Another punt return TD? What USC special teams is up against vs Vanderbilt
Vicari Swain’s 80 yard punt return for a touchdown against Virginia Tech in South Carolina’s season opener snapped a drought for the Gamecocks that was over a decade long. Swain’s return was the first for South Carolina since Ace Sanders returned a punt for touchdown in January 2013 during the Gamecocks win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl.
Instead of making Gamecock fans wait another 12 years, Swain decided to expedite the process last weekend when South Carolina played S.C. State.
He didn’t just take one punt back for a touchdown – he did it twice.
Swain returned back-to-back punts for scores in the second quarter of the S.C. State game. The first was a 65-yard return, the second was from 42.
“(Special teams coordinator) Joe DeCamillis challenged the group and said there has only been one team in the history of college football that has returned a punt for a touchdown in three straight games,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said after the win. “…We challenged them to do it again. And they didn’t do it once but they did it twice.”
Swain is now up to three punt returns for touchdowns in two games this season. That mark ties the program record for single-season punt returns for scores set by Dick Harris in 1971.
“Vicari and in that whole team, they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Beamer said after the game. “I told the team this morning ... because of what they did in Atlanta last week, most fan bases, when it’s fourth down, the fans get up and go to the bathroom or go to the concession stands or whatever, but not his place. They’ve created an identity already where people are going to stay in their seats on fourth down to see what, see what happens.”
Can USC score on a punt return again?
If Swain can take a punt back for a touchdown this weekend against Vanderbilt, he’d be the first to make that happen in three-straight games since Washington’s Dante Pettis did so in 2017.
When asked what USC needed to do to complete his challenge and return a punt for a touchdown for the third week in a row, DeCamillis was quick to emphasize it would be hard to do against Vanderbilt.
“I didn’t say that we could get one on Vanderbilt … but I do say that, got to just keep executing, getting the schemes right, making sure that our assignments are right, making sure that our fundamentals are great,” DeCamillis said Wednesday. “This group that we’re playing against this week is probably one of the top – they’re one of the top teams in the SEC as far as special teams goes.”
Beamer echoed the statement, saying South Carolina’s special teams will be in for a big challenge against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
“These guys are good on special teams, they always have been,” Beamer said. “ ... They’re aggressive with what they do from coverage units. Whether it be fake punts in their past, or fake field goals. They know what they’re doing and they put a lot of pressure on the opponent with their schemes and you being able to adjust to what they’re doing, but then still try and stay aggressive.”
Vanderbilt on special teams
The Commodores have punted twice this season for 102 total yards and neither were returned. Last season, Vanderbilt’s opponents averaged 11.61 yards per punt return.
Vanderbilt’s talent on special teams goes beyond its punt pressure unit though, both DeCamillis and Beamer said this week. The Commodores return two players who scored on special teams plays last year. Junior Sherrill returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee and Martel Hight returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown against Alcorn, respectively.
“They’ve got multiple dangerous returners,” Beamer said. “Got a guy that returned a kickoff for a touchdown last year against Tennessee to open the game. They were about one touchdown-saving tackle away against us from last year, last year returning a kickoff that we made a tackle on…So we’ve got a big challenge from a special teams standpoint. Ton of respect for (Vanderbilt head coach) Clark Lea and the job that he’s done there.”
