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AUBURN -- A year ago, players on the kickoff coverage team could look forward to a long sprint with little chance of making a tackle.
This year, the assignment has been much more rigorous.
Matt Clark, the top kickoff specialist in the nation, played his final game for Auburn in 2006. On top of that, the NCAA instituted a new rule this year requiring teams to kick off from their 30-yard line, five yards deeper than before.
The result has been a hodge-podge of kickoff strategies, and a far greater importance placed on that aspect of the special teams.
Head coach Tommy Tuberville said this week that special teams coach Eddie Gran will have access to the entire roster when selecting players for his 11-man coverage units.
"Looking back now, I think our most valuable player last year was Matt Clark," Gran said. "We didn't realize how valuable he was."
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