Duke Football: David Cutcliffe knows the value of punting

During the ACC Kickoff, Duke Blue Devils’ head coach David Cutcliffe had a different perspective on punting.

During the ACC Kickoff, Duke Blue Devils’ head coach David Cutcliffe discussed punting and according to Joe Hughes of the Gaston Gazette had an interesting perspective.

While Cutcliffe is trying to convey the importance of punting and the role it has in a game, it isn’t exactly fair to classify it as an offensive play. In the most basic terms, the goal of the offense is to score points on the board and they use different plays to move the ball down the field in an effort to achieve that goal.

However, punting the ball, while it does advance the ball down the field it is not a play that is ultimately trying to achieve the goal of putting points on the board.

In the big picture of a football game, punting can play a pivotal role in the outcome of the game. The punting game, and the punt coverage team, can help dictate field position. Teams that excel in this position are able to put their defense in position to be successful and stop the opposing offense from their ultimate goal.

Fortunately for the Blue Devils they have one of the better punters in college with junior Austin Parker. He was the team’s punter, as well as place kicker, last year. However he was suspended due to an academic policy violation prior to the team’s final game in the Quick Lane Bowl.

He did serve that suspension for the spring semester and was reinstated to the team in May, according to Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer.

In his two seasons at Duke, Parker has 99 punts with an average of 41.45 yards per punt.

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While Cutcliffe considers punting an offensive play, this is one that he hopes he doesn’t have to call often during the upcoming season.