BEAUMONT, Texas – With the end of preseason camp upon us, LamarCardinals.com will be doing its final position breakdown. Today, we look at the LU specialists.
 
Special Teams Quick Facts:
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/2
Newcomers: 3
 
Stats:
From the standpoint of punting last season, the Cardinal averaged nearly 41 yards per punt (40.9), including 11 punts of at least 50 yards and 17 downed inside the opponents' 20. Big Red was 10-of-13 (.769) on field goals, including a 7-of-9 effort from 30 yards and longer and 3-of-4 from 40 yards or longer. The Cardinals returned 11 punts for 50 yards (4.6 ypr) but had one of the more explosive kick return teams in the country. Lamar returned 33 kicks for 952 yards, an average of better than 28 yards per kick, with two touchdowns. The Cardinals had three returns of at least 87 yards, including a 98-yarder and a 100-yarder.
 
The Storyline:
Obviously games are not played on paper, but if the paper is any indication of how good LU's specialists will be then the Cardinals' specialists should be special, a year that saw LU record four Southland Special Teams Player of the Week awards.
 
The Cardinals return their top four kick returners and their two punt returners from last season. Among that group included a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown from Major Bowden. Bowden's return would've been the high-water mark of the season except for Damashja Harris' school-record 100-yard return for a score. All-in-all, this group returns speed, experience, speed, depth and … oh yeah … speed.
 
The punters and kickers are in a similar situation – talent, experience, and depth. Senior Alfonso Deleon is one of the top returning punters in the league. During his first season with the Cardinals, he averaged 40.8 yards per punt, with a long of 70. He booted 11 punts of at least 50 yards and downed 17 inside the opponent's 20 (with 23 fair catches). Deleon only got stronger as the season went on.
 
It was a similar story for Esqueda who transferred to Lamar last season from Baylor. He just continued to get better as the season went on and ended the year as one of the more accurate kickers in the Southland. Going perfect on extra-point attempts, Esqueda was a near perfect 9-of-11 on field goals (81.8 percent) including a long of 43 yards. He was also 2-of-3 on field goal tries from 40-49 yards. With another year under his belt, Esqueda could be even better in 2023.
 
The one spot on special teams where LU will have a newcomer is at the deep snapper position. Let's face it, the deep snappers get less respect than the offensive linemen. Normally, they're not noticed unless something goes wrong. So, if you never think about them, or talk about them, that probably means they're getting the job done. We here at LamarCardinals.com want our deep snappers to get the respect they deserve. The battle for the spot at the center of the line on special teams will come down between Lane Gilchrest (5-10, 225) and Beau Dawson (6-0, 225), with Dawson coming off a redshirt year for the Red and White. Considering Lamar's strong history with deep snappers since the programs return, there is every indication that this spot will be strong again in 2023.
 
With that, our position breakdowns are done. How will the season turn out? Well, I don't know the answer to that, and if I did, I wouldn't say. That's the great thing about the start of a new season. No one anywhere knows exactly what is going to happen. Just sit back and let it play out and enjoy every second of it. Get your Lamar gear ready, show up to Provost Umphrey Stadium and simply be there and have fun. If you have a Saturday with nothing going on, then hop in the car with some friends and follow the Cardinals on the road. You never know, we might just be in for a special season that Lamar fans will be talking about for years, decades, to come. If so, you don't want to miss out.
 
Are the preseason pollsters right – maybe, maybe not? I've been around long enough to see preseason favorites go winless, and on the flip side expected dogs shock the world and dominate the league and force their way into the national top 10.  I know our coaches and players don't care about polls and why should they, when it comes down to it, they're worthless (and I say that with all due respect to the folks who vote). The facts are football season is here again … just sit back and enjoy it (or better yet just come out to Provost Umphrey Stadium and enjoy it). Football season is here again! Let me repeat that, football season is HERE!