TCU Camp '10: Special Teams An Expected Strength
8/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 14, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The GoFrogs.com preview of the 2010 TCU football team continues with a look at the special teams.
All-American Jeremy Kerley (5-10, 192, Sr.) headlines a strong unit for the Horned Frogs.
Kerley returned two punts for touchdowns last season. Both scores received major play on ESPN and other national outlets. Kerley topped the Mountain West Conference in punt (14.4 yards) and kickoff (26.6 yards) return average in being named the league's Special Teams Player of the Year.
Kerley's 563 punt return yards set a TCU single-season record, breaking Davey O'Brien's 1937 mark of 549.
Greg McCoy (5-10, 181, Jr.) also made an impact on the return game with an 81-yard touchdown off a kickoff at Wyoming. He established a single-season TCU mark (minimum 10 attempts) with a 35.9 kickoff return average.
TCU has had the first-team All-MWC return specialist all five seasons it has been in the league. Kerley has received the honor each of the last two years.
Placekicker Ross Evans (5-9, 185, Jr.) and punter Anson Kelton (6-4, 280, Jr.) will both be in their third season as starters.
Evans was a first-team All-MWC selection in 2009. He was 15-of-18 on field goals while setting a TCU single-season record with 61 extra-points made, including 38 in a row to close the year. Evans topped the MWC in scoring with 106 points. He'll be a candidate for the Lou Groza Award in 2010.
Kelton placed 19 punts inside the opponent 20 with just one touchback on the season. The lone touchback barely crossed the goal line in the third quarter of the regular-season finale against New Mexico. Only 21 of his 59 punts were returned for a total of 126 yards (6.0 average). He had an outstanding game in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, averaging a season-best 48.4 yards with three kicks downed inside the 20.
Cale Patterson (5-11, 185, So.) is behind Kelton on the depth chart at punter.
Kevin Sharples (5-9, 185, Sr.) returns as the Horned Frogs' kickoff specialist. He had five touchbacks last season with just one of his 80 kickoffs going out of bounds.
With the graduation of standout Clint Gresham, now a Seattle Seahawk, TCU will turn to Daniel Shelley (6-1, 228, So.) as its deep snapper.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1 - Touchbacks by Anson Kelton on 59 punts last season
2 - Punt returns for touchdowns by Jeremy Kerley last season, snapping a TCU streak of 89 games without a punt return for a score - the seventh-longest stretch in the nation at the time
5 - Consecutive seasons TCU has had the first-team All-Mountain West Conference return specialist, representing every year it has been in the league
35.9 - TCU single-season record (minimum 10 attempts) for kickoff return average set by Greg McCoy in 2009
38 - Consecutive extra-point attempts made by Ross Evans to close the 2009 campaign
