STARKVILLE — Logan Cooke is one of the nation’s best kickoff specialists, yet he wouldn’t advise anyone to take on his method.
Mississippi State’s kickoff man and punter is off to a strong start in his senior season: his touchback percentage of 69.23 ranks 18th nationally and his average punt of 45.47 yards ranks 15th. Success in each department has come with a drastically different method; Cooke will continue to carry that balance as No. 24 MSU (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) takes on No. 13 Auburn (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The kickoff method he’s taken on is, to put it nicely, simplistic.
“Honestly, if you watch me kickoff, I wouldn’t advise young kids to watch me because I just try to kill it. Just get back there and crush it,” Cooke said, adding the self-deprecating jab, “I guess that’s why I can’t kick field goals very well.”
In fairness, Cooke has put a premium on the exact placement of his foot on the ball for kickoffs, wanting to strike the ball more toward the middle as opposed to the edges. The idea is striking there will cause a lower trajectory, thus a flatter flight line that should boost distance.
Still, the approach is far more brawn than brain. Cooke spent the entire offseason preparing for just that.
“The biggest thing was getting my strength back. Really working on my quads, my hamstrings and my core,” he said. “Going through the spring and summer and getting a lot stronger really helped.”
The results, through four games, are indisputable. Cooke’s 69.23 touchback percentage to date is by far the best of the Mullen era: no MSU coach Dan Mullen-led MSU team has finished with a touchback percentage higher than 63.06 percent, and three teams finished with percentages lower than 60. Even when opponents return Cooke’s kickoffs, they don’t do so well: MSU ranks third in the conference and 37th nationally in allowing an average kickoff return of 18.29 yards.
Assuming the kicks are caught inside the 5-yard line, that would mean the average kick return is pinning opponents farther back than a touchback would.
Punting is another story.
“The key is we need him to continue improving his consistency,” Mullen said. “In the punting game especially, if you’re a good punter, it’s about consistency. I know that’s what he’s working on: he’s got the strong leg, he’s got talent, it’s just the consistency he’s working on.”
That’s not to say Cooke has been bad as MSU’s punter — his average of 45.5 yards is top five in the conference and top 15 nationally. Mullen is simply providing the next step in Cooke’s development: condensing the range that brings about that average.
Cooke’s average of 45.5 yards per punt includes six punts of more than 50 yards, including ones of 59, 55 and 67 yards. Without those three punts and the three others that surpassed 50 yards, Cooke’s average punt could drops down as low as 40 yards per punt, possibly lower.
Unlike his approach to kickoffs, this one requires more mental prowess than muscle.
“There are a lot of moving parts and it’s just staying there mentally, I guess,” Cooke said. “The first punt Saturday against Georgia, I was comfortable and had been punting well so I just punted and lost that mental aspect. I really regained that through the game and started hitting some really good punts.
“Sometimes when you get to rolling and punting good — and it’s the same way with kickoffs, I hit one out of bounds against LSU — I was just so comfortable and so complacent.”
The good news, Cooke sees it as a simple fix.
“It’s just maturity,” he said. “You have to know when to turn it on, when to turn it off.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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