New Kickoff Rule – Week 10
November 6th, 2007A quick look at the kickoff data through week 10 of the 2007 season. We last looked at the impact of the new kickoff rule through week 8.
Here are the kickoff numbers through week 10 of 2007 compared to 2005-2006.
| Season(s) | Kickoff Start | # Kickoffs | Kickoff End Avg. | TB | TB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | All | 15,413 | 6.58 | 4,489 | 29.12% |
| 2007 | All | 6,436 | 9.80 | 811 | 12.60% |
The percentage of touchbacks decreased from 13.12% through week 8 to 12.60% through week 10. The average ending spot of the kickoff moved from the 9.61 yard line through week 8 out to the 9.80 yard line through week 10.
Here are the kickoff return numbers through week 10 of 2007 compared to 2005-2006.
| Season(s) | Kickoff Start | # Returns | Return Avg. | Return End Avg. | TD | TD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | All | 9,820 | 20.42 | 27.58 | 80 | 0.81% |
| 2007 | All | 5,237 | 21.54 | 31.08 | 51 | 0.97% |
The kickoff return numbers are similar to what they were through week 8. The average kickoff return was 21.56 through week 8 compared to 21.54 through week 10. The average ending spot of the return was 30.98 through week 8 compared to 31.08 through week 10. The percentage of kickoffs returned for touchdown was 0.94% through week 8 compared to 0.97% through week 10.
Finally, the individual leaders in percentage of kickoffs for touchback. To qualify for this list, a player must have a minimum of 32 kickoffs.
| Player | Team | Kickoffs | TB | TB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adi Kunalic | Nebraska | 48 | 23 | 47.9% |
| Ryan Harrison | Air Force | 53 | 25 | 47.2% |
| Matt Szymanski | Texas A&M | 50 | 20 | 40.0% |
| Vincente Rico | Idaho | 41 | 15 | 36.6% |
| Taylor Mehlhaff | Wisconsin | 57 | 19 | 33.3% |
| Alex Trlica | Texas Tech | 70 | 23 | 32.9% |
| T.J. Lawrence | Houston | 55 | 18 | 32.7% |
| Swayze Waters | UAB | 41 | 13 | 31.7% |
| Kevin Kelly | Penn State | 61 | 19 | 31.1% |
| Jason Bondzio | Arizona | 62 | 19 | 30.6% |
| Tim Masthay | Kentucky | 62 | 19 | 30.6% |
| Jose Martinez | UTEP | 56 | 17 | 30.4% |
| Scott Webb | Kansas | 76 | 23 | 30.3% |
| Jared Develli | Virginia Tech | 38 | 11 | 28.9% |
| Chris Nendick | Northern Illinois | 37 | 10 | 27.0% |
| Steven Hauschka | North Carolina State | 46 | 12 | 26.1% |
| Jason Smith | Colorado State | 43 | 11 | 25.6% |
| Garrett Hartley | Oklahoma | 69 | 17 | 24.6% |
| Joel Monroe | Minnesota | 46 | 10 | 21.7% |
| Austin Starr | Indiana | 65 | 14 | 21.5% |