Pete Lembo talks South Carolina special teams three games into 2023

It’s been an inconsistent start for South Carolina and the Gamecocks’ special teams this year, and Pete Lembo got a chance to talk about what he’s seen through the first three weeks.

He spoke about the group against Georgia, what he’s seen on a few plays and evaluated Kai Kroeger’s play. Here are a few key quotes from the South Carolina special teams coordinator during his meeting with the media on Wednesday.

On South Carolina special teams at Georgia:

“We certainly had our chances to do something special and we didn’t do it. We didn’t finish it. Special teams certainly takes our part in that and takes some ownership as well. The game ended up being about a wash for us. But we had some chances to make some things happen and we didn’t get that done.” 

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On the Xavier Legette kickoff return:

“We had a golden opportunity in kickoff return and a perfect kick. We had a field return called and they kicked it down the middle of the field. As soon as the ball came off the kicker’s foot I was talking over the headset saying, ‘This is the one.’

But you still have to block them. We missed a block at center. We missed a block at upback. Then we got a holding penalty by the upback as well. That added to our issues in the third quarter. That drive started off inside our 10-yard line and that could have been a potential drive starting out around midfield.” 

On South Carolina special teams (cont.):

“Overall, going into a game like that, it has to be better than a wash. You can’t have some of the self-inflicted wounds like we did on kickoff return if you want to do something special. We have to keep working and learning. Like I’ve said since early to mid-August, this is very much a work in progress with this group right now.” 

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On Xavier Legette returning that kick:

“It’s week to week and game to game. Certainly, Xavier has earned a certain degree of trust. He’s an experienced guy, he’s a guy that’s been in that room since day one and made tremendous progress. He’s very solid back there as a kick returner and playing at an absolutely elite level at gunner.

Not to drift away from the question, but he’s performed exceptionally well at gunner the last three games, including against some really good corners at Georgia last week. I would say if he can continue that, his stock as an NFL prospect is going to rise tremendously. When you look at him, you see the combination of size and speed. You see that he can help on multiple units. He was one of our best kick coverage guys last year. We’re trying very hard to not use him there because he’s rarely coming off the field at receiver.

But the kickoff return and gunner on punt are the non-negotiables for him. If I was evaluating him as a pro scout or general manager, I would say this is a guy who can play four units of special teams for me right now. He’s doing a better and better job catching competitive balls at receiver. His durability has been just phenomenal. I’m very proud of him.

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We have a very dear relationship that’s been forged through a lot. When we first got here, he was a guy getting used to us and the way we expect to practice and the demands of the culture here. There was a little bit of wavering early on. He had some injuries early in his career. But man he’s come out of it with flying colors and gotten better every year. I’m extremely proud of Xavier, easy rider as I like to call him.” 

On Gamecocks specialists:

“Those guys need to perform better. I can point to any one of our first three games and show you some excellent things each of them has done and I can also point to different plays in games where they have not executed at a level we expect. Those guys have to get themselves back to an elite level. Nobody pushes themselves harder than those guys. I’m confident they’ll do it.”

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On the players playing on special teams:

“I think the attitudes of our older guys have been really good in terms of that aspect. But they do need more work, more time, more reps and more understanding of what we’re doing. For a lot of the younger guys, this is still very eye-opening to them. You can see it in meetings…I think a lot of those young guys–some of which were highly recruited–it’s still very much of a learning process they’re going through.” 

On Kai Kroeger:

“He’s been a little bit up and down, I would say. I thought he hit the ball well against North Carolina. We had two punts in that game, and actually, the Furman game played out similarly–where we were about on our own 40-yard line. You’re not really close enough to start talking about pinning them down. You need to hit a full punt. He had a couple in Charlotte that hit the turf and rolled into the end zone.

Last year at Clemson a couple of those just stuck into the ground like a pitching wedge and we down them inside the five-yard line. That’s football. The ball takes different bounces. It’s not round. I thought he hit the ball really well up in Charlotte and hit it pretty well against Furman. This past week wasn’t quite up to his expectations or ours. Obviously, the weather wasn’t great, which doesn’t help.

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I did think our operation was very good at Georgia under those conditions. We didn’t have any issues with snaps and holds and kicks or punts. That’s always where it starts when you’re in rainy conditions. But we have experienced guys and need those guys to perform at a high level every week.” 

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