YSU FOOTBALL Heacock praises special teams; cites Joe Bishop

The special teams have "developed tremendously" over the first six games.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- If there is one thing Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock is pleased about this season it's the play of the special teams.
Special teams include punting, kicking (field goals, extra points, and kickoffs), punt and kickoff returns, and punt and field goal block units.
This season the Penguins have played very well on just about all of the units.
"Our special teams play has really been good this year," Heacock said, "especially our kickoffs and kickoff coverage."
A big reason for that success has been Joe Bishop, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior placekicker from St. Thomas Aquinas High near Canton.
"His hang time on his kicks is almost unbelievable, even I could get down there and cover some of those kicks," Heacock quipped.
"But it is something that he's worked very hard on this season and he's come up with some outstanding efforts," Heacock said.
YSU is ranked No. 1 in the Gateway Conference in kickoff coverage after six games.
In 33 kickoffs, Bishop has averaged 57.6 yards per kick and the coverage team has allowed an average of just 13.8 yards a return.
"I've worked very hard all summer and all fall on it," Bishop said. "The hang time was always there, but I had to work to improve on my distance.
"All of our special team units have developed tremendously over the first six games," he added.
"Another thing that makes our kickoff coverage so good is the fact that we have probably the best all-around athletes on the team on it," Bishop said.
Bishop is also the punter and the Penguins rank No. 2 in the Gateway with a net punting average of 36.0 yards. Bishop ranks fourth in individual punting with a 38.3-yard average and he has the longest punt in the conference this season of 67 yards.
Senior fullback Nick Forro of Madison is on most of the Penguins' special teams.
"They play such a special part of a game, it might only be one of two plays, but they are always big ones," Forro said.
Forro said it will be good to return home for the next two games.
"There were probably only a couple of thousand of people out in Indiana, so it's going to be great coming back home to 16,000 or 17,000 fans," he said.
Heacock knows the importance that special teams play toward a team's season.
"It's been proven that special teams do win championships," he said.
The Penguins (5-1, 2-0 Gateway) play host to Western Illinois Saturday at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
mollica@vindy.com