Experienced Straw adjusting to new punting technique

There’s more than one way to punt a football.

Oliver Straw had mostly utilized the rolling out Australian style punting over the first three years of his career under the previous regime but with a new coaching staff coming to Morgantown, he wanted to know how he would fit in with Rich Rodriguez’s plans for the position.

“Because obviously there’s a possibility he could have seen my three years here and said ‘we don’t want a roll out punter’,” Straw said.

Turns out, Straw was definitely in the plans for the new coaching staff, which he learned after his first conversation with Rodriguez following the Frisco Bowl. While the head coach hadn’t been able to watch any film he saw everything he needed to during the game in regard to his leg strength.

So, Straw made the decision to remain in Morgantown rather quickly and master a different style of punting in the traditional spiral method.

It’s something that Straw has quickly taken to and something that he had been wanting to do for a long time even before the coaching change. He has put a significant amount of time into the craft this off-season in order to become more comfortable with the method.

“To the point where I feel like I'm probably at the most dynamic I’ve been since I've been here,” he said.

Some of the work that Straw has done includes working with his hands and becoming cleaner with catching the football prior to the punt. He spent around 15-20 minutes on the jugs machine daily and then went down to Nashville during spring break to work with two NFL guys.

“Just kind of learning from people that have done it well at a high level and improving on the small things as well,” Straw said.

The biggest element with the spiral punt is to record hang time in order to give the protection team more time to cover and eliminate returns. It’s a concept that worked for Straw even with the roll out style, but is a necessity for the traditional method to have success.

“It’s a different scheme so it's the same objective but different way of doing it for sure,” he said.

Straw, who is entering his senior season, is one of the most tenured players remaining on the roster but given the change everything feels fresh and new. But Rodriguez has made it clear that the culture matters above all else within his program. It’s a directive that is clear.

Straw is pleased with the decision to broaden his punting portfolio and while he is comfortable not being asked to come onto the field at all if it means his team is winning games, he is excited to showcase what he can do with a new way of doing it.

“He gave me a chance to stick around and show him that I can spiral and fit within their scheme as well,” Straw said.

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