Can They Kick It? Yes They Can. Ohio State and Clemson Just Don’t.

“I call it the sideline net season,” Chrisman said. “This year I did a lot of warm-ups and kicks into the sideline net.”

Chrisman is not alone in feeling relegated. Oklahoma’s Reeves Mundschau, a sophomore in his first year as the starter, punted just 33 times this season. Louisiana State senior Zach Von Rosenberg, a 29-year-old who turned to college football after playing six seasons of minor league baseball, had but 39 punt attempts, down from 51 last season. And Clemson junior Will Spiers had only 37 (though Clemson attempted eight other punts), a drop off from 64 last season.

That may change in Saturday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal, where second-ranked Ohio State and third-ranked Clemson are not only undefeated, but have the two best defenses in the country — each allowing fewer than 250 yards per game. Or to choose another metric, Ohio State has forced 95 punts this season and Clemson 99.

So, while the quarterbacks (Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Justin Fields of Ohio State), running backs (Travis Etienne of Clemson and J.K. Dobbins of Ohio State) and the receivers (Tee Higgins of Clemson and K.J. Hill of Ohio State) figure to have a say in how the Fiesta Bowl unfolds, Chrisman and Spiers may have a rare voice, too.

“Honestly, in a game like this, the punt is one of the best offensive plays in the game,” Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney said. “There’s nothing wrong with a punt. Field position is critical in games like this. It’s the hidden yards. It’s the game within the game.”

Source: The New York Times

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