Everything Joe DeCamillis said about special teams heading into Alabama game

Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis met with the media to examine the special teams and preview South Carolina’s matchup vs. Alabama on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s everything DeCamillis had to say.

Sometimes you hear that phrase, “Ah, that was a fake punt that everyone saw coming.” As the coach who called it, do you ever look back at some of those and think maybe that wasn’t the best idea? Or was there something that you saw that the rest of us didn’t?

“Yeah, sure. I mean, (Oklahoma) were in that exact same front two times during a game. So we looked at it, we looked at it going into film. I mean, you’ve got to give them credit. They did a great job. I mean, apparently, I heard somebody say that they knew it was coming. Well, I guess we knew it was coming when we played him last year, we covered their fake. You know what I mean? I mean, that’s just how it goes. It’s football. The guy made a great play. You go from there.”

Get GamecockCentral for $1 your first week. As a bonus, your membership includes a complimentary year of The Athletic.

What was your perspective on Vicari Swain battling through the finger injury and getting back out there for you guys?

“Yeah, that was the first time I’ve ever had a punt returner that dislocated his finger during a week of practice and play, I can tell you that much. And he did it actually catching a punt in practice. So it was a little nerve-racking, but we saw him go out there during pregame. He handled it well. If anything, it helped him because he had to get square to the ball every single time. So he was productive during the game. Obviously, I wish we would have scored on one of those, but he did a great job there, and hopefully continues to keep doing what he’s doing right there. I mean, he’s definitely giving us a boost for sure.”

How much of the fake punts are predicated on specific looks, and how much of it is more of repping it in practice a lot, blocking it really well, and getting what you want?

“Yeah, I kind of said that last week. I mean, it’s different for different situations. I mean, looking back on it, were you pressing because you were down on the game? Probably. I mean, you’re trying to make a play to get the thing going in the right direction. And unfortunately, it didn’t work. But it’s different for different weeks, and it’s different for different looks. I wish I could tell you that they were 100 percent, everybody would be doing them all the time. So it’s just the way it goes. And they made a nice play. So give them credit.”

When you’ve got a fake punt on, or maybe you’re going to put a fake on, how much time do you need to say that you want to do this? What’s the timeline for doing it?

“Yeah, let’s make this straight now. I mean, (Shane Beamer is) the one that you gotta go through him. I’ve got a good friend of mine who was a coach in the league for a long time, and he was a darn good football coach for a long time, and he called the fake on his own right there, and he ended up getting whacked. So I learned a long time ago that I’m gonna make sure that the head guy knows exactly what we’re doing. And some guys, sometimes it’s the head guy’s idea. So you go ahead and let it roll. That’s for sure.”

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!