UVa leaning on experience in special teams this season

Special teams coordinator Keith Gaither is entering his third season at Virginia and hoping to continue improving a special teams unit that has made significant strides since his arrival.

Speaking to the media last week, he made clear that the unit had been focusing on field goals, field goal blocking and the coverage units in the first 10 practices up to that point.

With a number of returners who played “a ton of reps” with the units last season, Gaither said the focus so far has been evaluating who’s available and how best to implement them.

“The key point of it was putting the right people in the right positions so we can evaluate and see who can do what,” he explained, “and then have the ability to cross train some guys.”

Hoos are building on last year

Last season, UVa saw particular success in kickoff coverage, finishing second in the country in yards allowed per game with an average of just 13.53. The Hoos’ punt coverage unit also found success, finishing 29th with an average of 4.95 yards per game.

But while the coverage units shined, the return units struggled. The Cavaliers finished second-to-last in the ACC in kickoff return yards per game (17.1) and fourth-to-last in punt return yards (6.3). 

Gaither said the unit has taken “a deep dive” into last year’s performance, concluding that the scheme itself is still good, but that mistakes made by the returners ultimately caused many of the team’s shortcomings.

“There’s been about four or five plays where there were bad decisions made by the returners,” Gaither said, “where they should have stayed back in the end zone, got a touchback. They muffed the ball. They didn’t communicate well. There’s about four or five of them where they had us next to last, when we would have been middle of the pack.”

Ross brings immediate help in the return game

He expressed confidence the unit will improve, in large part due to the addition of graduate wide receiver Cam Ross. 

The transfer from JMU not only made nine starts at receiver last season for the Dukes, but racked up 366 yards as a kick returner, including a 94-yard touchdown that earned him Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 28. Following the season, Ross was a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection as a return specialist.

“It’s a sense of relief when you have someone who’s done it at a high level,” Gaither said of Ross. “He knows how to set up returns. He knows how to set up blocks. He’s fast. He’s got courage to run through the smoke, and the one thing about Cam, I think he’s probably the most valuable player up to this point on the offense.”

Gaither said that as of right now, he thinks Ross will be with the first team, but also named receivers Suderian Harrison, Kam Courtney and JT Taylor as potential options. He added that Ross can also return punts given his experience doing so at JMU, and also mentioned running back J’Mari Taylor as a potential option.

Bettridge and Sparks provide stability, experience

While he mostly stays inside the practice facility with the other specialists senior kicker Will Bettridge said whenever he has had the chance to watch some of the new additions, he’s been impressed.

“When we go outside and we see team period, I mean, it’s awesome just to sit back and watch and kind of be a fan and see who we got, see who’s practicing well, see how the team’s moving. It’s been great,” he said.

Bettridge himself is a key returner in the unit, having led UVa in scoring for the second consecutive year last season with 78 points, going 18-21 on field goals and a perfect 24-24 on PATs. 

He returns alongside graduate punter Daniel Sparks, who’s entering his fourth year at UVa. He has already picked up a unique accolade this year, having been listed as No. 90 on The Athletic’s annual College Football Freaks List. He finished last year with a season-high of 333 punting yards, with 24.6% of his 57 punts landing inside the opponent’s 20.

Both will receive snaps from a new face, graduate long-snapper Bryce Robinson, who transferred to UVa this year from Kennesaw State and who Bettridge called “a great addition to the room.”

“It’s been great to have some new faces and have some old vets with some experience in the room,” he added.

All-in-all, UVa’s mix of veterans and newcomers across the board looks to be enough for the unit to take another step forward this season.