[h=1]The High School Football Coach Who Never Punts[/h]By FIVETHIRTYEIGHT

Pulaski Academy football coach Kevin Kelley never punts. He always kicks on-side. His teams play … weirdly. Now the Arkansas squad is going back to Dallas to face its rival, Highland Park, a team that has won 84 games in a row at home and outplayed Pulaski Academy last year. Will Kelley’s data-driven plays lead to the win? The latest film in FiveThirtyEight and ESPN Films’ short-documentary series Collectors, “Undefeated,” directed by Jamie Schutz, follows Pulaski as the team adds a new wrinkle to its playbook and tries to end Highland Park’s streak.

 

 

Watch the full documentary short HERE.

^ The video is worth the 11 minutes.

A little more on Coach Kevin Kelley:

 

Pulaski Academy plays at McCracken County September 16th. Can't wait to see to this game!

Very interesting. Would love to see them against McCracken. Wish it was on a Saturday.

Why do teams ever punt

Didn't we have this exact same argument about a year ago?

 

I say never punt, but that's just me.

Why do teams ever punt

 

Because they can't score

Because they can't score

 

Isn't the counter to that is that you're giving yourself additional opportunities to score? I mean, at the most base level of thinking about it, by knowing you're going for it, you need to get 2.5 yards per play, instead of 3.3.

 

Anyone who knows football knows the value of every yard, and the need to get almost a full yard less is huge.

Situation: 4th and 14 from your own 35 yard line, 10:00 minutes left in the 3rd quarter...do you punt?

 

Answer: Well, the first 3 plays you lost 4 yards...why would you think on the 4th play you would gain 14? How in the world in that situation would you think otherwise? Punt. Now are there situations where you might think about going for it or should go for it? Sure there are...but on average in this situation and many similar, you need to punt.

 

The ONLY time this guys philosophy works, in my opinion, is when you have the better team or at least a very good offensive team compared to the competition you are playing. Heck, KY had the best high school football team in the country 3-4 years ago as voted by at least one national organization (Trinity), and I don't think this philosophy would have worked for them against several of the nationally ranked, very good teams they played that year.

Isn't the counter to that is that you're giving yourself additional opportunities to score? I mean, at the most base level of thinking about it, by knowing you're going for it, you need to get 2.5 yards per play, instead of 3.3.

 

Anyone who knows football knows the value of every yard, and the need to get almost a full yard less is huge.

 

But we shouldn't consider it "base level thinking." Football is a complex game where every dynamic can impact its result. I've not watched the videos, but I'm wondering the strength of opponents that this team faces. Are you going to see them do that against a Louisville Trinity? Hoover Alabama? De La Salle California?

If a coach has the philosophy to go for it frequently on 4th down, that is one thing, and it can be viewed as simply being aggressive. However, to never punt, in my mind, is ascinine. What if your team is leading by 2 points with 2 minutes to go in the game and it is 4th and 17 at your own 2 yard line? If you don't punt and do not make it, the opponent gets the ball at the 2 and just needs a chip shot field goal to win the game. In that situation, if the offense attempts a pass, all the defense has to do is knock the ball down; they should not even intercept it.

 

As the old quote goes "sometimes discretion is the better part of valor." Or as a wise coach told me a long time ago, the first thing a team needs to do to win is to avoid losing.

A few years ago, when Highlands lost to Collins in the state championship (2013?).

 

Highlands had the ball late in the game around mid-field and it was 4th and 5 or less. I was watching the game at the stadium, and I said they should go for it. Everybody around me said they should punt. Smart football says punt and play defense and win the game. If Highlands had of gone for it, and gotten it, they would have won the game. They punted, and Collins has a ring because of that. If they hadn't of gained the yards needed, what would have happened? Collins could have scored and won. Instead, they punted and they scored and won.

 

I think if you're within 60 yards of scoring, I don't punt. If it's anything 3 or shorter, I don't punt. If it's late in the game, and I can ice it by getting that 1st? I won't punt. If my offense has really explosive ability? Won't punt. If my punter is really not that great? Won't punt.

 

I think there is a trend of more 4th down attempts, and that is going to grow over the next several years. I have 100% confidence in that.

 

I know, I know. "What if you're at you're own 2 and it's 4th and 50?" That's fine, I don't really know of a lot of times that really happens, but it can happen and has happened. But for me, the situations in which I would opt to go for it instead of punting are far more numerous. And if anything, I'd go with a quick kick that probably won't have much of a return opportunity, from the QB out of a regular offensive set.

 

 

And, I'm not trying to criticize anyone from Highlands or anything like that. I have the highest level of respect for what they do as a team and as a program as a whole. I was just using this because it was one of the biggest moments I could think of.

I've never watched them play, but it has produced results for him.

 

I guess idea of it is to decrease the yards per play required for a first down from 3.33 to 2.5.

 

He probably has a solid offense. I've heard of teams punting every down unless in good field position so their offense doesn't lose them the game.

Anyone who challenges convention by asking "why do we do it this way" immediately has my interest.