Australian Style Punting at Washington

Saturday evening was our first opportunity to see an extended special-teams practice. The specialists were on the field for approximately 20 plays during Washington’s scrimmage. Evaluating Washington’s punting was one of the biggest takeaways during this period. Oregon transfer punter Luke Dunne handled all but one of the punts and made a good impression.

Australian Style Punting at Washington

Punt Team

Dunne punted seven times in the scrimmage, and all seven kicks were fielded inside the 20-yard line. The Australian punter’s most impressive kick soared 55 yards in the air from the line of scrimmage at their 40-yard line. Like a golf shot with backspin, the punt landed at the five-yard line and went no further. It bounced back towards the eight-yard line, where it was fielded by the returner, who was immediately brought down. 

“It seems like he had a nice day punting,” Jedd Fisch said after the scrimmage. “There were a few of them that he just pinned right down inside the five, which was awesome.” Dunne also booted one with a hang time of approximately 4.46 seconds. It flew 40 yards in the air, perfectly located right on the edge of the sideline at the 20-yard line. The return man was forced to fair catch the punt with defenders surrounding him, as his left foot was just inches from the sideline. Dunne had other punts of 47, 46, 45, and 40 yards on the day.

Australian Punting Schematics

Fisch discussed the changes they’ve made in the punt game after the scrimmage. He noted how the Australian style has opened up options for different schematics. Dunne’s punts on Saturday were mostly of the Australian drop-punt variety. The punter drops the ball with the nose down, and the kick generates backspin. This backspin allows the punter more precision with their bounce, crucial for pinning opponents deep in their own territory. 

In addition to the drop kick, one area of added versatility in the punt game is the ability to roll out and punt on the run. This Australian style of punting is another technique for pinning opponents deep. The extra second or two where the punter is rolling out allows the coverage defenders, “gunners”, a few extra moments to get downfield before the ball is kicked. 

As such, when the punt bounces, the gunners can immediately surround the football or even catch it out of the air. This allows the punt team to down the football quickly, or let it roll to gain optimal field position. If the punt doesn’t bounce and is instead fielded by the return man, the gunners will already be downfield, crowding the returner. When executed correctly, this strategy essentially mitigates the threat of a return.

Adding Versatility to the Punt Team

Fisch and the special teams staff plan to utilize these different punting techniques this season. “I think the changes we made on special teams, the ability to have a punter that has multiple skills, both being able to roll out and punt from the pocket, for us to change up some of our schemes.” Last year, Jack McCallister handled all the punting duties for Washington. On 42 punts, 21 of them were returned, 12 were fair caught, while the other nine were either touchbacks or not fielded. With Dunne expected to be the guy this year, Washington can certainly provide different looks to put opposing special teams returners on edge.

“I’m excited about it,” Fisch said. “Hopefully, we don’t have to do a lot of it. But if we do, I feel good about it.”