Carrying Out a Plan to an Unexpected Result
Rams’ special team units deliver in a big way
Mike Brohard
Honestly, they were armed with a plan. As Jace Bellah lined up right next to kicker Bryan Hansen, with Dane Olson to Bellah’s right and Caleb Goodie a few spots down for the kickoff, they were anticipating chaos.
See what happens.
The degree to which is still not entirely clear to any of them. They know what happened, the how is still murky. But it was a plan set forth by Colorado State special teams coach Tommy Perry, nonetheless.
“We knew they had some issues. It’s their first year, and we had issues our first year, too,” Perry said. “We knew they had some problems fielding the ball back there. We felt we could stop them deep inside the 20 with some miscommunication.”
Then he stated the obvious.
“I didn’t think we’d necessarily turn it into a touchdown.”
No one did. A few days removed, most of the Rams involved still find it hard to believe it actually happened.
Because of what Perry had seen on tape, they had Hansen kick the ball between the two Nevada return men. He did perfectly, and as they looked at each other, the ball hit the Mackay Stadium turf at the 12 and rolled back to the 1.
As Hansen approached the kick, Goodie was running parallel with the yard line, bursting forward as Hansen made contact. He went down the field untouched, a Nevada blocker missing him, then whiffing in an attempt to deter Olson.
Meanwhile, Bellah knew a trap block was coming for him off an earlier kickoff, so he went a bit wider to avoid it all together. The trio went down the field untouched.
“With Caleb’s speed, I’d say it happens quite a lot,” Olson said. “With me, I don’t get blocked too often as the outside guy, but it’s pretty rare to not get touched, but that’s the technique we use to evade blocks.”
Perry understands exactly why. The Wolf Pack blockers are looking back to see where the return man catches the ball. When that doesn’t happen, all ideas are out the window, putting the key Rams in prime position to make the unbelievable reality.
“When I saw (the returner) running back, I saw the ball was just chillin’. He was looking at me and I was looking at him, like is he going to get the ball or not,” Goodie said. “I didn’t know if he could pick it up or not, so I just hit him. The rest was God.
“I was lost. I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t know until I looked over and saw everybody jumping. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
His speed made the rest possible, the stuff he didn’t see. The possibility both Bellah and Olson felt was laid out before them.
Bellah just got there first, one step in front of Olson.
“Goodie made the whole entire thing happen. That’s just our special teams,” Bellah said. “Goodie is playing a bunch of snaps on offense, so that just shows our effort on special teams. One of our top guys on offense was able to make a play like that to allow me to jump on a ball. That’s the culture.”
That just goes to show how good our special teams are. Everybody is making plays all game.Dane Olson
Everybody on the team is thrilled for Bellah, a reserve defensive back. They are also a bit jealous, earning his role on the unit just the game prior. A bunch of them have been doing it forever, then the newcomer pounces on the glory.
It would be a lie to call it a dream come true, because while every player has visions of their first touchdown, Bellah envisioned a pick-six.
“I guess once-in-a-lifetime kickoff touchdown works too. That whole thing was crazy,” he said. “After the game I was like kickoff touchdown, that was crazy. I think it goes in hand with the preparation with Coach Perry setting us up with confidence.”
Perry said it has taken time to create one of the better special teams units in the country. In fact, ESPN’s metrics have it the top unit, a year after the Rams ranked No. 11 overall by the CAI metrics used nationally, numbers which he hasn’t seen yet for the season.
Consider on a day when Jordon Noyes kicked a 60-yard field goal – a stadium record and the second-longest kick in Colorado State and Mountain West history – it’s not even the most amazing special teams play in the game.
Those units allow 17.0 yards per kick return, only 3.7 on punt returns; conversely, CSU has returned two punts for scores. When the Rams punt (43 times), more than half (24) land inside the 20 without recording a touchback. Noyes has field goals of 58 and 60 yards this season and is 10-of-13 overall, his only misses from 50 yards or longer.
“That’s pretty crazy thinking about that: a record-breaking kick in that stadium. I didn’t really think about it that way,” Olson said. “That just goes to show how good our special teams are. Everybody is making plays all game.”
Everybody made plays all game all over the place. Olson’s sixth catch of the season was highlight-reel material, a diving effort to set up the first touchdown.
It was so good, people have watched the replay over and over. Olson included, maybe upward of 345 times – the number of teammates the sixth-year former walk-on has had.
“Not gonna lie. I’ve watched it a lot,” he said. “It was pretty cool to see. It’s almost reaching that number.
“As soon as it left is hand, I know Brayden is a gunslinger with a big arm, my whole mindset was run as fast as I can. As soon as it left his hand, I knew it was going to be close, but at the last second, I dove and made it happen.”
Bellah has watched his play over and over. And he’s watched Olson’s catch. And while Olson jokes Bellah pushed him out of the way for the recovery (he really didn’t), even Bellah sides with Olson on who made the most amazing play.
One was sensational. The other, a basic move to end an unfathomable result.
“I’ve watched mine a few times. Watching that video isn’t as cool as a diving catch,” Bellah said. “I’m just hopping on a ball. But I’ve watched it a few times. I’ve definitely watched it over and over. I might feel a little bad I stole that one. I wish I could say I did it on purpose.
“I don’t think it’s kicked in yet. Not to throw Dane under the bus, but all these older guys have been playing, been on the field so much longer than me and they haven’t gotten the opportunity to score one. The ball just bounced my way. I’m blessed to be able to say I have a touchdown in college.”
Goodie and Olson have run down the field on kickoff plenty of times, a lot of those reps ending with watching a Hansen kick sailing into the end zone for a touchback. It almost seems like wasted effort.
But it is calculated at times, which is why they continue to do it. Why Bellah was happy to earn his chance to finally do so.
“I was so grateful to see the effort. You watch Goodie screaming down the field, who would end up forcing the returner to touch it so we could turn it into a touchdown instead of a turnover,” Perry said. “That would have made it a great play, but his great effort turned it into a touchdown.”
All stemming from the most basic of plans, one simply intended to create a bit of chaos.
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