MTSU Vs. Georgia Tech: Yellow Jackets looking for improvement on special teams

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson talked about his special teams unit during the ACC coaches teleconference on Wednesday. As reported by Ken Sugiura from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Well, I think in some areas they're improved, and in other areas we took a step back. We had a terrible blunder last week that created a safety. We did have a couple of nice punt returns and gave up a long kickoff return. So it's been a mixed bag."

Sugiura compiled a list of stats for various special teams units. The net kickoff average from kicker David Scully is 37.2 yards. That puts the opponent's average start at about the 28-yard line, 11th in the ACC. Scully has kicked 11 touchbacks this season compared with eight all of last year, but kickoffs being moved up certainly helps that stat. Their punt average has gone up to 37.5 yards from 36.9 putting them at sixth in the conference.

The average kickoff return for Georgia Tech has gone down to 17.7 yards from 19.2 last season while their punt return average is at 15.2 yards. Though with only six returns, that's weighted pretty heavily by Jamal Golden's 56-yard punt return against the Miami Hurricanes.

In all, it's a mixed bag, as Coach Johnson put it.