Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
The Point Guards: A basketball metaphor helps fuel Blue Raider Offense in 2022
8/13/2022 3:23:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Two words have been on the mind of every single offensive player in MTSU's fall football camp this August.
It's not a route concept (quick outs). It's not a blocking reminder ("Get low!"). It's not even a play call (that's classified, for the record). But the two words everyone around the Blue Raider football facility has heard to most out of the offense's white jerseys is this:
Point Guard.
"Those quarterbacks have done a phenomenal job," offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart said. "They're the point guards. They get to bring the ball down the court and make all the decisions, dish it, shoot it, whatever they want to do, and they're doing a really nice job of that right now."
Stewart credits quarterback coach Brent Stockstill with the metaphor, which admittedly does a nice job of showcasing the awesome responsibility the quarterback in Stewart's Air Raid scheme. One that sees the quarterbacks forced to make quick reads on nearly every play, featuring plenty of short to mid-range passes, as well as some option game in the backfield.
"I'm liking everything about it," quarterback Nicholas Vattiato said. "I think it's a credit to Coach Stewart and Coach Brent Stockstill, two coaches that make us confident in what we're doing, preaching that point guard mentality."
Both Vattiato and Chase Cunningham, the two leading contenders for QB1 at camp, have mentioned that point guard mentality in post-practice media availability. It's even found its way out of the QB room, with wideout Izaiah Gathings also using the point guard metaphor to praise his quarterback's decision making, which has rarely gone wrong most afternoons on the practice field.
That level of comfort in the offense, even as Stewart throws in more tools and checks than they had this summer, has resulted in a confident bunch on the offensive side of the ball early in camp, even while learning a new scheme.
"I'll be honest with you, I've been pleased with everybody's progress," Stewart said. "I don't want to single a position out. I think the biggest thing is that offensively as a unit, they have a lot of pride and a lot of purpose in themselves. They've got some very big goals for themselves, and I like to be around a group like that."
When folks hear "air raid," their first thought will of course be the passing game, which has seen tight battles all over the field throughout camp to earn playing time on the field. With the point guards, I mean quarterbacks, where Vattiato and Cunningham's position battle is so close that it'd be surprising to see a starter named prior to the week of the season opener at James Madison. The pair have split reps almost perfectly evenly throughout camp so far.
In the other half of the passing game, the Blue Raider wide receivers have shown out early in camp, possessing both great size and speed as unit, allowing Stewart multiple looks to draw from in play calling.
"We don't really have ones and twos, we kind of have what we call a 1A and a 1B, because the first two guys at each position are going to roll pretty much 50/50, unless somebody obviously gets a hot hand," Stewart said of his wide receivers. "The biggest thing with that group is they're doing a nice job within their roles. They're doing a nice job being ready when their number is called. They've done a really good job picking up some schemes, some tools that we have to our base stuff.
"We don't run an awful lot of concepts, but we do have some tools that the quarterback can use, we're starting to get into those."
While the speedster receivers of the Blue Raider offense, led by captains Jaylin Lane and Yusuf Ali, in addition DJ England-Chisolm and Elijah Metcalf, remain a vocal point both in the slot and on the outside, MT also features a plethora of bigger targets, led Gathings (6-4, 226), Bud Tolbert (6-2, 190), and newcomers Jeremy Tate, Jr. (6-5, 259) and Andrew Paige (6-4, 220).
That size gives MT some extra weapons in the redzone, and the ability to make some tough contested catches on quick reads as well.
"We take a lot of pride in it," Gathings said. "I feel like going down in the redzone, it's going to be big for us. And with that size, we've also got speed with it."
The tempo of the offense when it gets rolling is something to be commended, as the fewer concepts often leads to quicker calls and faster action once the offense starts moving the football.
"We can move the ball a lot faster in this offense," Lane said. "Last year, we had a lot of moving around; that kind of slowed us down a little bit. This year, we're in our spots, so we just keep pushing."
With that faster pace comes the ability to slow the game down when needed, something that MTSU will need their running backs' help if they're going to reach their potential this fall. Progress on this front is mixed early in camp, in part thanks to an almost completely new offensive line, but also an almost completely new running back room, where Frank Peasant is lone returning RB with at least eight carries last season.
"We got to have some touchdowns out of the running back group," Peasant said. "We've got to have big plays, not just five yards on first downs or on third and ones."
Among Peasant and the newcomers, it's another case where there has not been much separation day to day. Running backs coach Jeff Beckles said that he's dropped players from the first team to the third team after one practice, even if they might've run the ball well.
"We show him on film why he's down to third team," Beckles said. "And it could be little things. He could be running the ball well, but what's he doing when he doesn't have the ball? Is he blocking when we need him to block? Is he carrying out fakes? Is he running the backside route, making it look like he's getting the ball? Or is he just jogging it because he knows he's not getting it?"
The differing styles of the backs also play a role in how tight that position battle is. Peasant is a more prototypical power back, looking to drive through contact to pick up extra yards. West Virginia transfer A'Varius Sparrow, meanwhile, gives more a speed and cut look out of the backfield. Others, like Central Michigan transfer Darius Bracy, have a little of both in their repertoire.
