Carolina senior Connor Barth learned he'd be kicking off the 2007 season from the 30-yard line instead of the 35, he grimaced at the change, made last spring by the NCAA.

When N.C. State kick returner Darrell Blackman heard about it, he grinned.

Those 15 feet might seem a short distance to fans in the stands, but the change is expected to make a huge difference in how kickoffs play out this year, including:

* Fewer touchbacks due to fewer kicks into the end zone.

* Teams taking the ball if they win the opening coin toss; now, most choose to start on defense.

* Higher kicks to allow for better coverage.

* Possibly more injuries.

* A distinct change in starting position for the receiving teams, creating more chances for scoring.

"It's going to have a huge impact on college football," Duke coach Ted Roof said. "Because I think you're going to see more points in the game, the average field position is going to move up. ... It's a significant, significant rule change."

College teams have been kicking off from the 35 since 1986, but the NCAA is making the change in order to keep the game moving and the offensive energy high.

A year ago, about two-thirds of all kickoffs in the ACC were returned by players. Those returns averaged about 22 yards.

This season, both numbers are expected to increase. So teams are preparing, in more ways than one.

"There's going to be a lot more pressure on our cover team," said Barth, who averaged 61.3 yards per kickoff and had 17 touchbacks last season out of 46 kickoffs. "I'm hitting them down to about the goal line right now, but even if it's 3 yards deep, they're still bringing it out. So unless you can ... hit it 5 deep or more, it's going to be returned."

And at some schools, 5 yards isn't even enough.

"Coach is telling us, anything we get, bring it out, because they're kicking it so far back," said Blue Devils senior Chris Davis, who was told in the past to take a knee if the kickoff was 3 yards or deeper into the end zone. "Jabari [Marshall] caught one over his shoulder the other day, and we were like, 'Let's go with it.' We're taking everything out of the end zone this year."

Other old rules of thumb may change, as well.

Many teams that win the opening-game coin toss choose to defer their option and take the ball in the second half. N.C. State special teams coach Jerry Petercuskie doesn't think that will change much, but others have indicated they no longer automatically will defer.

"In six years as a head coach, we've deferred 98 percent of the time," Florida coach Urban Meyer said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We wanted to kick off, play defense, force a three-and-out, a punt and then start on offense with good field position. Flip the field.

"[Now] we're going to start the season taking the ball if we win the coin toss."

With the risk of opponents starting their drives closer to midfield, coaches also may opt to use more first-team players on kickoff coverage. UNC coach Butch Davis said he plans to put his best cover guys out there, regardless of their position. At State, coach Tom O'Brien said, "anybody is eligible."

And Roof said he planned to put his best players on Duke's special teams, because "to me, the two teams that get you beat the quickest are the punt team and kickoff cover team."

Especially now that the kickoff is 5 yards farther back.

There is an element of risk, however. Some coaches, such as Purdue's Joe Tiller, have been critical of the new rule because he thinks the extra space will create more G-forces and, therefore, more injuries.