It's too simple to say that Austin Peay has decided to value special teams in a way that other teams don't, won't or haven't. It doesn't feel true. We don't have the research to prove it. Other programs have numbers that are comparable. It's the height of a vibes-based take, and one that we here at LetsGoPeay.com believe you deserve better than at this stage in the season, when empirical evidence should be combined with cold, hard data to prove a truth to be indisputable.
And yet.
It's clear that something is different for the Govs and a unit that can claim one of the most unlikely trifectas in football history – a kick return touchdown, a punt return touchdown and a missed field goal return touchdown, all in the same season. That's not luck. It's not luck that Hamilton DiBoyan has been so effective, that Logan Leftrick has become the master of stealing hidden yardage, that unsung heroes like William Wiebush have come up huge in moments where it mattered most, where it helped make the difference between a win and a loss. Either Austin Peay's special teams unit is collective rabbits-foot-up-the-bum lucky, or something else is at work here.
The success is not down to luck. At Austin Peay, under the direction of Lucas Reed and Zach Zbiegien, specialists aren't backups. They aren't just some dudes plucked out at random to cover kicks, block for punt returns and generally keep the ones above the fray. The best guys for the job run out there, and that's how you find starting nickel Markell Redding covering punts and defensive lineman Kendal Howard serving as an upback on kick returns. It's not even a method to madness, because there's not madness; just a pair of devotees to a craft who leave no stone unturned in the name of finding advantages at an often underappreciated part of the game.
"Our best players need to be our best players and play on special teams," Reed said. "It signifies how important this is to our team, that some of our best guys have a role on special teams."
That buy-in starts with head coach Jeff Farris and shows up on the practice schedule. Reed said the staff gets 20 minutes of special teams meeting time each day, a walkthrough before practice, three special teams periods during practice, a heavy emphasis on Thursdays and a 25-minute block at the end of Friday's practice.
This, according to Reed—a lifer with experience from Division II all the way to FBS – is an exception, rather than the rule. Special teams is often tasked with getting in where they fit in, a necessity rather than a priority. At Austin Peay, the reverse is true.
"It's all an accumulation," Reed said. "It's seeing and talking through each look, knowing your job when you see a different look and that builds confidence that everyone will be able to execute on game day."
The payoff is confidence: players know their assignments and can play fast instead of thinking their way through a snap. Zbiegien meets daily with the specialists, while Reed leads the full-unit meetings and team periods. They build a weekly plan that keeps the Govs comfortable and decisive while making life more difficult for the opponent.
Reed and Zbiegien echoed the same sentiments when describing their ideal player on special teams.
"Dependable," Zbiegien said. "Someone who cares and is willing to make sure they know their job and can do it at a high level. People who take pride in how they can impact the game on special teams."
Of course, it helps when the Govs can put dynamic athletes like Denver Harper and Kaden Williams on the field, dangerous weapons with the ball and heartburn-inducing at the mere thought they might be able to build a head of steam and knife through the kick coverage. Reed's philosophy is straightforward: give them an opportunity, then get out of the way.
"If Denver has the ball in his hands, on offense or special teams, something good is going to happen," Reed said.
The other 10 players simply have to do their jobs and give those playmakers room to work.
All the specialists do their part. DiBoyan opened his season with a 51-yard field goal at Vanderbilt, and his kickoff hang time — more than four seconds, Reed said — gives the coverage unit time to get downfield, which limits Austin Peay's opponents to less than 14 yards per return, a top-five mark in the country.
Leftrick has embraced a job not always reflected in his punting average. Distance has rarely been the objective for the Springfield native; it's pinning an opponent inside the 20 and winning the field-position battle. The result? Twelve punts downed inside the 20 on 39 attempts this season and just two touchbacks.
Wiebush is a good example. The redshirt freshman regularly appears across multiple special teams units, but his buy-in goes beyond simply knowing his assignment. He seeks out Reed and Zbiegien after watching film on his own, citing clips and asking how he could handle a particular situation better.
That's the sort of investment that makes a difference. The coaches can dedicate the time, build the scheme and put players in position to succeed. The players still have to care enough to do the work.
At Austin Peay, they do. And the results have been difficult to miss.
