‘You’re the last line of defense’: Wisconsin kicker Jack Van Dyke missed the tackle but shows that he is willing to hit

MADISON – Jack Van Dyke was just a blur.

Wisconsin’s kickoff specialist had just sent the second half kickoff against Washington State to Renard Bell, who caught the ball at the goal line and started upfield. The moment was a rare time when the kicker gets first crack at a return man, and it wasn’t a fair matchup. Bell changed direction at the 20 and Van Dyke lost his footing and whiffed on the attempted tackle.

It took the Badgers 53 more yards to run down Bell.

“You’ve got to be right there,” Van Dyke said. “You’re the last line of defense. You’ve got to be able to stop that returner. It’s a lot of mental practice and physical practice.”

That play was one of the many that weighed heavily Saturday in the Badgers’ 17-14 loss to the Cougars. It also symbolizes the challenge kickers face when trying to make a tackle during one of the most chaotic plays of a football game. It’s difficult for defensive players to make open-field tackles in those circumstances, much less the kicker

“You hope it doesn’t get to that point, but we do ask him to be part of the coverage and do practice that,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “There are tackling drills and the whole deal so that when they’re in a position like that you give them a fighter’s chance.”

It’s only two games into the season, and for UW it is especially early when it comes to evaluating its kickoff coverage the unit. The Badgers’ 10 kickoffs are the second-fewest in the Big Ten ahead of only offensively-challenged Iowa.

Six of those kicks went for touchbacks. At least one of the kick was intentionally hit short. That, however, was not the case on the aforementioned kickoff.

“I hit under it a little bit,” Van Dyke said.

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The Badgers’ Jack Van Dyke has said he would like to hit about 70% of his kickoffs for touchbacks.

Before the season Van Dyke said he’d like to hit at least 70% of his kickoffs for touchbacks. He is close to that mark (66.7%) discounting the kickoff against Illinois State that was intentionally hit short. His percentage looks even better if another kickoff against Illinois State that was fair caught inside was the 5 was hit that way on purpose.

Kickers don’t always exude athleticism, but Van Dyke is an exception. Standing 6-foot-5 and 217 pounds, he was an all-conference defensive back for Neenah in one of the state’s best high school conferences, the Fox Valley Association, as well as a strong 400-meter runner in track and field.

The former high school safety still relishes contact. And unlike most kickers, Van Dyke has the footage to prove it. His hit on Rutgers return man Aron Cruickshank last season forced a fumble.

“I love it. It’s fun,” he said.

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The kickoff Saturday was just the second deep kickoff the season that was returned. Just before halftime linebacker Jake Chaney and safety Blake Carey teamed up to drop Bell after a 9-yard gain.

At the start of the second half, however, Bell squirted free. Replays showed two blocks that could have been called illegal but weren’t. The play stood, and 3½ minutes later the Cougars hit a 26-yard field goal that cut the UW lead to 14-10.

As for his part in the play, Van Dyke offered no excuses.

“I need to be better with hitting more touchbacks or making the tackle,” he said.

Despite the lack of live work during practice, the Badgers cover kickoffs each day and sometimes the kickers will work with special teams assistant coach Taylor Mehlhaff on tackling and being in the right spot of the coverage at the correct time.

Considering the need to keep those players healthy for their primary jobs, a balance must be found in how much work they put toward tackles.

Van Dyke had surgery in the offseason to repair torn muscles in his groin and abdomen. The injuries nagged him throughout last season.

That, however, won’t deter Van Dyke the next time he has a chance to bring down a returner.

“I just got to put myself in the mindset that if the returner does come out with the ball I’ve got to be ready to make a tackle,” he said. “I have a great kickoff coverage team, but every now and then I’ve got to put myself in there. I definitely get hyped up. I always want to hit touchbacks, but it’s not going to happen every time.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers football kicker Jack Van Dyke has willingness to hit