Cal Football 2020 Assessment: Part 6, Special Teams
Part 6 of our assessment of Cal's 2020 football season focuses on special teams.
Special teams is really a mixed bag of separate categories, and Cal special teams coach Charlie Ragle breaks it down in the video above.
Field-goal kicking is the aspect of special teams that gets the most attention, but it is not the only category of special teams, which is the phase that often wins and loses games.
Cal will have a new punter and a new place-kicker this season, so a lot has yet to be determined.
Cal Stats That Matter
2019 Field goal percentage -- 64.7% (11-for-17), tied for 8th in Pac-12
2019 Place-kicks blocked by opponent -- 4, most in Pac-12
2019 Place-kicks blocked by Cal - 0, fewest in Pac-12
2019 Yards per punt return -- 12.2, 5th in Pac-12
2019 Yards per kick return -- 20.1, 11th in Pac-12
2019 Opponents yards per kick return -- 22.2, 7th-best in Pac-12
2019 Net yards per punt (punt distance minus return) -- 36.6, 10th-best in Pac-12
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The numbers from 2019 don't tell the whole story, but they suggest Cal needs to do better.
"I wasn't happy with the way the year went to be very candid with you," Ragle said. "Too many inconsistencies in our kicking game."
Let's take a look at the four areas for 2020:
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Punting
"The punt game is critical," Ragle said. "We have to get that fixed first and foremost."
The punting of Steven Coutts was a major weapon for Cal in 2018, as his long, directed boots helped a team with very little offense get to a bowl game. But due to injuries to Coutts that limited his playing time and effectiveness, the Bears' punting game was among the worst in the conference last season.
Coutts is gone, and Cal brought in another Australian-rules football player, Jamieson Sheahan, to do the punting in 2020. Sheahan kicked well in Cal's four spring practices, booming high and long punts, although it remains to be seen how he will perform in a game situation.
"When he punted he was impressive," said Ragle, who only saw him for four spring practices.
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Place-kicking
Greg Thomas is gone after being the field-goal kicker the past two seasons. He was adequate, with his longest kick last year being a 49-yarder.
The biggest problem was getting the kicks off. Four of his field-goal attempts were blocked, the most in the conference.
"Protection issues, and there was issues with low kicks from Greg," Ragle said.
Dario Longhetto, who did much of the punting last year, and Nick Lopez are competing for the place-kicking job, and Gabe Siemieniec could join the competition if he returns to Cal after entering the transfer portal in the spring.
No one has locked down that job, and the 2020 place-kicker may be a player Cal is bringing in during the summer. That player might be Ronan Donnelly of Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, who announced in February that he was committed to Cal as a preferred walk-on.
At the moment, place-kicking does not look like an area of strength for the Bears.
If Siemieniec returns, he is likely to perform the kickoff chores again.
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Punt Returns
Nikko Remigio has returned punts the past two seasons, and he averaged 11.5 yards per punt return last year, according to Cal, and that ranked third in the conference among players who had at least 10 returns.
Ragle expects Remigio to again be used as a punt returner, and he gives the Bears a reliable return man with big-play potential.
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Kickoff Returns
Ashytn Davis did a nice job as a kick returner in 2018, but he often was relieved of that role last year because of injuries.
Jeremiah Hawkins and DeShawn Collins are likely to be the kick returners in 2020, and as Ragle notes, Hawkins "has done some good things back there."
Hawkins averaged 33.3 yards on just three returns in 2018, and he averaged 23.0 yards in 2019, albeit on just five kickoff returns. The latter would have ranked sixth in the Pac-12 if he had had enough attempts to qualify.
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Conclusion
The Golden Bears should have an improved punting game with Sheahan being the punter, and Remigio gives Cal a capable punt returner. The major concern, though, is place-kicking. No one has established himself as a consistent kicker, and the four blocked kicks in 2019 leave an uneasy feeling.
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Click here for Part 1, Rushing Offense
Click here for Part 2, Rushing Defense
Click here for Part 3, Passing Offense
Click here for Part 4, Passing defense
Click here for Part 5, Big-Play Potential
Click here for Part 7, Momentum, Expectations, Schedule, Depth
.Cover photo of Dario longhetto by Kelley L Cox
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