Sept. 20, 2005
By Greg Knowlden
Assistant Sports Information Director
How often do head football coaches discuss being solid in all three phases of the game - offense, defense and special teams - then spend all of their time on the first two and none on the latter? Usually, it's at every press conference, media luncheon or post-game interview.
But put a microphone in front of Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani and the praise for his special teams is effusive.
"We've always focused on special teams since we took the program over six years ago, and I think that's evident by the amount of practice time that we put in," Tavani explained. "For some guys, that's the only place that they perform since they have specialty talents - the kicker, the punter and in some cases, the long snapper - and they're critical areas of our football team."
The 2004 Patriot League Coach of the Year has entrusted three essential positions on the special teams to members of this year's senior class for all four years that they've been at Lafayette. Linebackers coach Matt Hachmann, in his sixth year on the staff, is in his third season as the special teams coordinator.
Quarterback Pat Davis received significant playing time in each of the first five games a year ago, and led the offense on its game-winning scoring drive in the Leopards' 21-16 win over Richmond. He has also been the long snapper since Lafayette's first game his freshman year.
"Pat was really a starter for us last year and we won football games in that system that we had set up," Tavani said. "Once Brad Maurer settled in, we felt comfortable with him and Pat became the back-up. But when we go to Pat, I think of it as replacing a first-stringer with a first-stringer since he has that game experience.
"It's part of our Team...Together concept that everybody accepts their role, and then excels at their role. I think Pat has handled it extremely well."
"When we came into camp last year, we both approached it as if we were the starter, and we really pushed each other," Davis said. "In practice we split the reps 50-50 so we both know the game plan for the next week. If anything happens, I have to be ready to go."
As the long snapper, he's breaking in a new punter this year, as the three-year combination of Pat Davis to Mike Davis split up when Mike graduated last spring. Sophomore David Yankovich has stepped in to handle the punting chores.
"I want to get the perfect snap to David so it's an easy catch for him," Davis said. "I told him in the preseason that I'll get it there fast and chest high, and you just have to focus on your drop and then kicking it." For Davis, snapping the football is only half the battle. At 6-2 and 210 pounds, he has good size for a quarterback, but doesn't match up well against linemen on the other side of the ball.
"Before every play, the referee says don't hit the snapper, and of course they always hit me, but I'm used to it," Davis laughed. "Once I get the ball to the punter, I'm responsible for the gap on either my right or my left, depending on what the personal protector calls. Then I'll run down the field to find the return man. It feels great to get a tackle or be the first guy down to congratulate one of our gunners after they made a big play."
"Pat's been a four-year starter for us and he's as good as they get," Tavani mentioned. "He really impacts the success of our punting and kicking units. Knock on wood, we haven't had a punt blocked since he's been here. The key is to get the ball back there, and do it in great time, and he's been outstanding for us."
In punting situations, the snap, catch and kick have to get done in 1.8 to 1.9 seconds. The kicking unit has just under three seconds to do its job. It's an intricate process, and it goes by in a blink.
"Brad (Maurer, the holder) has to have soft hands, catch the ball, turn it, and place it down, and Rick (Ziska, Lafayette's kicker) is really particular with where he wants the ball," Davis said.
A good snap by Davis will usually lead to points for the offense, or give the defense the opportunity to defend the long field. Kick returner Larry Johnson and punt returner Brandon Stanford are also integral in setting the Leopards up with great field position.
"Larry has really set himself apart as a kick returner, and now we made it a point of emphasis with Brandon not only to catch the punt, but to do something with the ball after the catch," Tavani said. "It gets overlooked, but those return yards really have the potential to be the turning point in a game."
The Lafayette coaching staff places a premium not only on developing a group of players that will excel on special teams, but also uses a number of players who have established themselves as starters.
Johnson has started 27 games at cornerback for the Leopards, making 167 career tackles to go with two interceptions and 18 pass break-ups. He also holds school records for both single-season kickoff return yardage (625 in 2004) and average per return (27.5 in 2003).
"Every time I touch the football, I want to take one back," Johnson said. "It seems like at least once a game we're one man away from breaking it. Coach Hachmann does a great job putting our schemes in, and I just have to hit the hole fast."
"Larry has great speed and he's a strong kid. When he takes his first two steps he's at full speed, where it takes a lot of other fast guys 10 or 15 yards to really get going, and that's the main ingredient for a great kick returner," Tavani said. "That, and having no regard for your physical well-being and hitting that seam at full speed. Larry gets that."
Johnson is also one of the top gunners on the punt coverage squad, a position that has a lot in common with his regular spot as a cornerback.
"I have to work to get off the line of scrimmage, but once I get past the blocker, it's just tackling in the open field," Johnson explained. "If I don't get there on the catch, I have to break down and make a play."
Stanford, meanwhile, led Lafayette with 33 catches for 299 yards and a touchdown last season, and also found the end zone twice on rushing attempts. He came to Lafayette as a defensive back before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore, and has handled punt return duties since day one. In his first three seasons, he was reliable, averaging 6.8 yards per return, if unspectacular.
However, in 2005, Stanford has broken out, returning eight punts for 139 yards for an average of 17.4 yards per touch.
"Returning punts has always been my favorite position on the field," Stanford said. "I love being down there and having 11 guys run at me. There's always a free guy coming down and it's my job to make him miss. If I don't shake him, that's my fault and I shouldn't be returning punts. Our corners are doing a great job of blocking the gunners out of the play, and that's when my eyes light up."
In last week's 7-0 victory over Richmond, his 23-yard return gave Lafayette the ball at the 16-yard line, and Maurer converted with a scoring toss to Stanford for the game's only touchdown.
"Brandon catches the ball so well since he has soft hands, which also makes him a good receiver," Tavani said. "He's quick and he has certainly gotten stronger. You see him out there and he's hurdling people and making things happen, and that makes him exciting as a return man."
"We really take pride in getting a big return and setting the offense up, or pinning a team inside the 20 on a punt or a kickoff," Stanford said. "It's a huge aspect of our team and we're doing some big things. Sometimes that's the difference between winning and losing."
