Opponents might choose to kick away from sophomore return specialist Brandon James but it might cause them even more problems. That's the dilemma teams face: Either take the chance of kicking to James, who returned Tennessee's first punt 83 yards for a touchdown, or try to directional kick and give up field position.
"I feel like after I make the first guy miss and I see the seam I kind of know then where I'm going with it," James said. "That's what I'm back there to do. Coach (Urban) Meyer put me back there to make the first guy miss each time so I don't want to let anybody down by not doing that."
Directional kicking sounds easy but it can cause major problems. A mature punter is needed to execute it. The blocking scheme changes. Many things can go wrong and often do. That's why teams sometimes just take their chances against a talented return player like James, who also returned four kickoffs for 102 yards in Florida's 59-20 win over the Volunteers.
"That's the one thing you really have to think about when you're kicking from the 30-yard line," Meyer said. "You start kicking away and punting away, we've directional punted before, but that's hard…It's hard to control the punt. If you shank one or miss one that's field position you're giving up. Same thing on kickoff. If you want to sky kick that's fine. That's about at the 40-yard line you're catching it there.
"The minute you start directional punting you change the block spot. It's a little bit like a quarterback. A punter's pocket is no different than an offensive line protecting a quarterback. The pocket is designed to fold around the punter. The minute you start changing where the punter hits the ball you're vulnerable. There are a lot of issues when you start punting away from people."
James, listed at 5-foot-6 and 181 pounds, is also strong enough to protect the quarterback so he's an asset in the backfield. He has rushed three times for 23 yards in two games this season. He served a one-game suspension in the season opener against Western Kentucky after being arrested for purchasing marijuana from police in a reverse sting this summer.
"Brandon is a good guy," Meyer said. "Just a very stupid mistake. That's as hard as I've ever been on a guy. I was crushed. I didn't think he'd do something like that."
Said James: "I let myself down, my teammates, my family, the whole University of Florida. I just felt like I let a lot of people down. I just tried to come back and start off on the right foot and get it going again."
Wednesday practice notes: Meyer said it will be a game-time decision whether senior Kyle Jackson or freshman Major Wright start at safety. Both players are practicing with the first team.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver David Nelson is practicing well and Meyer said Nelson will play this weekend. Kickoff is 11:30 a.m. local time at Ole Miss. Sophomore wide receiver Riley Cooper (ankle) was limited but Meyer expects him to play. Freshman offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) will be a game-time decision. Redshirt junior cornerback Markus Manson (ankle) is not expected to play this week.
More Meyer Quotes
On James' strength: "He wasn't as strong when he first got here. He's a functional running back now. He can protect the quarterback. (Freshman) Chris Rainey is little too, but Chris Rainey is not very strong. There are a lot of players in the NFL that are small but they're strong. Brandon is one of those guys."
On the Ole Miss atmosphere: "It's going to be outstanding. The Florida Gators are coming to town and Ole Miss has a 1,000-yard rusher and it's football in the South. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere."
On Ole Miss wide receiver Mike Wallace, who leads the team with 15 catches and three touchdowns: (Cornerbacks coach) Chuck Heater, I was talking to him today about it, and he thinks he's one of the better ones in the SEC. He's got a vertical stretch on him and they like to throw it down the field so he's a guy we have to be aware of."