A lot of things did not go right last season for the Wolfpack. The defense struggled mightily to stop a rushing or passing attack, the special teams had problems on punt and kickoff coverage, and all of these things led to the Pack finishing its season with a disappointing record of just 5-7, well below expectations.
But what a difference a year makes. The Pack is now sitting at 3-0 on the season after a hot start many thought couldn’t happen, and has a defense that has looked dominant at times, as well as a special teams unit that looks like a completely different group than last season.
This year’s unit, unlike head coach Tom O’Brien’s special teams packages over the past few years, is full of athletes and players focused on special teams. Three of these athletes are true freshmen David Amerson, Dontae Johnson and D.J. Greene, all of who came in and made the roster out of camp in large part due to their abilities to play special teams.
“A lot of the freshman have come in and played really hard,” redshirt sophomore safety Earl Wolff said. “D.J. Green, Donte and David Amerson came in wanting to play and made the team on special teams, so their ability to do that helps a lot.”
O’Brien believes the way those freshmen play, with such a high level of enthusiasm and energy, is what has helped them come in and immediately earn playing time. But he is quick to mention that because they are freshmen, they lack experience and they make mistakes, one of those being against UCF two weeks ago, when they allowed a 93-yard kick return.
“The freshmen are getting better,” O’Brien said. “Sometimes freshmen make mistakes but they overcome it with their enthusiasm and athleticism. So as they continue to play, they will continue to get better.”
And O’Brien understands that in special teams more so than in any other facets of the game, if you are more athletic than your man and are giving it maximum effort, you can be successful. And that seems to be the case for this unit so far.
“Special teams are a lot about individual efforts and that’s more when individuals can show up and outwork the guy across from them,” O’Brien said.
Amerson credits the improved coverage to the mentality the unit has going onto the field, knowing each one of them has the ability to make a play and is going down there to make it.
“We look good,” Amerson said. “Everybody out there is having fun and it’s just a mentality thing that we have that everyone is going to go down there and make plays. Everyone on special teams thinks they are going to make plays and we do.”
Along with these new freshmen, there has been a staple on the special teams units in the past two years in junior fullback Taylor Gentry. Gentry tallied 403 special teams snaps in the past two years and led all players with 21 tackles on special teams last season. Because of Gentry’s resume and abilities, he seems to be the unquestioned leader of the unit.
“Gentry is a tough guy,” Amerson said. “He fires me up and gets my adrenaline pumping on kickoffs and it’s a pleasure to be right beside him on kickoffs.”
But as good as the unit has looked compared to a season before, O’Brien knows it still has a ways to go.
“We have to continue to work hard and get better,” O”Brien said. “We are better athletically on special teams than last year, we just have to continue getting better.”
