Special teams are an often-overlooked part of any football game, but any coach will tell you they are still one-third of a team's success.
That said, who has the edge in Monday night's national championship game, in which LSU is a 3.5-point favorite on WagerWeb.com?
king-wise, it's pretty close.
LSU's Colt David missed a 30-yard field goal attempt wide right in the SEC Championship Game, but he has connected on 25 of his 32 field goal attempts this year and he has above-average range. He is 6-for-10 from beyond 40 yards and has made 10 of his past 11 attempts, with five of those coming from 43-plus yards.
Tigers punter Patrick Fisher also has been good, averaging 43.9 yards per boot (13th in the nation).
While he has had 12 punts downed inside the 20, he also has had 13 touchbacks.
On returns, LSU has a big weapon in Trindon Holliday, who has major speed. He was second in the NCAA 100 meters, which he has run in an LSU record 10.02 seconds, and can go the distance if he gets daylight.
He had a 98-yard TD return this season. Holliday averages 26.0 yards per kick return.
"I've been watching a lot of film, and I've seen a couple of breakdowns on film," Holliday said. "I think that could play a big part in returning kicks in this game."Asked what he had seen, he said, "Mainly, staying behind the wedge and taking the first seam that opens up. I think special teams could play a big part in Monday night's game."
Ohio State allowed an average of 21 yards on kick returns, but its kick-coverage unit has allowed two returns for TDs.
Meanwhile, Ohio State kicker Ryan Pretorius is 17 of 21, including 6-for-7 from 40 and beyond, but he has had three kicks blocked. Punter A.J. Trapasso averages 41.0 yards per punt and has had 19 downed inside the 20. Of Trapasso's 50 punts, just 18 have been returned.
Ohio State has one of the weakest kick-return units in the nation, averaging just 17.6 yards per return. The Buckeyes are 118th in the nation, out of 119, in kickoff returns.
Those two kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns against the Buckeyes, and a bad snap has prevented Pretorius from kicking an extra point.
Add the touchdowns on returns and the potential missed points on the kicks, and that's 24 points Ohio State has allowed or failed to score because of special-teams mistakes.
"It's a huge concern," coach Jim Tressel said.
Brian Hartline did return a punt for a TD for Ohio State, and LSU has allowed two punt-return TDs this season.
Lastly, there are the intangibles in this game.
The biggest one in LSU's favor is clearly where the game is being played: The Louisiana Superdome. This is the Tigers' fourth bowl game this decade in the Superdome -- a 90-minute drive from the LSU campus - and they won the other three. And in his three seasons as head coach, Les Miles has led LSU to a 40-3 win over Miami in the Peach Bowl and to a 41-14 win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
In addition, Ohio State is 0-8 against SEC teams in bowl games.
Part of that 0-8 is, of course, last year's 41-14 trouncing by Florida in the national title game. The Buckeyes have been practicing with a chip on their shoulders; it's rare when Ohio State can play the underdog card. You can bet Tressel learned from last year's Florida loss and will have his Buckeyes'
mentally and emotionally ready. Tressel is in his third championship game, while Miles is in his first.
Prediction: This game very likely will come down to special teams, and at least we know weather won't play a factor with the kickers. Holliday could give LSU the edge in field position, however. LSU 27, Ohio State 24.
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