Both of their bags were packed. In two hours, the Oregon football team had its flight to California.
Aaron Knowles and Matt Dragich waited to know: Who would be Oregon’s starting punter against California?
Coaches chose Knowles, leaving Dragich with options. He could watch the Ducks on television – Knowles’ choice when Oregon visited Arizona State – or make the eight-hour drive to Berkeley, Calif.
He chose the latter.
Dragich had a close friend in the Bears’ tight end Craig Stevens and made the trek with close friends at Oregon.
“I figured I’d go check it out, be on the fan’s side of the field for one time,” Dragich said.
Dragich and Knowles approach the weekly showdown for the starting punter’s spot the same way. They compete in practice, while remaining close friends off the field.
“We are both friends,” Dragich said. “We both want to see the other do good.”
Said Knowles, “The support’s definitely there between the both of us.”
The pair is trying to find a solution to Oregon’s poor punting this season. Oregon is last in the Pac-10 in punting, with a net average of 26.8 yards per kick.
Dragich started Oregon’s first four games and Knowles started at Cal, where he averaged 38.8 yards on four punts, including a touchback. His best punt, a 48-yarder, was returned by Cal’s DeSean Jackson 65 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.
“It’s hard anytime you get a punt returned,” Knowles said. “It’s disappointing. He’s a fast guy. We can’t take away anything that he did. It was a great play by him.”
By playing for the first time in nearly a year, Knowles was able to find a rhythm and better prepare himself to earn the starting nod again this week, he said.
“You start to lose the game speed and now I know how to prepare a little bit differently,” Knowles said on Tuesday. He was the first player out of the locker room on to the practice field. “I’m coming out here early.
The mental part of it you can prepare for.”
Knowles made himself a viable candidate to start after a 40-yard average in five games last season. He averaged 43.5 yards on two kicks at Arizona State. Of his 14 punts, half were not returned.
Head coach Mike Bellotti works directly with the punters. In choosing a starter, he looks at how quickly each punter kicks the ball after receiving the snap, hang time, directional placement and distance. Distance is the least important, Bellotti said.
Oregon’s successful offense may contribute to the poor punting so far this season, Bellotti said. After the punters perform pre-game warm-ups, it may be hours until their first kick with the Ducks’ offense averaging 37 points and 470.2 yards of total offense per game. Prior to Cal, Oregon had only 11 punts in four games.
“That’s a positive about our offense, but our punters need to be aware of staying warm, warming up on the sidelines, catching the ball, kicking the ball so they don’t go into the game cold,” Bellotti said.
Before the season, Oregon switched to a two-step approach prior to kicking the ball. The change has allowed Dragich to get the punt off easier and to have more protection, he said.
Dragich, who started slow last year, is mystified as to why history is repeating itself this season.
“I really don’t know what the hell the difference is,” he said. “I started off slow last year too. Aaron came in, did good, and then I came back and did better than I did in the beginning. Hopefully, that can happen again.”
After the way Dragich finished last season – he averaged 41.2 yards in Oregon’s last four games – he earned the starting job to open this season, but he currently averages a conference-low 36.6 yards per punt.
His play bottomed out against Arizona State when he took a third-quarter snap and sliced the punt nine yards and out of bounds. Dragich’s punt was one of three on the day for 92 yards – a 30.7 yard average.
“You have to let it go by,” Dragich said. “It’s the past and (I’ll) see what happens next time.”
Knowles witnessed the game and knew he had a chance to start the next week. Either way, Knowles is fine – starting or supporting Dragich along the sidelines.
“I think the competition will make them better because at this point in time our punting position has not done what it needs to do,” Bellotti said.
Despite Dragich’s struggles, Knowles is not about to discount his teammate and friend.
“Obviously, whether he’s starting (or not), he’s still
in the mix big time,” Knowles said. “We’re not counting him out … at all. He’s going to still be in the game plan and look to compete still.”
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