The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have hired Dave Walkosky from the Calgary Stampeders to take over special teams duties. So don't be surprised to see Tech's punt team running onto the field on third downs while Paul Johnson fumes!
No, that's not going to happen, because Walkosky's also coached at American schools like Washington State and Toledo, but here come some Canadian Football League rules about special teams anyway, via Wikipedia:
"There is no fair catch rule: instead no player from the kicking team, except the kicker or any player who was behind him when he kicked the ball, may approach within five yards of the ball until it has been touched by an opponent."
"On any kick, the kicker and any member of the kicker's team behind the kicker at the time of the kick may recover and advance the ball."
"Any kick that goes into the end zone is a live ball, except for a successful field goal or if the goalposts are hit while the ball is in flight. If the player receiving the kick fails to return it out of the end zone, or (except on a kickoff) if the ball was kicked through the end zone, then the kicking team scores a single point (rouge), and the returning team scrimmages from its 35-yard line or, if the rouge is scored as a result of a missed field goal attempt, the receiving team may choose the last point of scrimmage. If a kickoff goes through the end zone without a player touching it or a kicked ball in flight hits a post without scoring a field goal, there is no score, and the receiving team scrimmages from its 25. If the kick is returned out of the end zone, the receiving team next scrimmages from the place that was reached (or if they reach the opponents' goal line, they score a touchdown)."
"Canadian football retains the open-field kick as a legal play, allowing a kick to be taken from anywhere on the field. The open-field kick may be used as a desperation last play by the offence: realizing they are unable to go the length of the field, they advance part of the way and attempt a drop kick, trying to score a field goal. Conversely, the defence, facing a last-second field goal attempt in a tie game or game they lead by one point, will often position its punter and place-kicker in the end zone. If the field goal is missed, they can punt the ball back into the field of play and not concede a single."
"Point-after-touchdown attempts are taken from the 2-yard-line in American professional football (3-yard-line in amateur), and at the 5-yard-line in Canadian football. However, the Canadian kicker is actually closer to the goalposts, which are on the goal line in Canada and on the end line in the United States."
"In Canadian amateur football, the ball is not dead if a player kneels momentarily to, and does, recover a rolling snap, onside/lateral pass, or opponent's kick."
For more on Jackets football, visit Georgia Tech blog From The Rumble Seat, plus SB Nation Atlanta.