Oct. 13, 2016
2016 Mick McGrane Features
Continuity Makes a Comeback (Jan. 15)
SDSU Hits its Stride in Recruiting Race (Feb. 4)
Aztecs Knock Down Doors on Recruiting Trail (Feb. 9)
Ernie Lawson Comes Home to New World (March 17)
Washington now has Room to Roam (March 21)
Peer Pressure? Not for Chapman (Aug. 8) Penny is Worth Every Cent to Aztecs (Aug. 18) Football has Never Been More Fun for Siragusa (Aug. 19) Nobody is Perfect, but Barrett is Closing Fast (Aug. 28) Aztecs Force Future with a Premium on Past (Sept. 1) Chapman Earns More than Passing Grade (Sept. 4) Aztecs Have Put Critics in Their Corner (Sept. 9) College Football Makes Comeback in San Diego (Sept. 11) Veteran Leadership is Treasured Commodity (Sept. 15) SDSU Shuns Fence in Favor of Fortress (Sept. 22) Life is neither Necessarily Easy nor Fair (Oct. 7) Pumphrey, Penny and Pick your Poison (Oct. 9)
McGrane: For Hauck, Teaching Outweighs Turbulence
By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer (@MickOnTheMesa)
It's a job that should come with a warning label and a money-back guarantee. An insurance rider in the event of accelerated insanity.
It's why Bobby Hauck weighed the hazards. Why he considered the calamity and pondered the peril. Why, as with anyone desirous of adding danger to the daily routine, he climbed into the cannon and awaited the lighting of the fuse.
"It was something I initially avoided," Hauck said of becoming a special teams coordinator, a position he has filled for the Aztecs since last season and for 23 of his 24 years in college football. "Some guys don't like it because it's so volatile. I've actually had fun with it."
Hauck, as gregarious as he is demanding of punt-team perfection, has needed only 19 games at SDSU to make special teams not only relevant, but a significant reason for the team's ongoing surge of success.
Five games into the season, the Aztecs, who play at Fresno State Friday night, rank No. 18 in the nation in special teams production according to ESPN's team efficiencies. This, after Hauck led his charges to a ranking of No. 23 in 2015, up from an average ranking of 79.3 the previous six seasons.
Consider: In a first half in which it outgained UNLV by more than 200 yards last week, SDSU, nonetheless, found itself clinging to a 13-7 lead. Six of the Aztecs' 13 points came on a pair of career-long field goals (48 and 50 yards) by sophomore John Baron II.
Meanwhile, Quest Truxton, a junior transfer from Golden West College, continued to provide evidence as to why he's become the top-ranked punt returner in the Mountain West. It was Truxton's return of 29 yards that led to a nine-yard touchdown run by Donnel Pumphrey and a 20-7 lead on SDSU's second possession of the third quarter.
"I thought the two field goals were very important in us maintaining momentum," said head coach Rocky Long. "Even though statistically we were winning the game on the scoreboard, it was very, very close. In fact, I was very concerned at halftime because we had played so well in the first half and we were only ahead by six. That's kind of worrisome.
"Obviously, (Baron's) kicks were important. We had a couple pretty nice punt returns that gave us some field position for the offense. Whenever you win, normally, it's a total team effort. When the special teams play poorly, it's hard to overcome that."
And yet, as Hauck well knows, it's part of the bargain when one immerses himself in the tumult that defines special teams. In the Aztecs' lone loss of the season two weeks ago at South Alabama, it was an errant snap over the head of punter Tanner Blain that ultimately gave the Jaguars a 35-24 lead with just over eight minutes left.
"In the kicking game, that's a huge play," Hauck said. "Now, if a receiver drops a ball, you can punt. If a running back fumbles, you can put your defense back on the field and try to get a stop. In the kicking game, everything is a lot more magnified. For that reason, some guys don't like (coaching special teams). Every time you punt the ball, about the best thing you can do, for the most part, is break even. A lot of bad things can happen."
So can a lot of good. While opponents clearly have come to fear the talents of Rashaad Penny, opting to forfeit field position for the prospect of allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown, the junior still ranks second in the nation among active kick returners in the FBS (30.5 yards, minimum 24 attempts). His four kick returns for touchdowns, three of which have gone for 100 yards, are the most in school history. All have come since Hauck's arrival.
"He coaches hard during practice and that's what we need to do," junior tight end David Wells said of Hauck. "He makes sure that we know what we need to do each down that we're out there. We have to realize that special teams is a big part of the game. It's a huge momentum shift, especially if something wrong happens. So, we practice a lot on trying to make it as perfect as possible."
Or, from the standpoint of a special teams coordinator, at least less volatile.
"I guess I've always been sort of able to roll with the punches (of being a special teams coordinator), and I've always enjoyed it," Hauck said. "When I became a head coach (Montana 2003-09 and UNLV 2010-14), I kept doing it, not just because I got into coaching because I love to coach, but also because it made me feel like I had hands-on coaching with every kid on the team. Instead of being the guy they went to see if they got into trouble, I actually had a player-coach relationship with every guy on the team. I thought that was really productive in terms of my relationship with them."
It's been no less productive in terms of his relationship with Long, who in February tabbed Hauck associate head coach.
"I think it's important to have a great special teams coach," Long said. "Special teams coaches will say it's a third of the game. It's not. There aren't as many plays on special teams as there are on offense or defense in a normal game. But there are more momentum shifts in special teams than there are in any other part of the game.
"A kickoff return for a touchdown is a huge momentum shift. A blocked punt is an unbelievable momentum shift. A punt return for a touchdown or a return that gives great field position to the offense, those are huge momentum shifts. A dropped punt is a huge momentum shift. There are more momentum shifts in the kicking game compared to offense and defense, especially compared to how many plays there are. A guy that runs the special teams is very important for a lot of reasons. If you don't give the other team momentum, anything you do extra helps you win."
It also helps when the head coach is as passionate about your pursuit as you are.
"When you have the boss placing emphasis on special teams, it really helps because it gets everyone's attention," Hauck said. "He also gives us plenty of time to work on things, both in practice and during meetings. That's critical. If you don't have that it makes it exponentially more difficult. It's also about guys who have enthusiasm and understand the value that it has for the team and the effort it takes during the game. If you have those three things, you have a chance to be pretty good."
"On a good football team, good players want to be on special teams," Hauck said. "Right now, on this team, we have guys fighting to get on the field to be part of (special teams). It's like any other position, it's competitive. Guys want to get out there and make a play. The competition and enthusiasm that's being generated when they're out there has been very productive for us."
As has the addition of a coach who understands that turbulence is not void of teaching moments.