While the offense and defense had a lot of success in 2014, special teams is one area that generally struggled although there were a couple of bright spots. Here's a more detailed look at the special teams units.
Punts and Coverage
Much like last season, punter
Rich Bruno did not receive conference recognition, primarily due to too few punts. The Golden Rams' two playoff games put Bruno over the minimum threshold, but by then it was too late for award consideration. Nevertheless, Bruno's average was 37.9 yards which was good for only 8th in the PSAC, but only four of his 47 punts were returned for a
total of 11 yards thus giving the West Chester team the top net punting average in the conference at 37.6 yards. No team in the country had fewer punts returned and only one allowed fewer return yards. Bruno forced 11 fair catches and landed 20 inside the opponent 20 yard line while punting only three touchbacks.
Kickoffs and Coverage
No team in the PSAC kicked off more than West Chester by far. But only 11 of those 93 went for touchbacks, with three coming at New Haven and four coming on a breezy day against Cheyney. Since Bruno didn't have a powerful leg to reliably put the ball in the end zone, the Golden Rams often resorted to short squib or pooch kicks to ward off the threat of a big return. This approach was effective in its goal, but it did result in opponents having very good field position to start their drives.
Kick and Punt Returns
The Golden Rams ranked #34 in the nation and #4 in the PSAC in kickoff return yards with an average of 22.3 yards. The highlight of the season was
Jarel Elder's 90-yard return for touchdown against Millersville after the Marauders only score of the game. Elder ranked 6th in the PSAC in average kick return yards.
Punt returns were more of a challenge. Indecision on whether to field a punt or not resulted in a loss of significant field position or worse, possession as some punts were muffed. What's really disturbing is this was the top special teams issue last season as well. At this point, the Golden Rams would be better off to find a player that will cleanly fair catch every punt and forego any return yards instead of risking possession or field position. And that's even considering
Brandon Monk's 80-yard punt return for touchdown at Indiana. Equally exciting was
Jeremy Irving's block at New Haven which
Al-Hajj Shabazz landed on for a touchdown.
Kick Scoring
West Chester led the PSAC in both PAT attempts (68) and conversions (59), but were also second in missed PAT's (9). Bruno was rather solid for most of the season, but struggled missing three at both Indiana and against Slippery Rock. It's probably not a coincidence that the school that led the conference in missed PAT's - Shippensburg - also used only one player to perform all of their kicking duties. West Chester was only 9 of 16 on field goals and two attempts blocked. Bruno's best game of the season came against Lock Haven when he went 5 of 5 on PAT's and converted on field goals of 43 and 45 yards.
Like last season, the Golden Rams had a reliable long snapper and holder and this season, those roles were handled by
Charles Kuklinski and
Mike Doty. These tasks are often taken for granted, but New Haven's special teams cost them points and Concord's long snaps were very lazy and often off target.
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