Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer had been very vocal recently in regards to how strongly he felt his kickoff coverage unit had been playing so far this season.
But days after the Buckeyes' 52-24 blowout of Maryland, Meyer showed his appreciation by sending out this tweet:
The film of the best kickoff unit running down the field last weekend making plays was the best I've ever seen pic.twitter.com/R7KnrN985K
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) October 7, 2014
That's when you know it's serious.
"A phase that I was most pleased with was the return yards were minimal," Meyer said after the win. "That kickoff team, those are my guys, man. I might put them in first-class on the flight home. I have so much respect for those guys. I love their demeanor and how they answer challenges. I was very impressed with our coverage units."
Strong kickoff coverage is often something that gets overlooked with kickers sending balls into the end zone at an even more rapid pace, but it's also something that can have a major effect on the outcome of a game.
So far this season, the Buckeyes are allowing only 17.4 yards per kickoff return — tops in the Big Ten.
“We put a big emphasis on special teams and it gives younger guys a place to make an impact on the game," said Craig Fada, a 2012 walk-on who is a member of the Buckeyes' kickoff coverage unit. "All the younger guys always wanna get on those and even the guys that aren’t fully equipped to get on defense yet want to get on to special teams and that’s just a way to help.”
The unit, which is referred to by special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs as 'piranhas,' held the Big Ten's top kickoff returner, Maryland's Stefon Diggs, to just 38 yards on three returns Saturday after he came into the game averaging 29.4 yards per return.
A small sample size, sure, but so far this season the longest kickoff return the Buckeyes have surrendered is only 26 yards.
“In practices we have races every week just trying to get down there first, seeing who wins. It’s a weekly thing, it’s a weekly grind competing up against each other," Fada said. "I think that’s what makes us so good because there’s so many groups — whether it’s running backs or linebackers or receivers or whoever it is — we’re just always trying to compete against each other.”
If that competition between the unit continues to breed results on the field come gameday, Fada and his teammates may be earning more praise from their head coach soon.
Being recognized for their efforts isn't something they mind, either.
“It makes us feel real good because all the guys are just selfless on that kickoff team," Fada said. "All specialists are really, and we just wanna do something to help everybody out and it’s just our time to kind of shine.”
