Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
"His presence, his speed, is unmatched” — DJ England-Chisolm flies on the outside for the Blue Raiders
11/23/2022 5:01:00 PM | Football
The veteran wide receiver has worked his way back from injury after breakout game at Miami
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Somewhere between the Miami 40 yard and the Miami goal line in Hard Rock Stadium, DJ England-Chisolm knew he had to put his signature on the play.
It was an audacious one, one that Blue Raider fans will be talking about decades later. A red zone stop making way for the 5-foot-7 wideout to run an inside release on the outside, while Chase Cunningham looked for the Moncks Corner, S.C. native in his own end zone.
"As soon as he stuck inside, he tried to wall me off to the sideline," England-Chisolm said of Miami cornerback DJ Ivey, who had coverage on the play. "I took an inside release and stacked him easily, and Chase just ripped it."
England-Chisolm caught the pass past Ivey around the MTSU 40 and hop stepped, not high-stepped, he noted, trying to avoid what he thought was going to be Ivey diving at his legs. He didn't know that the Hurricane was already far enough behind him to not even bother trying.
So, the speedster decided to sign off on the 98-yard touchdown the only way a former track athlete could, by stretching his arms and head out like he would at the end of a 100-yard dash.
It was his second touchdown catch of the day, one of only two catches he'd have at the end of the upset. His 169 yards in those two catches meant his per reception average for the game was 84.5 yards, which got him plenty of accolades online, on TV, with the track nod not going unnoticed by some folks in high places.
In many ways, that one play was an encapsulation of the progress the wideout had made in his Blue Raider career. Coming on campus in 2019 and making an immediate impact due to his speed, England-Chisolm had slowly added to his skillset, combining the physical gifts that let him PR in 100m dash at 10.46 seconds in high school with the hand work, the football IQ it takes to be effective every snap at the FBS level.
"It's just the understanding and the IQ of the game," wide receivers coach Shane Tucker said of England-Chisolm's development. "Just knowing exactly, kind of anticipating coverages and things like that. He improved too on his film study, just understanding the knowledge of the game."
But after that breakout, that signature moment in a signature win, DJ England-Chisolm had to shut things down.
A ruptured cervical disc, a lingering injury from earlier in the season, created a host of problems for the wideout in his nervous system, and it had flared up after the Miami game.
"When it ruptured, it damaged some nerves," England-Chisolm said, flexing his right hand where the issue was. "About two of my fingers were dead, they were numb. Two of them are still numb at the fingertips. I just had pain running down my arm, my neck, my back. It was hard to sleep."
The injury kept England-Chisolm out of MTSU's next three contests, at home against UTSA, at UAB, and at home against WKU, the three preseason favorites in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders went winless in that stretch. Without him as a threat on the outside, the offense was not near as dynamic as it was that afternoon in South Florida.
Through it all, England-Chisolm had support back home to help him get through it. He took epidurals, a treatment most associated with helping alleviate pain during birth for mothers, to help ease his own pain. He had to rehab over the course of a month just to get back on the field.
"I had a bunch of courage and words from my family to keep my head up," England-Chisolm said. "I never knew what was going to happen, I just worked to get back."
After the open week, he returned to the wideout rotation against UTEP. He only caught one pass against the Miners, but it was a big one, a tight whip route that got him wide open around the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown pass that put the Blue Raiders up for good.
In games where England-Chisolm has caught at least one pass in 2022, MTSU is 5-1. In all other games, in which the wideout was either injured during the game before catching a pass (James Madison) or not available, the Blue Raiders are just 1-4.
Chase Cunningham said after the UTEP win that even if DJ isn't catching ton of passes, just the threat of him on the field opens up opportunities for the rest of the offense.
"His presence, his speed, is unmatched," Cunningham said. "He's a great player, super important for our ball club."
Heading back to Miami this weekend, where England-Chisolm knows a great many of his family members that watched him play Miami will watch him matchup against FIU, the junior is happy to help take the weight off the shoulders of some of the other guys in his wide receiver room, like Jaylin Lane, who's very similar in skillset to himself.
There's still much to work on, both this season and next, his final as a Blue Raider. The injury has left his right side smaller than his left due to being unable to work it out as he'd like in the weight room. And while he relishes attacking press coverage as a smaller receiver, matching hands to get to the second level, strength never hurts on the football field. There's even still a want to see if he can make that signature move a reality on the track team when football is done, if just for one year.
One thing will remain true through England-Chisolm's past, his present and his future, Tucker noted, something that everyone in the country got a chance to see in Miami, but Tucker had already seen many years before as a GA in the MTSU program.
"I knew he could fly."
It was an audacious one, one that Blue Raider fans will be talking about decades later. A red zone stop making way for the 5-foot-7 wideout to run an inside release on the outside, while Chase Cunningham looked for the Moncks Corner, S.C. native in his own end zone.
