When asked about the competition at punt returner ahead of each season, IU football coach Curt Cignetti has consistently said not dropping the ball was his top requirement for the role.
So after Tyler Morris muffed two punts against Howard in week two, it didn’t come as a major surprise to see a replacement in for him on Saturday.
Who that replacement was did cause more than a few double takes, however.
Enter Charlie Becker, who was already building an All-American resume at wide receiver for the Hoosiers.
Why Becker?
“I get asked, why do you have Charlie Becker back on punt return? Well, drop a punt and change the momentum of a Big Ten game. That’s why,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday.
The Indiana staff and fans alike know special teams can turn tight games. Gaffes cost Indiana a game in 2024 at Ohio State, and provided a major boost in the national title game against Miami.
Becker did fine in the role. He had one return for 17 yards and fair caught the rest.
That’s mission accomplished when you’re trying to keep the head coach happy.
“I keep saying that’s one of the hardest positions ever,” Becker said Saturday following the Western Kentucky game. “It’s so hard to be able to judge that ball. Coach Cig told me to fair catch a couple of them. I’m just happy I didn’t put it on the ground to be honest.”
Becker has never dropped a pass, so logically he’s the guy best suited to satisfy Cignetti’s top requirement for the role.
Becker was asked to compare catching a punt and a long pass.
He says it’s not as simple of a skill translation as one might expect.
“You would think it’s fairly similar, right? But it’s totally different,” he said. “It’s crazy. You’ve really got to read the nose of the ball. There’s just so many things that ball can do as opposed to Josh’s (Hoover) balls, which are just dimes and just right in the bucket.”
Will Becker assume the role full time?
The head coach will have to weigh Becker’s ability with the risks — namely a potential injury to the most dynamic offensive player on the team right now.
Cignetti suggested after the Howard game Morris would be given another opportunity at some point, but that remains to be seen.
“You’ll see Tyler again back there,” Cignetti said. “We just thought we would give him a little break because we don’t want that to get in his head.”
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