PATH TO 2006: Special Teams
April 11, 2006
The ISU special teams was one of the hardest hit units with graduation this spring, leaving the Cyclones scrambling until the end of spring ball to find replacements.
ISU kickoff specialist Tony Yelk, punter Troy Blankenship and deep snapper Landon Schrage all have moved on, leaving question marks at positions at which they performed exceptionally.
“It’s tough. We’re going to miss all of them,” said place-kicker Bret Culbertson. “Yelk, I’m going to miss him and Troy [Blankenship], and Landon [Schrage] was just unreal the way he snapped the ball. It was lightening fast.”
FASTTRAK
Ryan Baum
The short, speedy Baum returns as punt returner for Iowa State.
He got extensive experience last season, averaging 11 yards per return until an injury sidelined him for the second half of the season. Baum provides an elusiveness to the position, sneaking in and out of defenders on his returns.
Bret Culbertson
Cyclone fans know Culbertson, who has spent the last two seasons as Iowa State’s place kicker. While he may be known for the kicks he missed, Culbertson has proved to be very reliable. He made 20 of 26 career field goals.
He is also showing a strong leg, hitting a career long 45-yard field goal last season against Colorado.
DeAndre Jackson
Jackson was Iowa State’s primary kickoff returner last season, and has resumed the position as a senior. He averaged an impressive 24.6 yards per return last season, breaking off a 68-yard return in the process. Jackson is scary fast and can use that speed to give the Iowa State offense prime field position to being drives.
Brian Perry
Perry, a redshirt sophomore, has big shoes to fill – even if the casual fan doesn’t realize it. Perry has the task of replacing Landon Schrage at deep snapper. Schrage will most likely be taking his skills to the NFL. Perry will be charged with getting the football to kickers for field goals, extra points and punts. The speed and accuracy with which he snaps the ball will help determine the effectiveness of the Cyclone’s special teams.
Culbertson is the lone returning kicker from last year after going 12-16 on field goals and 34-34 on PATs.
Blankenship averaged 42.6 yards per punt with a long of 69, leaving behind big shoes for freshman Michael Brandtner to fill.
Brandtner said he has made progress this spring, but there is still plenty of room to improve.
“I’d say the spring has gone all right so far for me,” Brandtner said.
“I need to be more consistent with my kicks and get the ball off quicker. Just stuff like that. Overall it’s gone real well.”
Schrage’s loss at deep snapper may be one of the most overlooked losses from 2005 by fans, but Brandtner said without a quality long snapper, things can get messy.
“Landon [Schrage] was probably one of the best snappers in the nation,” Brandtner said. “Probably only a handful of guys ever get to work with a guy like that and that’s a huge advantage.”
Redshirt sophomore Brian Perry has found himself in the top spot at deep snapper this spring and both Brandtner and Culbertson are happy with the way he’s progressed.
“Perry really has stepped up and has done a good job,” Brandtner said. “His snaps to me have been great. I can’t complain.”
Culbertson said after a rough start, he has gotten used to the transition from Schrage to Perry.
“I’ve been trying to get into a rhythm with a new snapper,” Culbertson said. “I think we’re in sync now, but it took us a while. It changes up your timing a lot as far as when to leave to kick the ball.
“Landon [Schrage] was just unreal the way he snapped the ball, but Perry has improved so much from when he started. He hasn’t had a bad snap yet, so I’m pretty confident he can get the job done.”
Culbertson also hinted at personal improvement from the past two seasons in the field goal kicking department.
Although Culbertson has been 20-26 on field goals the past two seasons, he may be known more for his misses rather than his 77 percent conversion rate. In 2004, Culbertson missed a field goal against Missouri that would have put Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship game. Culbertson then missed a field goal in overtime against Kansas in a game that also could have earned the Cyclones a championship berth.
“I think this spring has gone pretty well,” Culbertson said. “It’s definitely been more consistent than past springs so we’ll see how it goes.”
And finally, in the return department, the Cyclones bring back their top two returners from last year.
Defensive back DeAndre Jackson averaged nearly 25 yards on kickoff returns in 2005, and wide receiver Austin Flynn averaged almost 18 for a unit that ranked third in the Big 12 Conference in kickoff returns in 2005.
