Get an inside look into USC's punt and kickoff return units

By Ben Weiss
Special to USCRipsIt


Ask USC receiver Damian Williams or tailback C.J. Gable what's the toughest part about returning kicks. Despite an onslaught of large men careening toward them at Usain Bolt-like speeds, a maze of blockers that they must navigate through and tacklers coming at them from every possible angle, they will tell you running with the ball isn't the problem.

Catching it is.

"That's actually the most difficult part," said Williams, USC's first-string punt returner who is ranked fourth in the country in yards per return at 18.0. "When the ball gets up in the air and the wind is with it, it moves a lot. Against Cal, there was a couple times where I thought I was under it and I had to go 10 yards back."

Fielding the ball isn't only the most challenging part of a kick or punt returner's job. It's also the most crucial. The Trojans struggled last year in the punt return game primarily because of fumbles and muffed kicks. In an effort to simply find someone who could secure the ball, the team tried its luck with three different players before settling on Stafon Johnson. First-year special teams coordinator Brian Schneider made it an off-season priority to cut down on such mistakes by employing the age-old mantra: practice makes perfect.

"When you can't catch the ball, you can't do anything," Schneider said. "So we put in a lot of work, got a lot of reps throughout camp and they were all great. They caught a lot balls from the Jug machine and caught a lot of punts off the punter's foot. It's all about repetition."

Williams' consistency and dependability earned him the starting spot returning punts, while Gable's tenure as a productive kickoff returner over the past three seasons made him a shoe-in at the position. Both players share a versatility and speed that, combined with their respective sizes (both stand 6-foot-1, with Gable listed 10 pounds heavier at 205) make them ideal for their positions.

 Both idolize Chicago Bears return specialist Devin Hester and take note of how he uses his vision and athleticism to make highlight reel plays. Gable admires Hester's north-south return style, which features less lateral motion in favor of advancing the ball straight down the field.

"I look at him and how he sets everything up, and when he gets an opening, he hits it," Gable said. "That's what I like about him."

Hester is often referred to as a "game-changer" because of the scoring threat he poses on special teams. Often a special teams score can change the momentum of the game or permanently solidify the momentum in a team's favor.

Last year against Stanford, with the Trojans back on their heels after a Cardinal drive that put USC at a seven-point deficit, Gable reenergized his team with an electrifying return. Taking the ball at the 7-yard line, he sidestepped a tackler at the 20-yard line and sprinted 93 yards into the end zone to tie the game at 17.

"I knew I could do it (return a kick for a touchdown), but I just didn't know when it was going to happen," Gable said. "I was just thinking, 'I'm actually returning this kickoff right now.'"
 
This year, Williams was the first to snatch up the special teams spotlight. His spectacular punt return against Cal, which ended in a fully outstretched dive for the pylon, put the Trojans ahead 17-0 at the start of the second quarter.

"It kind of sucked the life out of them. Any time the defense works so hard to get the (opponent's) offense off the field, it's rewarding to score for them. Even though you have to put them right back out there," Williams said, laughing.

Williams became the first Trojan since Reggie Bush in 2004 to return two punt returns for scores when he raced 63 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Saturday in USC's 42-36 win over Oregon State. His TD turned out to be the deciding points in the game.

Behind the scenes, and sometimes overlooked, are the blockers that allow Williams and Gable to bust open big returns. Offensive tackle Alex Parsons is part of "the wedge" on kickoffs, which is a set of four or five players who block directly in front of the kick returner. For the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Parsons, blocking on a kickoff is a nice change of pace to his typical 300-pound assignments.

"For the most part, the guys that we're usually blocking on kick returns are somewhere between 175 and 205 pounds," Parsons said. "It's nice to hit a smaller guy for once."

Starting cornerback Kevin Thomas plays a crucial role on the punt return squad by blocking one of the opposing team's "gunners." Unlike Parsons, Thomas must continuously push and block his counterpart away from the returner for the entire length of the punt.

"I'm the first line of defense," Thomas said. "It's a lot of pushing and shoving, but you just can't let up."

In order to evade the initial blocks, Gable and Williams utilize an arsenal of ankle-shattering, head-turning moves. However, both prefer to use the juke move, in which the player will jab step in one direction before taking off in another. For Williams, the move isn't solely reserved for the gridiron.

"Sometimes I just juke my couch," he said. "I juke everything in my house. Sometimes when I walk to class and see people, I juke around them just to stay polished."

Returning punts presents Williams with a unique opportunity that he typically can't get at the wide receiver position. While he has much less control over whether or not quarterback Matt Barkley will throw him the ball, during a punt Williams holds the ball -- and the fate of the play -- in his hands. Although he is in the driver's seat, Williams acknowledges that he can't do it alone.

"The best part is being able to make plays for your team," he said. "But I can't take credit for it because I have 10 guys in front of me making excellent blocks. They make it very easy for me."

Occasionally when the punter hangs a beauty, or someone misses a blocking assignment, Williams doesn't have to fend for himself. As the imposing defender flies toward him like a runaway train, he has the option to deploy his safety net.

"Fortunately for me, I have a friend called the fair catch," Williams said. "So if I feel like people are a little too close, I can wave it off and just make sure I catch it."

Good to know the man has his punt return priorities straight.


• Ben Weiss is a guest contributor to USCRipsIt. A version of this feature originally appeared in the Oregon State game program.