Arkansas Coach Punts Traditional Game Plan

[FarAwayFalcon]

Here's an interesting article I just read on rivals.com, what do you think?
Here's the link to the article: http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=892888

Arkansas Coach Punts Traditional Game Plan

Jeff Fedotin
Special to Rivals High

Kevin Kelley decided to flip football convention on its head after Pulaski (Ark.) Academy's second game of the 2007 season.

Never a fan of taking his offense off the field, the coach became miffed when his Bruins punted away to Pine Bluff (Ark.) Dollarway High only to see Pulaski allow an 80-yard touchdown on the return.


Associated Press

The "never punt" philosphy paid off as Pulaski celebrated a state title
"That was stupid," Kelley said. "We should've gone for it."

As a result, his 2008 team did not punt during 14 games. Such an unorthodox strategy may seem like lunacy, but it was successful: Pulaski won the 5A state title on Dec. 6.

Kelley's team only punted twice in 2007 − once as an act of sportsmanship to prevent running up the score − and never after that Dollarway game.

Kelley has reasons to go for it.

Keeping the offense on the field on fourth down allows for more creative play-calling. Third-and-long does not have to be a passing down. The Little Rock school can run the ball, throw a screen pass or use any number of formations. Defenses do not know whether to use a nickel or dime defense. And Pulaski's offense has less pressure on third down.

"We don't really worry too much about it," quarterback Spencer Keith said. "We just get as many yards as we can. We don't have to go for the first down."

If Pulaski converts on fourth down, it creates a momentum change similar to a turnover. Other high school coaches have told Kelley they would rather see his team punt.

The Bruins even avoid punting when the defense has stopped them inside their own 10-yard line.

"You can just tell people are in the stands thinking, 'You're an idiot,' " Kelley said.

Kelley supports this rationale with numbers analysis.

If Pulaski has a fourth-and-8 at its own 5-yard line, Kelley said his explosive offense likely will convert a first down at least 50 percent of the time. If it fails to convert, statistical data from the college level shows that an opponent acquiring the ball inside the 10-yard line scores a touchdown 90 percent of the time. If Pulaski punts away (i.e., a 40-yard punt with a 10-yard return) the other team will start with the ball on the 38-yard line and score a touchdown 77 percent of the time. The difference is only 13 percent.

An innovative and statistics-minded coach, Kelley had tinkered with eschewing the punting game since winning his first state championship in 2003. He became further emboldened after reading several studies, including "Do Firms Maximize? Evidence from Pro Football," by University of California-Berkeley economics professor David Romer. Kelley also examined ZEUS, a computer program developed by Chuck Bower, who has a doctorate in astrophysics, and Frank Frigo, a game theory expert, to model and predict football outcomes.

The Pulaski coach has adopted an unusual approach to kickoffs as well. About 75 percent of the time, he uses an onside kick instead of a standard kickoff. To illustrate why, Kelley again relies on numbers.

If his team does not recover the onside kick, the opponent likely will field the kick around its own 47-yard line. On a typical kickoff, the other team usually starts around the 33-yard line.

"You're only giving up 14 yards," Kelley said. "And you get a chance to get the ball."

Pulaski features seven different kinds of onside kicks, including bunching eight players on one side of the field and three on the other; faking the kick with one kicker while another player shifts over to kick to a vacated spot in coverage; clustering all 11 players before spreading out just as the ball is kicked; bouncing a hard kick off the turf for a jump ball and launching a "helicopter kick" by kicking a ball placed on the ground against the tee. The latter strategy causes the ball to spin like a helicopter's propeller and move like a curveball.

"Much like the punting situation, [the onside kick] becomes something the other team has to work on a lot during the week," Kelley said. "That's taking time from their preparation against your offense or defense. So it all works towards the common goal."

For Kelley's objective of winning games with a risky but aggressive offense, Pulaski had the perfect quarterback. Keith, who has received major interest from Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State and several Ivy League schools, could make defenses pay for not stopping the Bruins on fourth down. And if the other team scores off a short field because of a missed fourth-down opportunity, the unflappable passer could compensate by scoring points in a hurry.

Kelley called him the most athletic quarterback he has ever coached, and Keith set the state record with 5,308 passing yards this season. He also possesses the requisite accuracy for an offense that threw on about 45 of its 75 plays a game and averaged 570 total yards.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can just tell people are in the stands thinking, 'You're an idiot.'
— Kevin Kelley, coach of Pulaski Academy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's a really fun offense," Keith said. "I wouldn't change it for anything."
A possible pre-med or pre-engineering student who scored a 30 on the ACT, Keith has the intelligence to master an intricate scheme, which features pre- and post-snap reads with receivers making adjustments based on coverage.

