The Anatomy of a Punt Block Part Two: Nebraska Special Teams Rises

Some of you might remember [my post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Huskers/comments/r4me3v/the_anatomy_of_a_punt_block_feat_nebraska_special/) following the Iowa game last season discussing the hilarious ineptitude of Nebraska’s Special Teams. Well we’re back and the sequel is infinitely better than the original because this time, Nebraska Special Teams has done what was previously thought impossible, they have blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

[All of us on Saturday](https://i.redd.it/cx3d8dgld8s91.gif)

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I am not going to rehash the basics of punt protection, there have been no new punting innovations in the last year so all the basic information from that thread remains the same. Today, we are going to talk about what Bill Busch saw to make this punt block happen and why he (and I) knew it would work. Again, apologies for any typos made in this post as it is largely just a stream of consciousness.

In the Game Thread on Saturday, u/shiggy402 astutely [pointed out](https://www.reddit.com/r/Huskers/comments/xt94yx/comment/iqow1m7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) following one of Indiana’s early punts that their punter was slow to punt the ball and that Nebraska should be attempting to block one of these punts. I noted the same thing and [responded](https://www.reddit.com/r/Huskers/comments/xt94yx/comment/iqowi6p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) that Busch definitely saw it too and would use a 53 overload block (5 to the left of center, 3 to the right) from the punter’s leg side to split the right and middle protectors. The very next Indiana punt:

[Well hello there…](https://preview.redd.it/7fuyhx9sh8s91.png?width=1630&format=png&auto=webp&s=c3ab6c1daad3e2cbc98fd4b9524bbe22e5f204b4)

So how did Bill Busch know this would work? How did I? What did Indiana do to tip things off? Well, first, let’s look at Indiana’s punt unit. Indiana runs what I would call a hybrid shield protection, not too dissimilar to Nebraska’s. It is shield in that you have three personal protectors instead of the spread punt formation of two wings and a single personal protector. It is hybrid in that they utilize a motioning “wing” as the third personal protector. This motion starts on the left side and motions to the right, the punter’s kicking foot side.

Why do they motion? For the same reason you motion on offense, to create some indecision in the defense and to get the defense to declare their intentions. This “wing” protector is also in a much better position to release down the field as an extra coverage player than a normal shield protector and he can easily continue motioning out of the formation for a fake so you have to account for him.

[Indiana’s First Punt, Post-Motion… Looks fine so far](https://preview.redd.it/jntxcghhq8s91.png?width=1605&format=png&auto=webp&s=d0ec14bcb1be707a25cb5620803a47b49dc5528e)

Now, it is important to note two things. The first is that Indiana’s punter is a rugby player from New Zealand who had never played football before he stepped on Indiana’s campus. The second is that in spite of this, he is almost exclusively a traditional style punter, not a rugby style punter. That is important because he is a still target and if you don’t need to worry about the punter rolling out, that is one more player you can bring into your block scheme.

So what does Indiana do that tipped the coaching staff off that a 53 overload block was going to succeed?

The first thing is the personnel. The two players on the line of scrimmage in the formation for Indiana are both defensive backs, as is the wing protector. Defensive backs are, to put it politely, not particularly interested in blocking anyone. The two personal protectors are a tight end and an offensive lineman. The reason why the shield punt protection exists is so you can put 900 pounds of wall between the bad guys and the punter. Indiana puts two guys that total 550 pounds and 3 DBs, none of whom are interested in manhandling a linebacker that has 50 pounds on them.

The second thing is the formation itself. The reason shield punts typically have three players in the shield is because it takes three players to cover your angles. Each of the three has a zone they’re responsible for. The outside guys take the first man through outside the tackles, the inside guy takes the free rusher through the A Gap. That isn’t to say a two man shield plus a motion wing can’t work, many teams use it, but they use it for rugby style punter because that motion wing can seal the edge. In a hybrid two man shield, but without the threat of a rollout rugby-style kick, you have now closed the angles necessary for the punt block team to cover.

Below is immediately following the snap after Indiana’s first punt:

[The Opening Presents Itself](https://preview.redd.it/vhiinonjw8s91.png?width=1620&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ff8d60a4829b0750dcd3a97ef56f707897e2846)

It is not difficult to see the problem with what Indiana is doing here. The OL in the shield has taken two full steps to “close” the shield, but the wing hasn’t moved. The result, as the punter is about to put foot to ball?

[Hiiiiiiiiighwayyyyyy to the Danger Zone](https://preview.redd.it/14b6i79yx8s91.png?width=1613&format=png&auto=webp&s=91721fac98a42bf0a33c71da6b46bd33bee8a713)

Indiana has, for some unknown reason, opened a direct path to the punter that Lil Red could run through. This punt, and each of the following punts, displayed the same fatal flaw in Indiana’s punt protection but up until the punt block, Nebraska kept its base defense on the field and ran punt safe to protect against a fake. Then it came time to spring the trap.

[Indiana doesn’t know it \(yet\), but this punt was blocked before the ball was snapped](https://preview.redd.it/2jhnrt1wy8s91.png?width=1630&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ac442f1bc9dd38902ca1d4a212c764d13c951c7)

Indiana has 4th & 9 from the -41. It is pretty safe bet that they aren’t going to be faking here so this is the time Bill Busch chose to spring the block. Why a 53 block and how did I know that is what was going to happen? Well one, I have watched Bill Busch coach a lot of football and I’m pretty familiar with his work. Two, because that’s what Indiana was giving you. The most dangerous block vs any punt block against a shield protection is the double C gap (outside tackle) player. In this case, Nebraska actually has three C gap players because Bill Busch saw precisely what the fatal flaw in Indiana’s punt protection, the middle shield steps down to close the shield and the wing doesn’t.

