There are three phases of a football game. Offense, defense and special teams. A lot of attention is paid to the first two, but special teams is not always given its due. It is a part of the game that plays a major role in field positioning and even if field goals and extra points don’t count for as much as the mighty touchdowns, they can still make or break a game or an entire season.
For the Cincinnati Bearcats, there is a real need to improve on special teams this year. They ranked 111th in the country in special teams S&P+ last season even with All-American Athletic Conference punter James Smith.