With Keith and several other impact players returning from his 2007 team, Kelley said he knew his team had the potential for a state title this year. When the media asked for his pick of the No. 1 team in Arkansas before the season, Kelley chose Pulaski and consequently received some heat.

"It was just confidence in my guys," he said. "I thought this might be one of the better teams we've ever had."

His prediction proved to be on the mark. Although Pulaski lost its first game of the season, 46-29, to West Helena, it reeled off 13 consecutive wins and avenged that Week 1 defeat with a 35-32 state title victory against the Cougars.

During the offseason Kelley will begin investigating different football strategies. He also plans to further study the punting game by analyzing specific instances where punting may prove statistically superior.

After Kelley searches through data, Pulaski may tweak its approach next year. His 2009 team could punt on occasion, or he may develop a new tactic that defies the norms of football but gives his team an edge.

"Just because something's always been done that way," Kelley said, "doesn't mean it should continue to be done that way."

[theassassin]

that is an interesting strategy for sure

[GreasyRidgeGuru]

I like to see when coaches go against the norm and try something different. Especially if it works.

[Boonedawg]

Onside kicking all the time...IMHO that's b!t%$ ball.

[Westfan]

sounds like someone has either been playing too much playstation or idolizes Hal Mumme

[FarAwayFalcon]

It would be hard to not punt and onside kick all the time, seems to me like this would cost you alot of games. Like the coach said though, it takes alot of preperation for the other team during the week, thus they don't have as much time to spend stopping their offense and overcoming their defense. Of course it helps when you have the talent on the field at QB like in this situation.

[wildthingRV]

That's pretty aggressive. To my way of thinking, aggressive is the only way to play football. Your offense won't score unless they are on the field. If it worked for him, then good.

[wildthingRV]

That's pretty aggressive. To my way of thinking, aggressive is the only way to play football. Your offense won't score unless they are on the field. If it worked for him, then good.

[madpolecat]

I like the thinking there.

Of course, I thinkthat there are times when trailing at the end of a game when a defense might consider allowing the offense to score so as to get the ball back...

[D Owens]

KarlAgathon:

I thinkthat there are times when trailing at the end of a game when a defense might consider allowing the offense to score so as to get the ball back...

Who in the world would think of that?

[boogerred]

I did once as a coach. We were trailing by 3 and the other team had the ball with less than 2 minutes to go. I blitzed all 11 of my defensive guys and our opponent lobbed a ball and scored from about 30. We then ran the KO back for a TD. Then just just barely missed getting the onside kick.
I thought if they score at least we get the ball and maybe get an onside kick. (We also hadn't stopped them all night)

The way I see it is "Why not do everything you can to have a chance at winning?" If not, why even be involved.

[PerfectionInPurple]

We plan to avoid punting the entire year next year at SHS. But we will never get to 4th down so we wont need to anyway...

[Westfan]

I saw West do that to Rock Hill around 2003. If I remember right West missed an extra point and was trailing by 1. Rock Hill had the ball with a couple minutes left. Sammons must have told them to let him go because when RH handed the ball off, it looked like the parting of the Red Sea. All their fans were yelling and ours looked upset. Me and my buddy were in tune with what he was doing. Very smart coaching move.

They kicked the PAT to go up 8. West got the ball and drove down to around the 30 and got sacked as time elapsed. Almost worked.

[wildthingRV]

KarlAgathon:

I thinkthat there are times when trailing at the end of a game when a defense might consider allowing the offense to score so as to get the ball back...

Who in the world would think of that?

Pro game, about six years ago, I honestly couldn't tell you who, but I wanna say Andy Reid and the Eagles, took a saftey, down by 1 (now three) to get the ball back. They won after a fantastic drive.

I may have the details wrong, but the point remains, he let them score to get the ball back.

[The_X_Factor]

I think the Eagles were up three in that game, and facing a fourth down very little time to go. Instead of risking a blocked punt or return TD, the Eagles pitched the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety. They may have still had to free kick it after the safety, but all that was left was the hope of a miracle kick return or a hail mary (if the opponent fair caught the free kick). Both are probably less likely than the punt block or big return to set up a tying or go-ahead field goal with Philly punting from like its own 10.

[wildthingRV]

I think the Eagles were up three in that game, and facing a fourth down very little time to go. Instead of risking a blocked punt or return TD, the Eagles pitched the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety. They may have still had to free kick it after the safety, but all that was left was the hope of a miracle kick return or a hail mary (if the opponent fair caught the free kick). Both are probably less likely than the punt block or big return to set up a tying or go-ahead field goal with Philly punting from like its own 10.

Your version makes sense. My version, as typed, certainly doesn't. Well done.

[madpolecat]

I guess the point being made by boogerred and the coach in Arkansas is that it's a hell of a lot easier to score points when you have possession of the ball than when you don't.