Just a note, there had to be an illegal man downfield on at least one of them punts. Most lineman are not disciplined enough to wait that long to go downfield. But could the refs have missed that? Lord no!!!!
That style of punt is used when you have the ball around mid field and want to get your coverage guys down field to keep the ball from landing in the endzone. The punter holding the ball for those 5 or 6 steps gives the coverage team an advantage getting down the field. It can also be used to set up a fake punt if the returning team isn't looking for it. I think it is a smart way to set up a mid range punt, however you have to have a ton of confidence in your punt coverage team to run multiple punting sets like that without making mistakes.
thats what tigersnarl and eye were saying. I was thinking same thing...i dont think it applies to NFL only. I was certain its a rule in college but for some reason I can't recall for sure. As far as that angle punting, many teams have used this recently and its almost always done on the short side of the field and it always seems to be effective. Seems the momentum to kick it towards the corner helps as opposed to simply punting it the traditional way. I don't think it was an option to pass....I guess because everytime I see it used by others its not a fake punt. Just takes more time and looks odd.
In every level of football, a lineman may not cross the line of scrimage before a punt or a pass. I have seen it called in college and the pros. I would have to see a film to say Auburn did have a lineman downfield--if they practice the play, they probably practice not releasing. Lou Holtz started using this a couple of years ago and we still haven't figured it out. Eventually, though it will be successfully defended and teams will go back to the more tradional style. GEAUX TIGERS
You know, that other punt formation is pretty successful . . . the one with the 2 tiers of protectors. It's great for keeping the other team from blocking punts, but I don't think it is that great for downfield coverage.
I don't know why, but when I saw it the first time, it aggrivated me! :yelwink2: ....strange--but I don't know why... Guess it was one of those things but I wanted SOMEONE to just run out, and not necessarily to hurt him, but just to scare his little butt into getting rid of it faster.... :grin:
There is no NCAA rule that limits the number of players that can get downfield before a ball is punted. There is a rule in the NFL that only the "gunners" (the two outside guys) can get downfield before the ball is kicked. I think the "roll out" punting strategy is a great one in college football, as it allows more of the punt coverage team to get down and cover. South Carolina did it against us the whole game last year, as I recall, and we couldn't get any decent returns. :geaux:
That can't be right SpringTiger. I have no idea why you say that so adamantly. Think about it. The entire line could go down field and the punter just wait til everybody is down the field 10 or 20 yards before punting? I don't think so. The rule is there.
I'm not sure of the rule, but you could just rush the punter in that situation and that would force the punter to punt before the coverage team got that close. You can't hit the punter until after he kicks it and has time to recover from performing the kick. However, I think if the punter moves (like the AU punter did) with the ball he is fair game and could be hit before or while he is punting. Like I said, I'm not sure of the rule but you could easily put pressure on the punter if the coverage team does not block for him (so they can cover a punt that hasn't been kicked yet).
