Northwestern University Athletics
Simplification Through Repetition
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
September 7, 1998
By Joe Vess
Northwestern Media Services Student-Assistant
The Wildcat defensive linemen get set and dig their toes into the grass. They know whats at stake. So does Gerald Conoway.
"The linemen establish a new line of scrimmage. If our guys can move their linemen about three inches, that's three inches closer I can get to the trajectory of the ball when I jump."
John Burden kneels down, turns toward the end zone and barks out the signal. Jack Harnedy, leans slightly forward on the ball and gets ready for the snap. They both know what's at stake.
"There's an exact point, you put two fingers down and that's where it has to be. If the position is off by a little bit, the kick is off," said Burden.
The snap spirals perfectly back to John Burden. In one fluid motion he catches it and places it on the ground, on end, directly in front of Brian Gowins' onrushing foot. An inch to the side, it could bounce off one of the uprights. The game is at stake.
"You need perfect execution all around," said Gowins. "Most people only see what the kicker does, they only see the result. Jack has about a three foot area to put the ball, then John has a two inch circle to put it in, and I have 18 feet to shoot at. I have the easiest job."
The Northwestern special teams units are some of the best in the country. Placekicker Brian Gowins led the Big Ten in field goals last year with 20 and also made 19 extra points. The 'Cats blocked a field goal to win a game, stopped an extra point and a punt, and recovered a safety in the end zone to win another game. But the question remains - why are Northwestern special teams so good?
Perhaps it's the emphasis placed on it by head coach Gary Barnett and his assistants. There is not just one special teams coach. Each coach directs a different facet of the operation, so special teams is seen as all-encompassing; it's not offense or defense, everyone is a part of it.
"There are no reservations about using our best players on special teams," said safeties coach Jeff Genyk, who is in charge of the punt returners and placekickers. "We view the roster looking for the best players we can find to staff our special teams. If we as coaches feel that you are worthy of being on special teams we send you an invitation to be at the first meeting. If a player gets tired we would rather have them take a snap off from offense or defense than miss one on special teams."
Consequently, a place on a special teams unit holds added weight among the privileged few players who are selected.
"When coach starts out camp he says it's an honor to be on special teams," said Burden. "Theres a lot of pride that goes with that."
"Everybody on the team takes a lot of pride in our special teams," Conoway said. "We don't see it as taking a play off or time to relax. Were trying to change the flow of the game or turn it around with one play."
Pride is an important factor, but more significantly is the amount of time that special teams are worked on and stressed in practice.
"Every single practice we have a time called specialty, where we just work on special teams," said Genyk "As far as point-after tries and field goals are concerned, that means hundreds and hundreds of reps by the long snapper to ensure that the ball is in the exact position at the precise time that we need it.
"Each special team that has a ball involved is always dealing with a set time in which you have to get the ball off. We're always giving feedback as to the timing and accuracy. We're also very cognizant of how long our opponent's punts take. In the event that it's slow we may change our strategy a little bit."
One of the keys within the strenuous practicing is simplification through repetition.
"You try and make everything as routine as possible," said Gowins. "In practice I kick a thousand balls. I clear my mind and during the game and think about just one thing, 'I need to get this ball up quick,' and don't think about the situation."
"You need reps," Burden said. "If you don't, then come game time the ball's over here, over there. You need to know how to handle it through practice."
Game tapes are also used to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the next opponent, especially in a defensive scenario such as blocking a field goal or punt.
"Each kicker and each snapper have different timing, so during the week with game film we study each snapper and field goal kicker and we learn their different approaches. You can adjust during the game, but you try to find an advantage with preparation," said Conoway.
Conoway, a middle jumper, helped block a last-second field goal last year against Michigan State, a move that won the game for the Wildcats.
"You just have to think that you're going to get every one. Every time the ball goes up I assume I'm going to block it," said Conoway. "I tell everybody to get ready to pick it up and run for a touchdown."
Or it just might be the attention to the seemingly insignificant measurements that make the difference. The two inch circle that Burden has to place the ball or the three inches that the defensive line can push back the other team so Conoway can get a hand on the ball. Everything is covered in practice.
"Those little inches that the linemen keep their heels up in the air makes a huge difference because it takes away that tenth of a second that a blocker might try and get," said Gowins. "Most of the time we're only getting the ball off by a few tenths of a second."
"We need to have the capability to handle anything," kick returner Tyrone Gooch said. "We have special drills so we can handle poorly kicked balls in any situation."
So maybe Northwestern special teams is just the right combination of a number of factors, put together for the optimum benefit.
"A lot of people take special teams lightly," Tyrone Gooch said, "but special teams play really covers so much more of the field than a regular play can. We tend to take it pretty seriously and attempt to set the pace of the game with it."
This article originally appeared in the Northwestern vs. UNLV game program on Sept. 5, 1998