Stewart says as many as four guys in the running back room have stood out from the pack this camp, but not from one another. Until that changes, it's safe to expect some running back by committee on Saturdays.
As with most Air Raids, some might overlook the running game, but Stewart notes the air raid is more about finding the open space on the field than just passing all the time. Expect, even when MTSU leans on the passing game, for running backs to play a crucial role in moving the ball up the field, either in blitz pick up, check downs, or swing/screen passes.
Ultimately, the offense's success will come down to how a new look Blue Raider offensive line gels and holds up over the course of the season. It's a unit that's gotten a lot bigger since 2021, with nearly 10 newcomers to the program joining the room since January. Early days of camp featured feelings of excitement at having a full room after a spring where sometimes only six linemen dressed out due to injury recovery and roster attrition.
As the sun continued to swelter, however, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Mike Polly is trying to find a group of five he trusts to start, and then five more behind them he can plug and play as the season goes on.
"Big looks good, but big doesn't get you anywhere," Polly said. "We don't win any games by looking pretty getting off the bus, you win the games by root-hogging people out and making plays and doing what our offense asks us to do."
Outside of the team's one returning starter, Jordan Palmer, who is a staple at center for the Blue Raiders, every other spot on offensive line seems to be up for grabs, with players rotating in and out day-to-day as Polly and the rest of the offensive staff updates the depth chart. That has led to Polly being pleased with the development of a ton of his guys.
"Seth Falley came to us in January and went through the spring. He's really stepped it up this camp. Wilson Kelly, who's an older guy with us, has really developed. Sterling Porcher has come in and done a really nice job for us at tackle. I'm really excited about him. Really excited about Morgan Scott, really excited about Ethan Ellis.
"And getting some of our guys back from missing the spring, having Jordan Palmer back in there, and Jacqui Graham, and being able to move Jahil (Ryles) back into guard. Some familiar faces, some new faces, but just as a unit, they are really meshing together and working really hard."
What's been perhaps the most under the radar change to the O-Line room, besides the room actually being full, has been that Mitch Stewart visits regularly to impart concepts on the group. Without a position group he's in charge of, the offensive coordinator is free to float around more and give more one-on-one instruction with all his position groups, something that's not gone unnoticed by Jordan Palmer.
"It's pretty cool because in the past we didn't really have a connection with our OCs, so we never had that fun experience with each other," Palmer said. "But now with Coach Stewart, he tries to get involved with the O-Linemen, trying to make us feel like a whole family."
It's not a route concept (quick outs). It's not a blocking reminder ("Get low!"). It's not even a play call (that's classified, for the record). But the two words everyone around the Blue Raider football facility has heard to most out of the offense's white jerseys is this:
Point Guard.
"Those quarterbacks have done a phenomenal job," offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart said. "They're the point guards. They get to bring the ball down the court and make all the decisions, dish it, shoot it, whatever they want to do, and they're doing a really nice job of that right now."
Stewart credits quarterback coach Brent Stockstill with the metaphor, which admittedly does a nice job of showcasing the awesome responsibility the quarterback in Stewart's Air Raid scheme. One that sees the quarterbacks forced to make quick reads on nearly every play, featuring plenty of short to mid-range passes, as well as some option game in the backfield.
"I'm liking everything about it," quarterback Nicholas Vattiato said. "I think it's a credit to Coach Stewart and Coach Brent Stockstill, two coaches that make us confident in what we're doing, preaching that point guard mentality."
Both Vattiato and Chase Cunningham, the two leading contenders for QB1 at camp, have mentioned that point guard mentality in post-practice media availability. It's even found its way out of the QB room, with wideout Izaiah Gathings also using the point guard metaphor to praise his quarterback's decision making, which has rarely gone wrong most afternoons on the practice field.
That level of comfort in the offense, even as Stewart throws in more tools and checks than they had this summer, has resulted in a confident bunch on the offensive side of the ball early in camp, even while learning a new scheme.
"I'll be honest with you, I've been pleased with everybody's progress," Stewart said. "I don't want to single a position out. I think the biggest thing is that offensively as a unit, they have a lot of pride and a lot of purpose in themselves. They've got some very big goals for themselves, and I like to be around a group like that."
When folks hear "air raid," their first thought will of course be the passing game, which has seen tight battles all over the field throughout camp to earn playing time on the field. With the point guards, I mean quarterbacks, where Vattiato and Cunningham's position battle is so close that it'd be surprising to see a starter named prior to the week of the season opener at James Madison. The pair have split reps almost perfectly evenly throughout camp so far.
In the other half of the passing game, the Blue Raider wide receivers have shown out early in camp, possessing both great size and speed as unit, allowing Stewart multiple looks to draw from in play calling.