[Uhoh](https://preview.redd.it/kiskyzmo09s91.png?width=1604&format=png&auto=webp&s=e35ca67a9a1b53d444b2579a04ad3d75bd93e8f2)

This is immediately following the snap. Indiana has a directional punt to the left on here so all five players on the line are blocking gap down and releasing. That is REALLY bad news for Indiana because it means all three C gap players for Nebraska are allowed untouched access to the backfield off the snap.

[Yikes](https://preview.redd.it/vt31mzeg19s91.png?width=1596&format=png&auto=webp&s=9ffc1790baf7847111ce92aa25dcba877ddb165e)

Now, to the wing’s credit, he did his best here. He had three guys to block and he picked the most immediate threat of the three, assuming the middle protector would get the guy inside and hoping the guy outside wouldn’t get there in time. Unfortunately for Indiana, the middle protector had his own problems to deal with and remember, his job is first inside A gap free runner and he had one.

[The only question is who blocks it, not if they block it](https://preview.redd.it/s6vhmg1429s91.png?width=1622&format=png&auto=webp&s=86cfa98fa459ebc6c5ef779bed9b38da77a15d80)

There is no way out for Indiana’s punter here. Someone was blocking this punt, the only question was who it would be. Either the wing takes the inside C player and the outside C player blocks it or the middle takes the inside C player and the A gap player blocks it. This punt was getting blocked no matter what.

[Every punter’s worst nightmare](https://preview.redd.it/e6qitb7j29s91.png?width=1623&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc6d66010c80e827146ed9f1377f8f12e3b81411)

To the credit of both the long snapper and the punter, their snap to foot time was under 2 seconds here, it was their fastest snap to foot time of the night and under 2 is a great time, elite even. It could not have mattered less because Nebraska had a free rusher that only needed to cover 10 yards in a shade under 2 seconds. This punt was blocked before they ever even snapped the ball.

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I’ve focused a lot about what Indiana did wrong here, and make no mistake this was a masterclass in how to botch punt protection by Indiana’s special teams unit, but I want to point out the things Nebraska did right, in addition to the obviously great scouting done by Bill Busch and his analysts to have this block prepared.

There was great technique here by everyone on the field for Nebraska but I am going to explain specifically why this worked and I’m actually going to start inside out. For purposes of this discussion, I’m going to number the players 1 through 11, left to right across the formation from Nebraska’s point of view with 11 being the returner. I apologize that I do not have an end zone view of this punt, blame BTN.

[I was told there would be no math](https://preview.redd.it/2jkcszcp79s91.png?width=1614&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd42561219f2e60b65a2d0d278569e3f6c88349d)

The key to this entire punt block working is players 5, 6 and 7 working together. Nebraska has two A Gap players in this block, players 6 and 7, lined up on either side of the long snapper who does not have a protection assignment here and releases downfield. 5 and 6 are working what is called a grab and go technique and it is exactly like it sounds, 5 grabs the player he is lined up over (the guard) and prevents him from stepping down into the A gap to block 6, who now has a free release into the backfield. **That play by the 5 player is what allowed this entire block to succeed.**

7 also has a free release into the backfield and his sole job is to make sure the plant foot side protector blocks him. He is in a straight bull rush technique. Run straight at that guy and drive through him. Because of these three players, the two personal protectors in the backfield are accounted for and have done their job, leaving just the wing protector, who is inexplicably lined up out in the middle of nowhere, to block three guys.

That brings us to the three players all outside the tackle to the punter’s leg side. All three are in a speed and rip technique. There isn’t any pin and loop or up and under, no trickery, it is the simplest technique possible. Speed off the ball, pad level low, 2 goes outside the wing, 3 goes through the wing, 4 goes inside the wing, bend past the blocker to close your angles, aim for 10 yards. If 5, 6 and 7 have done their job, one of these three guys was going to block this punt, it was only a question of which got home. Luckily for Nebraska, it was the nearest man to the punter, the 4 player making it nice and easy. Once the tackle blocked down, 4 had a direct path to the punter’s kicking leg because the wing could never get to him and the middle is accounted for.

1, 8 and 10 are all in a punt safe. They are watching to make sure the punt gets off and then shadowing their guy down the field, this would be an automatic fair catch play so they aren’t blocking for a return.

That leaves the 9 guy, a true freshman from Mississippi named Malcolm Hartzog, no stranger to making plays on special teams as he had 11 special teams touchdowns in his senior season of high school. He has one job on this play, to work outside to a point roughly even with the personal protectors and wait to cash in the scoop and score. He has no other assignment in the block. His job is to score a touchdown. He did it perfectly.

[Waiting](https://preview.redd.it/ylobmwzab9s91.png?width=1622&format=png&auto=webp&s=f7afc3f921b14da1f676bdaef5d517a0a3720f8d)

[It’s… BEAUTIFUL](https://preview.redd.it/s691f2lnb9s91.png?width=1628&format=png&auto=webp&s=62a34bef304bd644406608633c848d39c41e4f0f)

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So there we have it, the anatomy of a punt block, but the good kind that fills us with pride and joy and not sadness and despair. The biggest failure of the previous head coach wasn’t his inability to coach football, it was his inability or disinterest in the attention to details and attention to detail is EVERYTHING in this sport. Attention to detail is what blocked this punt. Attention to detail is what won that football game. I have no idea if they’ll win any more of them, but it is a fantastic start and a nice change of pace from the last guy.

https://i.redd.it/n948vnj0d9s91.gif

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