'Clearly, we haven't done a good enough job.' Parker Fleming addresses special teams flubs
At Ohio State, special teams should be a consistent strength.
It was a huge emphasis for Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, and Ryan Day has said it’s important to him as well. The Buckeyes usually are more gifted athletically than their opponents, and in special teams, where plays are made in space, that should be an advantage.
But the past two seasons, the kicking game has been a liability.
The actual kicking has generally been fine, though Noah Ruggles’ missed 50-yarder against Georgia in last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal cost the Buckeyes a chance at a national title. Jayden Fielding’s miss of a 42-yard field goal last week was only his second in 13 attempts.
Punter Jesse Mirco has been solid, though OSU’s net punt average of 38.69 ranks 67th of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams because the coverage has allowed returns of 29, 26 and 35 yards.
The Buckeyes’ punt return unit has contributed little. Ohio State averages only 4.56 yards, 111th in the country.
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The most disconcerting special teams faux pas have come in other aspects of the kicking game.
Here’s a sampling from just the last six games:
— Against Maryland, long-snapper John Ferlmann’s snap on a punt got caught in the turf. The ball bounced to upback Cory Simon, who was swarmed for a loss at the Ohio State 30-yard line. Maryland then scored to take a 7-0 lead, and the Buckeyes played from behind for much of the game.
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— Against Penn State, a punt bounced sideways and hit the shin of Lorenzo Styles Jr. The Nittany Lions recovered.
— Against Rutgers, Mirco attempted a fake punt even though Day said that wasn’t the designed play. Day said there had been a miscommunication. The play was doomed from the start.
— Against Michigan State last week, the Buckeyes looked unprepared for a fake punt on fourth-and-1, which the Spartans converted.
As the No. 2 Buckeyes prepared for their home finale against Minnesota, special-teams coordinator Parker Fleming met with reporters Wednesday for the first time this season.
He didn’t duck responsibility for the special-teams blunders.
Asked if his unit was ready for the fake punt last week, Fleming said, “Obviously not. If they got it, then you weren't ready enough.”
He explained that the punt unit was put in an unusual situation because the third-down play was originally ruled a first down before it was reversed on review. The punt return unit then had to hurry onto the field.
“We’ve got to be better prepared for that moment,” Fleming said.
He gave similar answers when asked about the other blunders.
About the miscommunication on the fake punt against Rutgers, Fleming said, “I can't let that happen. That's something that we cannot have.”
Fleming was an OSU graduate assistant in 2012-13 and returned as a quality control coach in 2018. Day promoted him to special-teams coordinator in 2021.
Despite the miscues on special teams, Day praised him earlier this month.
“I watch Parker every day and I see the way he coaches, and I think he's a great teacher and a great coach,” Day said on Nov. 7. “I can just tell you that he works as hard as anybody in the building. But we're all being evaluated every single time we're out there.”
With the Michigan game and the postseason approaching, any special-teams mistakes will loom large. The play there this season has not inspired confidence.
“Special teams situations come up in such different ways, and we really try to work and fight to cross all of those bridges before we get there,” Fleming said. “Clearly, we haven't done a good enough job. We continually evaluate how we're doing certain things. Some of them are vetted, and they work themselves out.
“Obviously, some of them don't. Anytime something goes wrong, I look at myself and say, ‘Hey, did I prepare us? Did I prepare myself? Did I coach it well enough?’ And when it doesn't show up, the answer is no, so there's stuff that needs to be improved.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State special teams coach Fleming owns up to unit's mistakes
