calling it now, tulsa will have a top 25 special teams unit in sp+ this season and it will directly win us two games. everybody obsesses over the portal and qb battles but they completely ignore the hidden yardage that defines seasons for programs like ours. look at the numbers from last year, our kickoff return unit averaged 23.1 yards per return which was top 40 nationally, and that was without a dedicated specialist. our coverage units were solid but the real leap will come from the new emphasis this spring.
they’re drilling field position like it’s a religion right now. when you’re in the american, you don’t have the margin for error to give away free points or start drives inside your own 20. the focus on punt block schemes and the new leg we brought in from the portal for kickoffs is going to flip the field consistently. people forget we ranked 12th in the conference in net punting average last year, that’s an area screaming for improvement and they’ve addressed it.
this is how you pull upsets against teams with more talent. you win the field position battle, you create a short field for your offense, and you take points off the board for the other guy. with the defensive havoc rate we’re capable of, forcing teams into long fields is a death sentence. special teams isn’t a side show, it’s the backbone of a disciplined program, and the analytics from spring show a unit ready to make the jump from average to elite. that’s a championship edge.
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Special teams wins games? Tell that to our '82 squad that won with defense and a running game, not hidden yardage nonsense.
Our special teams will be miles better than anything Tulsa puts on the field, period