It was a disaster preparedness drill, football-style, and Kyle Dugandžić was putting out fires.
For about 10 minutes at a practice earlier this month, the Arizona Wildcats’ senior punter scooped football after football off the ground, often cleanly. Most of the bad snaps bounced or skipped just once before Dugandzic snatched them, swung his leg, and kicked.
The man wildly firing the footballs? Rich Rodriguez.
“He’s the only head coach I’ve ever had who’s thrown bad snaps at me,” Dugandžić said with a smile.
Of all the new, different and occasionally eccentric things that Rodriguez has brought to the UA in his first year as head coach, perhaps none is more extreme than the way he’ll handle special teams.
Seven coaches, including Rodriguez, have divvied up special teams duties for the 2012 season. The extra sets of eyes will help the UA avoid what’s been a bugaboo in recent years.
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