2015 Position Previews: Special teams

Marshall Koehn is the kicker; he might also end up becoming the punter.
By Jordan Hansen
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After two missed field-goal attempts against Ball State last season, then-junior Marshall Koehn was benched in favor of true freshman Mick Ellis.

That particular experiment, however, did not last long. Ellis missed a field goal against the Cardinals and didn’t attempt another for the rest of the season. Koehn once again had the spot; he didn’t miss another field goal for the rest of the year.

Running-back and special-team coach Chris White compared the situation Koehn was in last year with the one that punter Dillon Kidd faces this season.

Kidd struggled last year, averaging just 38.5 yards per punt — 98th in the NCAA — and sent just four of his 46 punts 50-plus yards. While his competition last season — Connor Kornbrath — is no longer on Iowa’s roster, Koehn is now listed as the second-string punter.

“[Koehn] doesn’t have the external pressure of ‘If you miss this field goal, you’re going to be out’ anymore, and we’ve tried to put that same type of pressure off Dillon,” White said. “He’s responded very well, and we would like to see Dillon be our punter.”

While Kidd agrees that there is pressure, he says it comes from a different source.

“I don’t feel specific pressure from anyone in the program,” he said. “I put pressure on myself to go out and perform at a high level — I’m my own harshest critic.”

Wherever the pressure is coming from, Iowa needs it to exist. A ball-control offense benefits heavily from good field position, and solid punting has always been an important part of head coach Kirk Ferentz’s game plan.

If Kidd continues to struggle, Koehn might see a fairly large uptick in work. He has a huge leg as shown by his 43 touchbacks last season — good for 16th in the NCAA.

“Marshall’s not a natural punter, but when he really gets ahold of a ball, he can nail it,” White said. “He’s an absolute weapon.”

Koehn’s confidence is high as he enters the season, both as a kicker and a punter. During Iowa media day, he said he has hit a 58-yard field goal before and would like a shot at a 60-yard field goal if the situation presented itself.

His confidence is certainly a far cry from where it was last season, and he even said he had worked with former Iowa star kicker Nate Kaeding on his mental game.

“He usually comes out once or twice a summer and drops some knowledge on us,” Koehn said. “I just try to pick up as much stuff as I can, and he’s a guy I like to lean on when I need advice.”

Koehn might want to consider asking him for a bit of punting advice, too — Kaeding punted six times for a healthy 41.0 yard average in 2001.