WVU football’s special teams took care of business against Coastal Carolina
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MORGANTOWN -- There were a lot of position battles this offseason. Everyone wanted to know who the starting quarterback was, who would start across the offensive line, and if true freshman Matt Sieg would start in the secondary.
The starting kicker position was up for grabs as well, and Rich Rodriguez said there was a battle throughout camp and even into the week before Week 1.
On the depth chart, which was released Tuesday of the Coastal Carolina game week, veteran Western Kentucky transfer Jack Cassidy and Fairmont, West Virginia, returner Nate Flower were listed as "Or," meaning either could be the starter. Rodriguez talked about how Cassidy had the big leg, but Flower was pushing him along. Alabama transfer Peter Notaro was also in the mix, but he was a bit behind recovering from an injury.
Ultimately, Cassidy won the starting job on kickoffs, extra points and on the one field goal try.
Cassidy showed off his big leg on the kickoffs and kicked six of them through the end zone, making the Chanticleers start on the 25-yard line. Coastal Carolina scored just one touchdown on drives that started after a Cassidy touchdown.
Cassidy was also the extra point kicker. He didn't miss a single extra point after four touchdowns. Cassidy attempted one field goal try and drilled it from 38 yards out. A perfect special teams afternoon from a placekicking perspective.
"I was really proud of Jack," Rodriguez said. "He was in a close battle, and I thought he kicked off great and the field goals."
There wasn't much competition at punter this offseason. Colorado State transfer Bryan Hansen was the only punter listed on the roster until recently, when WVU added Robert Morris fifth-year transfer Mack Flynn. But Hansen was the starter.
Hansen's first punt didn't go quite as planned. Deep in his own territory, Hansen didn't flip the field and just hit a 30-yard punt. His second punt was a thing of beauty. Hansen drilled a bomb that rolled down deep into Coastal Carolina territory. Sieg, who was a gunner, ran down and stopped the punt at the 1-yard line. It was a 74-yard punt.
Hansen did a lot more punting, with the Mountaineers’ offense being stagnant. He finished the game with six punts for an average of 41.3 yards and had two inside the 20-yard line. His last punt wasn’t quite what Rodriguez wanted. WVU needed a pooch, and he knocked it through the end zone for a touchback. Coastal Carolina hit a field goal with the starting field position.
"That last pooch punt wasn't Bryan's best," Rodriguez said. "But I thought he punted well."
Sieg handled the kickoff and punt returns. He didn't make any costly mistakes. There were times on punts when he probably could've caught the ball instead of letting it roll to save a couple of extra yards. Nothing drastic, though, which is impressive for a true freshman in his first game. He returned one kick for 19 yards.
WVU's special teams had to use its hands team late in the game. Coastal Carolina's first onside kick might've looked recoverable, but it luckily rolled out of bounds. The second onside kick had no chance, quickly rolling out of play.
Despite all the new personnel changes, including at both kicker spots, the special teams didn't make headlines, which is always a win for a coach. You don't hear when the special teams does something good, but when they mess up drastically.
After one game, special teams flew under the radar.
"The special teams, I thought, did a nice job," Rodriguez said. "Our special teams coaches and players did a nice job."