By Patrick Brown / Chattanooga Times Free Press
KNOXVILLE — The adage says if a football team has two quarterbacks, it really has none.
Tennessee extended that saying to punters in last week's loss to Arkansas, when Matt Darr had one punt returned for a touchdown and Michael Palardy's two punts went 12 and 27 yards.
"The rotating deal didn't work out too good," UT special teams coordinator Eric Russell said after Wednesday morning's indoor practice. "You'd like to have one guy settle down and be your guy. Can we do that yet? I don't know. How do these guys come out of ruts? I don't know."
Darr, the redshirt freshman, is the Volunteers' hangtime punter, while Palardy, the sophomore who handles field goals, extra points and kickoffs, is a more effective directional kicker. Coach Derek Dooley has said he bases decision on his "feel" in addition to the situation.
Both have had moments good and bad this season. Darr averaged more than 40 yards per punt against Florida and Georgia, but he had a 29-yarder against Buffalo, a short one that Georgia turned into a go-ahead touchdown and the one Joe Adams returned last week. Palardy averaged 40 yards on five punts against Alabama while limiting, but he had one blocked at and another nearly returned at Florida.
"For me and Matt, it's hard to find a rhythm," Palardy said. "When we're switching in and out, punt after punt or he's does three punts and I do two punts, it's hard to find a rhythm. It's kind of hard to get the production that we need if can't get a rhythm and figure out what the wind is doing and all that kind of stuff. We just do whatever we have to do to help the team out."
Dooley said after the game that his punters have a net on the sideline with which to stay in rhythm and just need to go out and punt. Russell said the punters have the time before the rest of the team takes the field before games to work out factors such as the wind.
"[We'd] like Matt to win the job and be consistent week in and week out, not only just on his kicking, but his operation and his approach," Russell said. "[It's] just like anywhere. Let's say you're switching quarterbacks: it's hard, but it's hard to put all your eggs in one basket when you haven't seen one guy clearly say, 'Hey, it's my job.'"