"We don't really have ones and twos, we kind of have what we call a 1A and a 1B, because the first two guys at each position are going to roll pretty much 50/50, unless somebody obviously gets a hot hand," Stewart said of his wide receivers. "The biggest thing with that group is they're doing a nice job within their roles. They're doing a nice job being ready when their number is called. They've done a really good job picking up some schemes, some tools that we have to our base stuff.
"We don't run an awful lot of concepts, but we do have some tools that the quarterback can use, we're starting to get into those."
While the speedster receivers of the Blue Raider offense, led by captains Jaylin Lane and Yusuf Ali, in addition DJ England-Chisolm and Elijah Metcalf, remain a vocal point both in the slot and on the outside, MT also features a plethora of bigger targets, led Gathings (6-4, 226), Bud Tolbert (6-2, 190), and newcomers Jeremy Tate, Jr. (6-5, 259) and Andrew Paige (6-4, 220).
That size gives MT some extra weapons in the redzone, and the ability to make some tough contested catches on quick reads as well.
"We take a lot of pride in it," Gathings said. "I feel like going down in the redzone, it's going to be big for us. And with that size, we've also got speed with it."
The tempo of the offense when it gets rolling is something to be commended, as the fewer concepts often leads to quicker calls and faster action once the offense starts moving the football.
"We can move the ball a lot faster in this offense," Lane said. "Last year, we had a lot of moving around; that kind of slowed us down a little bit. This year, we're in our spots, so we just keep pushing."
With that faster pace comes the ability to slow the game down when needed, something that MTSU will need their running backs' help if they're going to reach their potential this fall. Progress on this front is mixed early in camp, in part thanks to an almost completely new offensive line, but also an almost completely new running back room, where Frank Peasant is lone returning RB with at least eight carries last season.
"We got to have some touchdowns out of the running back group," Peasant said. "We've got to have big plays, not just five yards on first downs or on third and ones."
Among Peasant and the newcomers, it's another case where there has not been much separation day to day. Running backs coach Jeff Beckles said that he's dropped players from the first team to the third team after one practice, even if they might've run the ball well.
"We show him on film why he's down to third team," Beckles said. "And it could be little things. He could be running the ball well, but what's he doing when he doesn't have the ball? Is he blocking when we need him to block? Is he carrying out fakes? Is he running the backside route, making it look like he's getting the ball? Or is he just jogging it because he knows he's not getting it?"
The differing styles of the backs also play a role in how tight that position battle is. Peasant is a more prototypical power back, looking to drive through contact to pick up extra yards. West Virginia transfer A'Varius Sparrow, meanwhile, gives more a speed and cut look out of the backfield. Others, like Central Michigan transfer Darius Bracy, have a little of both in their repertoire.
Stewart says as many as four guys in the running back room have stood out from the pack this camp, but not from one another. Until that changes, it's safe to expect some running back by committee on Saturdays.
As with most Air Raids, some might overlook the running game, but Stewart notes the air raid is more about finding the open space on the field than just passing all the time. Expect, even when MTSU leans on the passing game, for running backs to play a crucial role in moving the ball up the field, either in blitz pick up, check downs, or swing/screen passes.
Ultimately, the offense's success will come down to how a new look Blue Raider offensive line gels and holds up over the course of the season. It's a unit that's gotten a lot bigger since 2021, with nearly 10 newcomers to the program joining the room since January. Early days of camp featured feelings of excitement at having a full room after a spring where sometimes only six linemen dressed out due to injury recovery and roster attrition.
As the sun continued to swelter, however, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Mike Polly is trying to find a group of five he trusts to start, and then five more behind them he can plug and play as the season goes on.
"Big looks good, but big doesn't get you anywhere," Polly said. "We don't win any games by looking pretty getting off the bus, you win the games by root-hogging people out and making plays and doing what our offense asks us to do."
Outside of the team's one returning starter, Jordan Palmer, who is a staple at center for the Blue Raiders, every other spot on offensive line seems to be up for grabs, with players rotating in and out day-to-day as Polly and the rest of the offensive staff updates the depth chart. That has led to Polly being pleased with the development of a ton of his guys.
"Seth Falley came to us in January and went through the spring. He's really stepped it up this camp. Wilson Kelly, who's an older guy with us, has really developed. Sterling Porcher has come in and done a really nice job for us at tackle. I'm really excited about him. Really excited about Morgan Scott, really excited about Ethan Ellis.
"And getting some of our guys back from missing the spring, having Jordan Palmer back in there, and Jacqui Graham, and being able to move Jahil (Ryles) back into guard. Some familiar faces, some new faces, but just as a unit, they are really meshing together and working really hard."
What's been perhaps the most under the radar change to the O-Line room, besides the room actually being full, has been that Mitch Stewart visits regularly to impart concepts on the group. Without a position group he's in charge of, the offensive coordinator is free to float around more and give more one-on-one instruction with all his position groups, something that's not gone unnoticed by Jordan Palmer.
"It's pretty cool because in the past we didn't really have a connection with our OCs, so we never had that fun experience with each other," Palmer said. "But now with Coach Stewart, he tries to get involved with the O-Linemen, trying to make us feel like a whole family."
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