NC State special teams need to remain special for the rest of the season
Vi Jones was on the sideline talking to his position coach when his teammate, Bam Knight, was just about crossing midfield, moving faster than a speeding bullet.
Knight, N.C. State’s sophomore running back, was racing to the end zone, halfway through his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last weekend against Miami.
Knight’s return, the first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2016 for the Wolfpack, gave the team a much needed lift in the second half against the Hurricanes.
“I was sitting over there with the defense,” Jones recalled, “and was like, ‘Oh, wow, that was huge.’ We needed that.”
Jones, a linebacker, knows a thing or two about making a game-changing play on special teams. The junior transfer from USC has blocked two punts this season. His first came in a win over Virginia. His second blocked punt was recovered by Max Fisher and returned for a touchdown in a win over Duke. Jones became the first player since Colby Jackson in 2010 to block two punts in one season.
With four games remaining, special teams have to be just that, special, for the Wolfpack (4-3, 4-3 ACC) to end things on a high note.
The defense is allowing 35.6 points per game, and while the offense has definitely done more than enough (32.9 ppg), N.C. State will need to continue the trend of game-changing plays from the often forgotten third phase of the game.
“It’s huge,” freshman defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis said about special teams. “I honestly never thought it was that big to the game, but it’s definitely huge.”
Pierre-Louis has gotten plenty of snaps at nickelback, but has cut his teeth early in the season on special teams. Trenton Gill, who is averaging 45.0 yards per punt, often flips the field and has 16 touchbacks on kickoffs this season. Gill has also nailed 10 punts inside the 20.
Then there are weapons like Knight, new to the kickoff-return role, but showed some explosiveness against the Hurricanes, putting a quick six on the board. When the offense struggles to score, Jones said it helps when the team can get an easy six points on a return.
Knight started the season as the third-string returner, but after attempts with Ricky Person and Jordan Houston returning kicks, State found its guy in Knight.
“Obviously, we’re going to leave him back there and let him work,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “We went from second-to-last in the league to second in the league in kickoff returns in one play. It’s amazing what happens when you put Bam back there.”
Then there is Christopher Dunn, who showed off his leg power by connecting on a 53-yard field goal against Miami, his second 50-yard field goal this season. Dunn is 7 of 9 on field goals this season and has hit 2 of 3 from 50-yards away or more. Doeren would prefer all drives end in kicks and if they cross midfield, they are immediately in range for Dunn.
Special schemes
Doeren gives the credit of the special teams play to special teams coach.
“He does a great job schematically,” Doeren said. “And just gets guys excited about being on those special teams and blocking punts and being motivated for kickoff returns.”
Jones (6-3, 230 pounds) is one of those players excited about being on special teams. That wasn’t always the case. The native Texan started his career at USC and wanted to make his impact at the linebacker position. But he realized a quick way to contribute was on special teams.
“At first I was like I don’t want to do this, I want to be on defense and make tackles and stuff,” Jones said. “But I can still make plays on special teams and later I figured that out.”
The Wolfpack figured that out early in the second half against Virginia.
Jones saw an opening on the Cavaliers’ punt protection and told Goebbel on the sidelines. The duo made the adjustment, and Jones slipped through on the next UVA punt, which led to the block. The following week against Duke, Jones did it again, and Fisher was there for the scoop and score.
So what’s the secret formula?
“The magic, I would say, is Coach Goebbel,” Jones said when asked about the trick to blocking punts. “Coach Goebbel comes every week with a great plan, a great scheme for what we’re going to do, whether it’s a return or it’s a block, it’s just a matter of us going out and executing what he has planned for us, doing our job.”
Thanks to doing his job, Jones is two blocks away from tying the school record for blocked kicks in a season.
Staying motivated
Jones has seen how much momentum can swing when it comes to special teams.
Against Duke, the Blue Devils blocked a State punt first. That set the early tone for the game, as Duke went up 7-0 after blocking the punt and returning it for the score.
There weren’t many fans in the stands, but that early swing took some life out of the building. But it also motivated Jones to get the momentum to swing momentum back to the Wolfpack.
“For me I was like, ‘No way, they got it before I did?,’ ” Jones said. “That lit a fire under me even more to go out there and get it back, and we did, we scored off of it and I feel like that was a big switch and momentum push in the game.”
Dunn’s field goal put State up 10 in the second half against Miami. Fisher’s scoop and score against Duke pulled the Pack within three right before the half. Knight’s return gave the Wolfpack a second-half lead and a big boost.
“That was big for my confidence,” Knight said. “I’m sure it was big for the team’s confidence, especially with how close the game was.”
N.C. State should expect to be in some dogfights in the final four games. If the offense struggles, or the defense continues to give up big plays, the Pack might have to lean on the overlooked units to pull out a close one if needed. Those guys will be ready.
“For me, the special teams part of the game is important,” Jones said. “I take it very seriously, and I love being able to go and represent my team on that unit.”
