Will future opponents kick the ball to Zachariah Branch? They shouldn’t
The value of a great kick returner seems obvious on the surface, but it’s more than just the ability to deliver instant production.
The value of a great kick returner transcends the quick touchdown on a day when the offense needs help. Long kick returns are unexpected bonuses in football games. They don’t happen every day. However, when an elite kick returner comes along and repeatedly scores the way Zachariah Branch of USC does, it’s a game-changer.
Branch has demonstrated multiple times how electric he is in the open field, and how consistently he can make the first man miss. This is a brilliant kick returner, the kind of athlete who should instantly force opposing teams to not kick to him.
It was shocking to see Stanford kick to Branch on Saturday night. The dazzling freshman ran a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown. Are future USC opponents really going to be this stubborn and kick to him? It would be bad football … but USC fans are certainly hoping it happens.
We talked about Branch and a lot more with Mark Rogers and Tim Prangley at The Voice of College Football:
Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.
