Doing some follow-up writing today and didn't realize just how much of a breath of fresh air Tayvion Robinson's 59-yard punt return was for that unit.The #Hokies had 66 punt return yards *all of last year.*— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) September 12, 2021
This is absolutely bonkers to me. Continuing to see significant improvement in the return game will be a boon for this team moving forward, as punt returns were clearly a black hole last year.
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That was on 17 recorded returns as well (<4yd per return). Yikes.
Holy shit that's bad. Glad to see them getting back to the Shibest instead of the Shiworst
I knew the punt return game was below par last year, but I didn't realize it was THAT terrible!! Damn.
I recognize they're different units, but the kickoff return team looked markedly better as well. Here's hoping it's improvement and not just mtsu lacking 🤞
Yes I'm happy to see Keshawn King getting some run and playing well. Not skipping a beat after Herbert
As a side note... I'm happy that King is bringing back kicks from the goal line.
I had a minor heart attack when he did that but it turned out ok in the end. If his teammate had been blocking instead of trying to tell him not to go, that extra blocker might have made a difference.
Having said that I was agreeing with the teammate at the time.
He was also incredibly close to fumbling the opening kick off towards the end of his run.
I still don't trust when he has the ball.
Spoiler- Holston barely bumped a coverage guy on the King return to spring him, and then ran ahead of King to get a second block.
I thought about it last year, that PR especially seems like something where you just need reps to really get it. Missing practice time I think really affected that unit last season. Glad to see them turn it around.
The only surprise for me is people might be surprised about this.
Robinson is an elite punt returner who forced things last year and didn't let the game come to him. People complained about Greg Stroman too.
Last year I was happy if we fielded the punt and it didn't become a turnover. Yards were the least of my concerns.
The punter for MTSU is a superstar. I remember seeing him come off the field after pinning us inside the 5 and he just shrugged his shoulders as if to say "not bad, but not great".