Michigan Tech defensive back Hunter Buechel plays against a Ferris State player during a game at Kierley Stadium in Houghton on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (David Archambeau/Courtesy of The Gazette)
HOUGHTON — Ask Michigan Tech Huskies special teams coordinator Phil Milbrath why special teams are important to the football team and he’ll give you a quick and simple answer.
“The big thing we preach here, and I think a lot of the big programs as well, is that special teams is a direct reflection of the culture of the team,” he said, “because there are a lot of things you can control, like attitude and effort. You don’t necessarily need the most talented or skilled player to play special teams. You need a football player, in the words we use, a player with good fundamentals.”
Milbrath is looking for a certain type of player to lead his team.
“Blocking, tackling, chasing, guys like that stand out on special teams,” he said. “Whether it’s the beginning of fall camp or going into game week, the big thing we talk about is, again, what are we going to put on film? What is our team culture? If it feels right, everybody buys into it.”
“For us, like I said, it’s attitude, it’s effort, it’s pursuit. It’s all the little details we strive for. They all show up on special teams.”
Michigan Tech punter Brenden Luck (85) holds the ball for Drew Weible (32) during a game against Hillsdale at Kierley Stadium in Houghton, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. (David Archambeau/Courtesy of the Gazette)
The good news for Milbrath is that essentially every football player who comes to Michigan Tech possesses all of those qualities.
“It’s been great being at Michigan Tech because not only me as the special teams coordinator, but all of the assistants that help with special teams have either worked special teams in the past or helped with special teams or coached in some capacity,” he said. “So everyone is supportive and the little things that we preach even in the offseason, like the effort in the weight room, those little things really show up when we talk about special teams.”
For Milbrath, special teams is a way for younger players to prove they’re worthy of longer time at their natural positions, while also allowing veterans to showcase their effort level and younger players to see what it takes to be successful at the college level.
“I think it’s important to have older guys and starters who play special teams because it trickles down and trickles down to the younger guys, especially the freshmen and sophomores,” he said. “They understand, ‘I’m never going to be in a position where I’m not going to be asked to contribute on special teams.’ At the end of the day, everybody here understands that it’s an important part of the game.
“Controlling field position makes it easier for the defense to stop the other team from scoring, and it makes it easier for the offense to get touchdowns and scoring opportunities if they have good field position. So everybody understands that it’s all part of the game. It’s the third phase (of the football game), so to speak.”
The Huskies return many of their impact players on special teams, none more important than senior Brenden Luck. Originally scouted as a wide receiver, Luck punted in high school, so after he told the coaching staff that he wanted to focus solely on the kicking game, earning honorable mention All-America honors last season.
He averaged 44.5 yards on 49 punts for a total of 2,184 yards. His longest punt this season was 72 yards, and 16 of his attempts were dropped inside the 20-yard line.
“He’s done a really great job,” Milbrath said, “understanding the tactics we use, understanding why we need the ball in certain places, certain areas, and figuring that out. From the moment he went from wide receiver to punter, he really embraced it and learned, ‘Hey, this is my key role. This is how I can impact the game.’ At the end of the day, he turns the field over for us a lot.”
Laci will also be a valuable presence in the placekicking game, serving as a holder when the Huskies attempt field goals or extra points and will be invaluable to freshman kicker Avery Kucharski, who earned the starting spot to begin the season.
Kucharski grew up playing soccer and football, so he’s pretty confident with his feet, which ultimately helped him win the position over fellow freshman Chris Lemus.
“We got two freshman kickers,” Coach Milbrath said, “so there was a little bit of competition at the beginning, so we focused on consistency. The biggest thing you want with a specialist group is consistency, because if they’re consistent, you can adjust things and move things around to match their consistency.”
“Avery did a good job. He got here early before fall camp, worked out with the guys, slept on the couch and all that stuff, but he got a chance to see some of the attitude here. The work ethic here. Like I said, what our culture is. So he really bought into it early.”
With the addition of long snapper Chandler Ward, who will be a senior this year, Kucharski has plenty of help from those around him as he learns how to be an effective kicker at the college level.
“They (Luck and Ward) know how to hold Avery accountable,” Milbrath said. “They know Avery is making a mistake here, pushing the ball here, pulling the ball there. And because they have experience on the field, they’re able to relay that information to Avery, relay it with film and say, ‘You need to work on this and this. You need to work on this and that.'”
“So, I think having those two guys on the team, bringing four years of experience and entering their senior year, is going to be a big help for Avery.”
Milbrath said other solid Huskies players, including sophomore running back Jake Rueff, sophomore defensive back Junyong Chung, senior defensive back Hunter Buechel, senior inside linebacker Owen Watson and senior running back Patrick Kastner, will also see plenty of time on special teams. Having players like Buechel, Watson and Kastner willing to work through 50, 60, 70 snaps to help the team on offense or defense and also work on special teams is more than Milbrath can ask of them.
“They’re communicators. They do a lot for the team on the field where I can’t be. They help fix the team if something’s off,” he said. “They know the strategy inside and out. They give their input in the locker room. Now when I go into the special teams meeting room, it all trickles down from the seniors to the freshmen and everyone buys into what the older guys are saying.”
Chong was injured in the first game of last season and missed most of the season, but Milbrath sees Chong as a young player who has the potential to make a big impact this season, whether it be in the return game or by improving his field position.
“He’s a guy that likes to play physical,” Milbrath said. “He’s got speed, he’s athletic, and he’s willing to do whatever we ask of him to be successful, so that’s a big part of it. But as far as our coverage units go, he’s a gunner on punts and he covers down on kickoffs. He’s a very dynamic athlete, so he’ll be mixed into the return game a little bit this year. I think he can have a big impact on us and our guys will need to keep an eye on him.”
“The other thing about Junyoung is that since his injury last year, he has really worked hard to rehabilitate his body and come back better and faster than before.”
Milbrath and the Huskies’ special teams will face their first big test Thursday night against Bemidji State, a team that won two NCAA playoff games last season and was ranked in the top 25.
“Anytime you start the season and play against top-class opposition, it’s a good benchmark,” he said. “Our players have the confidence to take on any team in the country. That’s the attitude we want our players to have. That’s how we prepare for everything. So I think once we get to next Thursday, the 29th, and the games start, it’ll all be settled.”
“At the end of the day, the guys from Wisconsin, a lot of the guys on the team, we played against each other in high school or were teammates in high school, so there’s a little bit of rivalry there.”
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