Through three games, special teams has been one of the few bright spots for Western.

An off-season shakeup moved Mike Dietzel to defensive coordinator and shifted Stuart Holt into the role of special teams coordinator.

Retaining a similar system from last season has kept the special teams solid, giving him the ability to add emphasis to new aspects of the unit, Holt said.

“Coach Dietzel and I have a lot of continuity in terms of our schemes and our philosophies,” Holt said. “A couple of the things we’ve stressed this year are just playing fast, knowing what to do, making it second nature and playing physical.”

Head coach David Elson noted the staying power of his assistant coaches. Dietzel is working on his seventh season as part of the Toppers’ staff, and Holt is on his sixth.

Both have worked with the special teams unit in the past.

“It’s continuity,” Elson said. “We haven’t reinvented the wheel and kept things similar to how they were last year.”

That continuity extends not only to philosophy but also to the personnel. The only newcomers to special team skill positions in 2009 are redshirt freshman long snapper Chris Young and sophomore place-kicker Casey Tinius.

Tinius sat out last season with a knee injury and has been flawless on the field so far, going 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra points.

Having the kicking option, which wasn’t always present in 2008 with Tinius on the sidelines, is a welcome change, Elson said.

“It’s definitely something that you know you’re going to need throughout the course of a season,” Elson said. “We feel good if it’s 50 yards, and in that we can gauge the situation.”

Young has yet to botch a snap to senior punter Jeremy Moore, who touts an average of 44.4 yards on 19 punts this season.

Moore said that, while Holt has added some new wrinkles to the special teams this season, it’s his enthusiasm that’s pushed the unit to new heights.

“He’s applied his own teachings to what coach Dietzel had us doing before and the energy level that he’s brought, we bring it on the field with us,” Moore said. “He brings a lot of energy to our special teams, and I think that’s one reason why our special teams have excelled this season so far.”

Another strong aspect of special teams has been the return game. Though worked more than any coaching staff would like, it’s consistently given the offense good starting field position with a 22.6-yard average between sophomore running back Bobby Rainey and senior back Tyrell Hayden.

Elson said Western has “been able to keep the same guys” returning from last season’s squad — something missing from struggling offensive and defensive units, but blooming on special teams.