Enquirer beat reporter Tom Groeschen takes a look at the various University of Cincinnati position groups as the Bearcats prepare for their season opener against Austin Peay on Thursday (7 p.m., Nippert Stadium, ESPN3).

Today: Special teams

Placekickers (3) - Andrew Gantz (Sr.), Josh Pasley (Sr.), Garrett Rigby (RS Fr.)

Punters (2) - James Smith (True Fr.), Ryan Jones (So.)

Long Snappers (4) - Jon Vincent (Sr.), Kyle Curtis (Sr.), Zach Wood (So.), Cory Armstrong (RS Fr.)

Holders (2) - Carter Jacobs (Sr.), James Smith (True Fr.)

Kickoff specialists (2) - Ryan Jones (So.), Josh Pasley (Sr.)

Kickoff returners (4) - Devin Gray (Sr.), Thomas Geddis (So.), Kahlil Lewis (Jr.), Tyrell Gilbert (Jr.)

Punt returners (2) - Devin Gray (Sr.), Kahlil Lewis (Jr.)

Projected starters: Listed in the order above, per position

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Key question

Can UC please get more production from special teams? There was not much to celebrate in this department during the Tommy Tuberville coaching regime. That includes 2016, when UC ranked only 78th nationally on the ESPN Special Teams Efficiency chart (46.2).

Team efficiencies are based on the point contributions of each unit to the team's scoring margin, on a per-play basis. The scale goes from 0 to 100, higher numbers are better and the average is roughly 50 for all categories.

The 2016 UC kicking and punting games were subpar, coverage teams were spotty per usual, and the return teams again failed to deliver much. New special teams coordinator Doug Phillips and head coach Luke Fickell have placed extra emphasis on "the teams," as football coaches call them.

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Did you know?

In 2015, Andrew Gantz set a UC season record for kicking points with 112. Gantz then missed most of 2016 with a leg injury.

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Number of note

2011: The last year that UC returned either a punt or kickoff for a touchdown. That year, Ralph David Abernathy IV returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD against Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The last UC punt return for a TD was by Mardy Gilyard, a 53-yarder against Southeast Missouri State in 2009.

UC secondary looks to build on 2016 success

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Outlook

Gantz (Centerville, Ohio) returns after his lost 2016 season. Gantz has appeared healthy in preseason camp, and the two-time Lou Groza Award nominee already was one of the best kickers in UC history.

There is much intrigue with the arrival of Australian import Smith (6-foot-5, 220) at punter. Aussies have won the last four Ray Guy Award national honors. While UC fans won't expect Ray Guy just yet, Smith has stirred memories of the monster leg of former Bearcats punter Pat O'Donnell. O'Donnell is entering his fourth year with the NFL Chicago Bears.

Look for improved spacing, discipline and blocking on the kickoff teams, punt teams and return units. During practices, UC coaches have laid out orange cones to specify exactly who goes where. That kind of attention to detail should help make UC special teams more than just an afterthought again.

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