This staff's approach to special teams has literally cost us games.
- Not knowing at all what to do on the punt return team. No pressure on the punter whatsoever. Returners setting up way too close to the LOS, forcing them to run back 20+ yards to catch a punt. Calling fair catch on punts without a defender in sight as if they were instructed to do so. Blockers out of position or not even in the picture at all. A muffed punt where a blocker ran into the returner literally cost us the Iowa game.
- The inability to make a FG beyond 40 yards over the last several years, limiting our options to go for it or punt.
- Kickoffs costing us precious field position, from constantly kicking out of bounds to the inability to get a touchback to poor coverage. Field position literally cost us the Big 12 championship game and was the first cause for concern against Iowa this year.
These aren't isolated incidents - they are problems we see every single week, even when we're winning large. I really hate to say this, but Campbell addressing these problems at surface level (getting a kicker that can kick far enough to get touchbacks and kick long FGs) and not addressing the issue at its core, realizing that we need to take special teams more seriously and hire a dedicated coordinator, is going to cost him in the long run.
100% agree. And then To make it worse, Campbell was basically like “yeah, we were just unlucky by a few inches”. I love Campbell but this is a MASSIVE blind spot for him.