1. Harding’s kicks are unpredictable for return men because they are usually low and often take wild bounces, due to the shape of the football. Also because he is usually rolling to his left or right and can kick with either foot. Because he takes longer to punt, teammates are downfield distracting the returner as much or more than with punts that have lots of hang time. Also because he is rolling out the punt return team doesn’t know if he’s going to kick or run, or even pass. All of these factors have contributed to several balls bouncing off of punt return team members and UH recovering over the past two seasons. I think the count is at four or five now. It is not a fluke.

2. It’s about field position. When you have a good punter like Harding who can pin the opposing team in their own 20 with regularity, and the possibility of forcing a turnover as described above is real, it makes punting more acceptable than if you did not. Especially if your defense is playing well and the opposing offense is not very good, you can call more conservative plays because you do not mind punting as much as you normally would. A lot of fans hate this and it is a debatable strategy, but sometimes it is the best way to win a game.