Last Saturday's LSU-Alabama football game opened with the visiting Tigers sacking Jalen Hurts on the second play from scrimmage and forcing a quick three-and-out.
Then Crimson Tide punter JK Scott had his say.
With the Tigers giddy over their early success, Scott launched a 56-yard punt to LSU's 9-yard line, completely flipping the field. It was the first of many such punts for the 6-foot-6, 204-pound senior from Denver, who averaged a whopping 51.6 yards on eight in Alabama's 24-10 triumph.
"JK has done a fabulous job for us," coach Nick Saban said this week, "and I think he probably had as fine a game in terms of the effect he had in this last game with his consistency in performance as a punter. I think sometimes people overlook the fact that he's done a good job for us on kickoffs as well.
"Those are two areas that have been very beneficial to us relative to field position this year."
Though he doesn't play offense or defense, Scott could be Alabama's most demoralizing player. Trying to navigate through the Tide defense has been challenging enough the past several seasons under Saban, and repeatedly having to go more than 80 or even 90 yards even adds to the task.
Top-ranked Alabama (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) plays at No. 18 Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2) on Saturday, and Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen can take solace that it's the fourth and final time he will face Scott. The two became acquainted in 2014, when Scott placed five punts inside the 20-yard line and three inside the 10 as a fifth-ranked Tide team knocked off the No. 1 Bulldogs, 25-20.
"He's got a huge leg," Mullen said. "When we played that game over there a few years ago when we were ranked No. 1 - he just seems to play his best whenever we play them. He's a guy who comes out and flips the field on us and really fits into what they do.
"You've got them hemmed in deep, and you're thinking you're going to have great field position. Then you get the ball at your 20-yard line, and you've got a long way to go against a very good defense. He's a pretty good weapon for them."
Scott has been a weapon from day one of his collegiate career, averaging a nation-leading 48.0 yards as a freshman and earning ESPN, USA Today and Sporting News All-America honors. A slow start to his sophomore season in 2015 - Scott averaged 38.0 yards against Wisconsin and 40.2 against Middle Tennessee State - resulted in his average dipping to "only" 44.2 yards, but he bounced back last season with a 47.2-yard clip that ranked third nationally.
Earlier this month, Scott became the first punter in Alabama history to surpass 10,000 career yards, and he never tires at trying to perfect a craft that begins for many boys as young as 5 or 6 in their front yards.
"At this point, the things I'm focusing on are conservative angles and swinging aggressively," Scott said in a recent news conference. "The way my body is, when I swing aggressively, that's when I'm going to hit my best ball. That's where I want to be consistent."
Said Saban: "JK is a hard worker and a perfectionist in what he does. Consistency has always been a real key for him, and he's done a good job of that this year."
Scott not only has a career average of 45.8 yards a punt but a 3.12 grade point average in general business. He is scheduled to graduate next month, which is a 3 1/2-year timetable since Mullen High School.
It's a different Mullen who will be dealing with Scott one last time Saturday.
"They're a very sound team that makes things difficult on you, and he's somebody who comes in and just absolutely flips the field position," Mullen said. "He changes the course of a game every time he steps on the field."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.