BYU alumnus and current special teams coach Kelly Poppinga walks on the field during at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on March 31, 2023. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News
When BYU special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga said during preseason training camp that the 2024 Cougars have as much speed as any team the program has ever had, it sounded like one of those August throwaway comments that people forget once the season starts and the reality of a Power Four-laden schedule kicks in.
Four games into the season, however, Poppinga’s bold statement is ringing true.
Poppinga “is a great coach,” said head coach Kalani Sitake. “You look at the improvement (on special teams) and the way that we have been able to play at the defensive end position, and what he does with the special teams, he is a great coach, a great recruiter and a great man. I love having him on staff.”
Among the Poppinga-engineered special teams highlights to date:
Receiver Keelan Marion returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown against Wyoming, the first for BYU since Adam Hine took one to the house in 2014.
Fellow receiver Parker Kingston returned a punt 90 yards (plus about 50 more) for a touchdown in the 38-9 win over No. 13 Kansas State last Saturday, the first time since 2011 that BYU has had a punt and kickoff return for a touchdown in the same season.
Thanks to gunner-extraordinaire Marcus McKenzie, some well-placed punts by Pitt transfer Sam Vander Haar, and heady play from special teams ace Tanner Wall and others, BYU has shut down opposing punt returners, while also forcing a turnover in the 18-15 win over SMU.
Sure, there have been a few miscues, such as a shanked punt against Wyoming that appears to have given Vander Haar the punting job over Landon Rehkow. And a few of Marion’s decisions to bring the ball out of the end zone have been…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kickoff-punt-return-tds-show-223740768.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-09-24 22:37:40
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