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Jan. 3—BROOKINGS — As the South Dakota State special teams units prepare for a clash with Montana, there’s one name kicker/punter Hunter Dustman and his fellow specialists are acutely aware of: All-American returner Junior Bergen.
For good reason. Bergen has made quite the splash on special teams this postseason for the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies. In Montana’s three playoff games, Bergen has racked up 346 return yards, returning a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the quarterfinals against No. 7 Furman and another punt return score in the semifinals against North Dakota State.
“That’s all I’ve heard since the semifinal games, but I’ve got to give credit to him. He’s a really good returner — quick, elusive and really good in open space,” Dustman said. “Being the punter and kicker, that’s all I hear about for a reason.”
For the season, Bergen has just shy of 800 return yards and four touchdowns, and that’s not to mention the impact he makes as a 750-yard receiver on offense.
But for those who believe the Jackrabbits’ strategy is (or should be) to kick it out of bounds at every opportunity, think again.
“Junior Bergen has been outstanding, and they play extremely hard in that phase of the game,” said SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers, who likened Bergen to former SDSU receiver/return specialist Cade Johnson, who is still in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. “… But to say you just can’t kick to somebody … He may touch the ball at any point (on offense or special teams). We’ve got to do our best, and we’ve got to tackle.”
South Dakota State has limited opponents to 23 total punt return yards on nine attempts this season, ranking as the third-best team in the FCS in fewest yards allowed per return. The Jacks are top-15 in kickoff coverage, as well, allowing 16.4 yards per return.
“I have to have confidence in my guys,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/special-teams-emphasis-looms-large-004600843.html
Author : The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Publish date : 2024-01-04 00:46:00
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