LSU football will keep Aaron Anderson as its punt returner. Here's how Brian Kelly says he must improve.
BATON ROUGE — It happened again on Sunday. LSU football muffed another punt.
After failing to haul in two punts against Florida State a year ago, the Tigers did it again during the second quarter of their rematch with the Seminoles on Sunday, a lopsided 45-24 loss for No. 14 LSU.
This time Aaron Anderson was the culprit. The Alabama transfer arrived at LSU this past offseason as the Tigers' solution to their punt-returning woes. But on Sunday, Anderson split the punt return duties with Gregory Clayton Jr., even before he muffed his first punt return.
Anderson will continue to be LSU's lead punt returner, Kelly said Tuesday. But the redshirt transfer has to improve.
"With him, it's the fundamentals, right? It's high hands, elbows in, square platform. It's the stuff we talked about ad nauseam from day one. And he gets away from that a little bit" Kelly said. "He goes back to these old beliefs of 'I'm better than everybody and I can just do it,' and that just doesn't work."
LSU's failed punt return on Sunday never came back to haunt the Tigers. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis threw an interception on the first play after the muffed punt, handing the ball right back to LSU in the same area of the field where the special teams snafu occurred.
But LSU may not be as fortunate, when or if, the next muffed punt or kick return occurs. Next time it could swing the momentum of a game, the same way it did for LSU against Tennessee or Florida last year.
It's much of the reason why Anderson's progress as a returner this week and moving forward is so important for LSU.
"We've just got to get him more disciplined (and) keep working with him, he's a young player," Kelly said Tuesday. "We're not kicking him out of the club."
The Tigers don't have many quality punt or kick return options besides Anderson.
LSU QUESTIONS: Is Jayden Daniels to blame? 5 questions from LSU football's loss to Florida State
HAROLD PERKINS' QUIET NIGHT: How Harold Perkins' quiet night was a loud problem for LSU football vs. Florida State
LSU GRADES: Grading LSU football in its embarrassing defeat to Florida State
Jalen Brown and Kyle Parker returned punts during preseason practices, but both wideouts are freshmen. Javen Nicholas and Clayton have experience as returners but neither stood out a year ago. Freshman running back Kaleb Jackson is LSU's secondary kick returner but he also lacks experience.
Anderson has the quickness and explosiveness from a low center of gravity that allows him to be a potentially elite special teams weapon. It's what made him a quality candidate to earn the role as LSU's lead kick and punt returner this season.
He just needs to catch the ball.
"They've got to be able to field the ball, they've got to be able to do the little things the right way. But from a special teams standpoint, that's what we're looking for," Kelly said on Monday before the Florida State loss. "Our miscues from last year were evident, right? We didn't field the ball very well."
[Want more SEC football news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter today!]
Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Brian Kelly sticks with Aaron Anderson as punt returner. Here's why.
