Kansas State has two game-changing playmakers returning punts, so converting on third down becomes twice as important for Kansas University’s football team Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Jordy Nelson, the Big 12’s second-leading receiver who also has thrown two passes, both for touchdowns, has the longest punt return in the Big 12 this season. It went for 89 yards and a touchdown against Texas.
Nelson, a 6-foot-3, 217-pound senior who came to K-State from nearby Riley County High as a walk-on, isn’t even considered the best punt-return man on the field for the 24th-ranked Wildcats.
Deon Murphy, a 5-10, 170-pound junior receiver out of Coffeyville Community College, leads the Big 12 and is 10th in the nation with a 19.1 punt-return average. Nelson, with only three returns, doesn’t have enough to qualify.
Murphy has the conference’s second-longest punt return (80 yards for a TD against Missouri State).
The Wildcats rank first in the nation with an average of 27.2 yards on 14 returns, five yards more per return than Utah State, which ranks second in the nation. To appreciate the enormity of that number, consider that Kansas led the Big 12 with an average of 13.5 yards per return last season.
The two players largely responsible for the figure sprint at opposite ends of the personality spectrum. Nelson is married and on the quiet side, not too colorful. Murphy is single, lively and enjoys talking.
Both men have terrific speed. Who would win a foot race?
“I think there is no question about that,” Murphy said. “I’d win that foot race.”
Murphy has been clocked in 4.36 in the 40-yard dash, so nobody disputes that.
The Wildcats started the season with just Murphy returning punts.
“Most teams wanted to shank it and punt it out of bounds,” said Murphy, explaining the change. “Now we have two back there and they have to punt it to one of us. I feel real confident about the things we’re doing back there.”
Murphy said he has been returning punts since “Little League.”
“Having two of us back there it feels like a kickoff return, knowing you have somebody directly in front of you that’s going to keep somebody off of you,” Murphy said. “I love it regardless. Whether it’s one of us or two of us, I love it.”
Playing two men deep is not without its drawbacks. For one thing, it leaves eight men blocking seven defenders in the box, which makes the punt return team vulnerable to a fake. For another, it all but eliminates any chance for a blocked punt.
Kansas special teams coordinator Louie Matsakis addressed how Kansas State excels with a strategy most teams don’t dare try.
“K-State does a very good job of it because they’re very safe and they cover all the eligible receivers,” Matsakis said. “They do a really good job of deterring people from attempting a fake.”
Kansas, with Marcus Herford doing the job, leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 32.8 average.
“I think the return game will be very exciting,” Matsakis said. “They have an exceptional return team and I think our guys have done a really good job of what we’ve asked them to do as well.”
Kansas has scored a touchdown on a blocked punt, a punt return and a kickoff return.
It’s no accident that both schools have excelled in special teams.
“We’ve tired to personnel it with very good players who are either starters or high contributors on offense or defense,” K-State coach Ron Prince said. “That’s sometimes a challenge. … We try to play our very best players. The more depth we find on offense and defense, the better our special teams will be. When the ball’s kicked in the air, we’d like to have an advantage, but I don’t know that that’s the case this week.”
KU coach Mark Mangino, as his former K-State boss Snyder did, loads his special teams units with players from the first and second strings and has done so since the day he became a head coach.
“Those are competitive spots, just like offense and defense,” Mangino said. “When we first got here we had to sell our best players on being on special teams. When kids saw Nick Reid and Kevin Kane and Banks Floodman out there they realized it was an important part of the team and they wanted to be a part of it.”
The key to any job in any walk of life is to make it seem as if it’s more a reward than a chore.
“It’s a source of pride,” Mangino said. “If somebody takes your job from you on special teams, it’s a source of embarrassment.”
Does a demotion sting the same way it does for an offensive or defensive player?
“A guy with pride, yes it’s very embarrassing, even if you’re a No. 1 on the field,” Mangino said. “You never want to be told you’re not good enough. For a guy who’s a competitive guy, that’s an insult.”
Murphy and Nelson from K-State and Raimond Pendleton (two fumbles) from KU have returned punts for touchdowns. Herford returned a kick all the way.
“Special teams is going to be a big part of the game,” KU cornerback/receiver Aqib Talib said. “You look at upsets that happen it’s something happened on special teams is what caused it. They will play a big part on Saturday.”
Talib has been asked to do a lot for his team this season. He has not been asked to return punts … yet.