Eastern junior kicker Austin Signor did something on the Panthers’ first kickoff of the season against Central Michigan on Aug. 28 that didn’t happen often last year for Eastern.

Then he did it again early in the fourth quarter against the Chippewas. He did it four times against Indiana State on Sept. 13, once more against Illinois State the next week and two more times against Jacksonville State on Saturday.

Signor has kicked off for the Panthers 25 times this year for 1,668 yards – or a 66.7-yard per kickoff average. He has nine total touchbacks, and has pinned Eastern’s opponents in their own territory by giving them an average drive start at the 23-yard line.

Last season, then red-shirt junior kicker Tyler Wilke averaged 57.8 yards per kickoff and had five touchbacks, and the Panthers’ opponents had an average drive start at the 31-yard line.

The year before Wilke had a 57.1-yard per kickoff average with ten touchbacks. In 2005, Wilke and now red-shirt senior kicker/punter Zach Yates combined for 10 touchbacks and 57.9 yards per kickoff average.

Signor’s lone touchback against Illinois State came after Wilke drilled a 44-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 25-21 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

“To have (the Redbirds) have to go 80 yards in a minute and a half to get a touchdown opposed to 65 or 60 yards, that’s huge,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “Austin has been giving us great field position all year.”

Bellantoni said Signor’s booming kickoffs have made the Panthers’ kickoff coverage team excited to play because Signor is giving his special teams’ teammates a chance to keep their opponent pinned deep.

“It gives you a chance to make a big play inside the 20 when he kicks it that deep,” Bellantoni said. “He’s been huge for us.”

Eastern special teams coach Justin Lustig said the Panthers’ coaching staff stresses the importance of field position to Eastern’s special team’s players during the summer. He said the coaching staff has a field position chart that denotes how likely an opposing offense will score based on where the offensive drive starts.

Lustig said a touchback gives an opposing offense a 30 percent chance to score, but a return to the 50-yard line increases the chance of scoring to 50 percent.

“It’s kind of become a cliché a little bit with football coaches how they talk about the importance of field position,” Lustig said. “We certainly believe in that cliché, and we certainly believe in the field position battle.”

The Panthers’ defense is also getting good field position from red-shirt sophomore punter Kevin Cook. The Libertyville native is averaging 41.8 yards per punt with two touchbacks and two fair catches.

But Cook has also punted 12 times inside the 20-yard line this season.

Two of his punts were downed at the one-yard line in the Panthers’ 23-10 loss to Jacksonville State and another was fair caught at the Gamecocks’ 12-yard line by Jacksonville State freshman wide receiver Kevyn Cooper.

Lustig said Cook has done a good job of adjusting his punting technique to the number of returners the Panthers’ opponents are using.

Lustig said Cook would use a high punt if a team were using multiple returners to cause a fair catch or give the Panthers’ punt coverage team time to get downfield.

Lustig said Cook used more of a rugby-style punt against Jacksonville State because the Gamecocks used only one punt returner. This type of punt is a low kick that will roll down the field.

Playing his first season last year after red-shirting in 2006, Cook was named an honorable mention All-American by The Sports Network after ranking fourth in the nation with 44.6 yards per punt.

He had two punts longer than 60 yards and 12 punts longer than 50 yards with nine punts total inside the 20-yard line.

Bellantoni said Signor and Cook’s ability to pin Eastern’s opponents deep makes a defense more comfortable because it has more room to work with. He said another benefit, besides good field position for the Panthers’ defense, is what a defensive stop can do for Eastern’s offense.

Bellantoni said when Eastern’s defense is able to force turnovers, the already good field position is made even better for the Panthers’ offense.

He said 10- or 12-play drives rarely happen, which is what an offense might need to score if it’s pinned deep in its own territory.

“Even if the offense drives the ball a little bit against us.eventually the offense might screw up – make a mistake – or turn the ball over,” Bellantoni said.

Lustig said if Eastern’s defense can prevent a team from getting three or four first downs before forcing a punt, Eastern’s offense would have much better field position and a better chance to score.

Despite Signor and Cook’s success so far this season, the Panthers’ special teams play does not begin and end with the kicker and the punter.

Lustig said one area of Eastern’s special teams that doesn’t get talked about much is red-shirt junior Adam Kesler’s punt returns.

“Adam Kesler doesn’t have great stats with his returns, but the one thing he does is catch balls,” Lustig said. “He gets to a lot of punts. He doesn’t let the ball roll 20 or 30 yards. We call that hidden yardage.”

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.

Junior kicker Austin Signor kicks off against Indiana State on Sept. 13 at O’Brien Stadium. Signor had four touchbacks against the Sycamores. (Robbie Wroblewski / The Daily Eastern News)

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