FSU football: How special teams could be difference maker in 2020

Field Position

Field position for the Noles has been one of the worst in college football in the last few years. The team has consistently made poor decisions to return kickoffs from the end zone where the runner has gotten tackled well before the 25-yard line(where they would have received the ball if the kick was fair caught).

Field position changes how offensive coordinators call games, and it’s easier to open the playbook when an offense isn’t pinned close to their end zone.

Of course, FSU’s offense has been boom or bust the past few seasons. That has often meant they were punting from deep inside their territory, which gave the opposing offense excellent field position.

It’s common sense, the longer an offense has to drive the field, the lower the probability is they’ll be able to score.

However, a lot of the miscues have been mental for the Noles in regards to losing the field position battle. The initial example of bringing a kickoff out of the end zone when it should be fair caught.

Another example the Noles have been guilty of is allowing punts that can be caught to hit the ground. D.J. Matthews had me about ready to break my TV several times doing that the past few years

Those types of things are hidden yards that don’t show up in the stats, but ultimately can be the difference in winning or losing games.