Punt block, return for touchdown highlight 'championship approach' for SDSU on special teams

Dec. 9—BROOKINGS — Jimmy Rogers, quite literally, could not have dreamed of a better punt block.

Earlier in the week, the first-year head coach of the South Dakota State football program told Matthew Durrance that a vision of the sophomore safety blocking a punt in the FCS quarterfinals against Villanova had come to Rogers in his sleep.

As fortune would have it, Rogers' dream became reality with his No. 1-seeded Jackrabbits in need of a kick-start on Saturday afternoon.

With SDSU trailing No. 8 Villanova 6-3 late in the second quarter, Durrance came racing in off the protection's right-hand side and practically took the football off the right foot of the Wildcats' senior punter Nathan Fondacaro.

What Rogers' dream didn't include, however, was the conclusion of the play.

After blocking the punt with both hands, the ball bounced off the Dykhouse Stadium turf and right into the follow-through path of Durrance, who collected the loose ball and sprinted 45 yards for a touchdown and a 10-6 SDSU lead.

"We got the look we wanted, and it worked out perfectly," Durrance said. "I was telling people that (bounce) might never happen again."

"That blocked punt was huge," Rogers added. "I told him on Monday that I dreamed of that, and then he got the opportunity, which was good to see. I didn't envision the return touchdown, though, but I did envision the block."

The punt block was a product of keen observation and good coaching, as the Jackrabbits diagnosed a perceived weakness in the Villanova punt protection. As part of the coaching staff's adjustment, Durrance was shifted from the punt block unit's right to left side, leaving him unblocked en route to the punter.

"We felt like we had an advantage; if we could shrink their splits, we'd have a free one off the edge," Rogers explained. "We put Matt there because he's one of our fastest players. It's a hard thing to execute, especially going across the punter's body without roughing him."

Though Villanova recovered from the miscue to score a field goal on its final possession of the first half to make the score 10-9, Durrance and the rest of the SDSU special teams units were largely responsible for the Jacks' halftime edge. Special teams had accounted for all 10 points — the punt block return touchdown, extra point and a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Villanova had outgained SDSU 135 yards to 64, mustered the lone offensive touchdown of the first half and still trailed, underscoring the significance of the special teams splash play. The impact wasn't lost on the rest of the sideline, either.

"It definitely brought some juice," said running back Isaiah Davis.

As former SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier was always keen to point out, special teams are one-third of the game, after all, and should be prioritized as such. On Saturday, the Jackrabbits, who are lauded for being a top-10-ranked offensive and defensive team in the FCS, looked the part on special teams as well.

"We talk about it a lot. Any time we're out there, we want to make a difference in any way we can," Durrance said. "It's what we preach, so it felt good."

Davis and the Jackrabbits turned some of the "juice" into a second-half rhythm, scoring touchdowns to go ahead 17-9 and then again at 23-12, the game's final margin. But it was a solid special teams game all around that fueled the effort.

"I look at (special teams) as a way to make a play and look for guys to give a role or expand an existing role," said first-year special teams coordinator Pat Cashmore. "It's a way to help for our offense and defense flip the field and create some energy, and I thought we did that (against Villanova)."

Even in cold temperatures and high winds of 30 mph, do-it-all specialist Hunter Dustman executed to near perfection. Dustman connected on all three kicks — one field goal and two extra points — he attempted and combined with the kick coverage units to limit the Wildcats to 17.3 yards per kickoff return with one touchback. Given the conditions, a 34.2-yard average on five punts was beyond acceptable and topped Villanova's average of 30.3 yards per punt.

Perhaps the only gaffe of the day was a mishandled kickoff that bounced into the endzone before being fielded and brought out to just the SDSU 3-yard line.

"Some of the things you prep for go out the window when the wind is howling like that. Obviously, you want it at your back, but I don't know that it helped that much," Rogers said, referencing the impact on passing and kicking. "... In the kicking game, I felt it was inconsistent at times. It was a different type of ballgame, for sure, but our guys were able to adapt."

In the not-too-distant past — even some fleeting instances early this season — the Jackrabbits have been maligned for special teams miscues from punt protection to kick coverage. But with all the offense, defense and special teams firing, South Dakota State is one win away from a return trip to the FCS national championship game.

"That was a game won in all three phases," Rogers said, "and that's a championship approach."