"As soon as he stuck inside, he tried to wall me off to the sideline," England-Chisolm said of Miami cornerback DJ Ivey, who had coverage on the play. "I took an inside release and stacked him easily, and Chase just ripped it."
England-Chisolm caught the pass past Ivey around the MTSU 40 and hop stepped, not high-stepped, he noted, trying to avoid what he thought was going to be Ivey diving at his legs. He didn't know that the Hurricane was already far enough behind him to not even bother trying.
So, the speedster decided to sign off on the 98-yard touchdown the only way a former track athlete could, by stretching his arms and head out like he would at the end of a 100-yard dash.
CUNNINGHAM TO ENGLAND-CHISOLM FROM THEIR OWN ENDZONE! 😱@MT_FB | #CUSAFB | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/FuQalofgUJ
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) September 24, 2022
It was his second touchdown catch of the day, one of only two catches he'd have at the end of the upset. His 169 yards in those two catches meant his per reception average for the game was 84.5 yards, which got him plenty of accolades online, on TV, with the track nod not going unnoticed by some folks in high places.
ATTN: track brands, speed brands, fitness brands, here's your next endorser: @DJ_Chisolm
— Jeremy Darlow (@JeremyDarlow) September 25, 2022
Young man can FLY 🚀. Especially love the track nod at the end of this insane TD. Integrated Studies major 🧠. Keep your eyes on @MT_FB, got some NIL talent here!pic.twitter.com/LyYDLHz2Qu
In many ways, that one play was an encapsulation of the progress the wideout had made in his Blue Raider career. Coming on campus in 2019 and making an immediate impact due to his speed, England-Chisolm had slowly added to his skillset, combining the physical gifts that let him PR in 100m dash at 10.46 seconds in high school with the hand work, the football IQ it takes to be effective every snap at the FBS level.
"It's just the understanding and the IQ of the game," wide receivers coach Shane Tucker said of England-Chisolm's development. "Just knowing exactly, kind of anticipating coverages and things like that. He improved too on his film study, just understanding the knowledge of the game."
But after that breakout, that signature moment in a signature win, DJ England-Chisolm had to shut things down.
A ruptured cervical disc, a lingering injury from earlier in the season, created a host of problems for the wideout in his nervous system, and it had flared up after the Miami game.
"When it ruptured, it damaged some nerves," England-Chisolm said, flexing his right hand where the issue was. "About two of my fingers were dead, they were numb. Two of them are still numb at the fingertips. I just had pain running down my arm, my neck, my back. It was hard to sleep."
The injury kept England-Chisolm out of MTSU's next three contests, at home against UTSA, at UAB, and at home against WKU, the three preseason favorites in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders went winless in that stretch. Without him as a threat on the outside, the offense was not near as dynamic as it was that afternoon in South Florida.
Through it all, England-Chisolm had support back home to help him get through it. He took epidurals, a treatment most associated with helping alleviate pain during birth for mothers, to help ease his own pain. He had to rehab over the course of a month just to get back on the field.
"I had a bunch of courage and words from my family to keep my head up," England-Chisolm said. "I never knew what was going to happen, I just worked to get back."
After the open week, he returned to the wideout rotation against UTEP. He only caught one pass against the Miners, but it was a big one, a tight whip route that got him wide open around the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown pass that put the Blue Raiders up for good.
DJ England-Chisolm shakes a defender off and scores a go-ahead TD!@MT_FB | #CUSAFB pic.twitter.com/Qe8XrBKSIC
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) October 30, 2022
In games where England-Chisolm has caught at least one pass in 2022, MTSU is 5-1. In all other games, in which the wideout was either injured during the game before catching a pass (James Madison) or not available, the Blue Raiders are just 1-4.
Chase Cunningham said after the UTEP win that even if DJ isn't catching ton of passes, just the threat of him on the field opens up opportunities for the rest of the offense.
"His presence, his speed, is unmatched," Cunningham said. "He's a great player, super important for our ball club."
Heading back to Miami this weekend, where England-Chisolm knows a great many of his family members that watched him play Miami will watch him matchup against FIU, the junior is happy to help take the weight off the shoulders of some of the other guys in his wide receiver room, like Jaylin Lane, who's very similar in skillset to himself.
There's still much to work on, both this season and next, his final as a Blue Raider. The injury has left his right side smaller than his left due to being unable to work it out as he'd like in the weight room. And while he relishes attacking press coverage as a smaller receiver, matching hands to get to the second level, strength never hurts on the football field. There's even still a want to see if he can make that signature move a reality on the track team when football is done, if just for one year.
One thing will remain true through England-Chisolm's past, his present and his future, Tucker noted, something that everyone in the country got a chance to see in Miami, but Tucker had already seen many years before as a GA in the MTSU program.
"I knew he could fly."
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