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Gets hired away. We took him away from Auburn...From his history, unsure if he was/is the issue. I'll add I did not check to see if the teams listed below also had a coach who was assigned ST duties so Rutledge could do his thing and the ST coach could do his thing on game day....If I understand the analysts position, they can't interact with the players. So I am unsure which coach would implement the game day plan/actually talk to the players. I look at our penalties, miscues and missed assignments across the board the past 3 years and have to say blowing stuff on ST's has been an issue in all 3 phases in all 3 years. Not Rutledge's fault. We were mistake prone prior to his arrival.
A snap shot of his stops:
Rutledge came to Nebraska after spending the past four seasons as a special teams analyst in the SEC. He guided Auburn’s special teams the past two seasons with impressive results. Football Outsiders ranked the Tigers’ special teams among the nation’s top 15 units in each of Rutledge’s two seasons, including 13th in 2019 and 14th in 2018.
In 2019, Auburn was especially strong in the return game. Christian Tutt averaged 13.6 yards on his 23 punt returns, ranking fifth in the country in punt return average and first among all players with more than 20 returns. Noah Igbinoghene averaged 35.2 yards per kickoff return. Igbinoghene fell just short of the required minimum to be included in the NCAA statistical rankings, but the 2019 national leader averaged 33.2 yards per return, two fewer than Igbinoghene.
In Rutledge’s first season at Auburn, the Tigers led the nation with seven blocked kicks, including four blocked punts. Auburn also boasted the nation’s most improved punting unit, ranking fifth nationally in net punting in 2018 after ranking 115th in the same category in 2017, before Rutledge arrived. A big reason for Auburn’s improvement was a punt return defense that ranked ninth nationally by allowing fewer than 3.4 yards per return. Individually, punter Arryn Siposs was a Ray Guy Award nominee and kicker Anders Carlson ranked 11th nationally in touchback percentage.
Rutledge joined Auburn after spending two seasons as Missouri’s special teams analyst. In 2017, Missouri dominated the punting game. Punter Corey Fatony was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, and the Tigers’ punt return unit ranked third nationally, averaging more than 16.5 yards per return. In 2016, Missouri ranked 13th in the country in net punting and 14th in punt returns.
Prior to his four seasons in the SEC, Rutledge spent two seasons as a graduate assistant in charge of wide receivers and special teams at North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ special teams were ranked as the No. 2 unit in the country in 2015. North Carolina was nearly as good in 2014, when it ranked 10th nationally in kickoff return defense, 16th in blocked punts and 18th in punt return defense. Individually, Tar Heel kicker Nick Weiler was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2015.
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