Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: Return of the Heavy D Package
9/18/2022 3:53:00 PM | Football
The Blue Raiders brought back an old not-so-secret weapon from 2021 against TSU on Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When I stroll out onto the football practice field during the week, particularly during the season, I know I can't report on anything going on there.
It's the price of my access as an internal staff writer. I get to see many things most beat reporters wouldn't simply because, at the end of the day, I'm part of the team itself. And while football coaches and players are often generous with their time, they are also fiercely protective of their trade secrets, whether it's who's running with the 1s in practice or an injury report, particularly in college football, where the latter is not mandated to be given out each day of practice.
So, when I see a player working through injuries on the side with the training staff, a new rotation in at nickel or a fun new scheme being drawn up, I just make a mental note of it and move on with my day.
Many times, that mental note is left inside my head. Players get cleared to play on Saturday or the trick play you saw doesn't end up being run, and the mental note just becomes an observation you didn't have to share when the information inside of it becomes public. But when something you saw in practice becomes public knowledge, oh man, there's few feelings that are better than that as a writer.
I got to experience that feeling early in MTSU's 49-6 victory over Tennessee State on Saturday, when a Yusuf Ali receiving touchdown was waived off and the ball was placed at the one-yard line. Offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart, with potentially four goal line chances in front of his offense, dialed up a formation I'd seen getting put into place at practice earlier that week.
It started a standard heavy formation, particularly for an air raid offense, with Frank Peasant behind Chase Cunningham in the pistol as the team's usual wide receivers were split in pairs on either side. MTSU stalled a bit, then Cunningham barked some signals, and the wide receivers crashed in to play tight to the line. Peasant went forward on the snap, but not quite enough.
On second down, the four wideouts sprinted off, replaced by four defensive linemen. Ja'Kerrius Wyatt and Jordan Ferguson planned to line up on opposite ends of the offensive line at tight end, Zaylin Wood and Marley Cook would lead block as H-backs in the A-Gap.
"You see those four guys run on the field, I think everybody in the stadium knows what's about to happen," Cunningham said.
Exactly like in practice, Cunningham had his guys in as close to a huddle as you'll see in the air raid, clapping them out as everyone zoomed to their spot, snapping the ball within four seconds of breaking the huddle. TSU was able to get a hand on Peasant, but not before the running back burst through the hole punched by his d-line.
"I love my D-Line," Peasant said. "They're the most aggressive blockers that I've seen. Once he called that, it's an automatic touchdown. Ain't nobody blocking that, ain't nobody holding them up. We're getting in the endzone."
Zaylin Wood after the game said that the formation was drawn up after Stewart had watched film of the 2021 Blue Raiders, where then offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon started working in Wood, Ferguson and Cook into his goal line sets, both as lead blockers and as pass catchers. Wood's touchdown catch against FAU in the regular season finale out of the "Heavy D" set still is part of the rotation of season highlights that plays on TVs in the Murphy Center just outside the Athletic Communications office.
It's a smart idea to adapt down by the goal line, where the defensive line can provide the strength needed to give the tiny seam that's all that is needed in those short yardage situations, while also having the athleticism to go up and snag a pass on a screen or a fade. Time will tell if the latter is worked into the scheme. All I've seen, both on the practice field and in Floyd Stadium, has been the lead blocking for the Blue Raider running backs.
Wherever the MTSU offense goes with its defense helping them on the field, it takes me back to the best parts of football, where Julius Peppers and JJ Watt can line up out wide for a fade in the NFL or a college football team can part the defense using a state champion powerlifter that had two sacks the previous week. The kind of creativity, the simple innovation of taking what worked before while also making it your own that has defined so much of football's schemes over the years.
I just hope I'll continue to have more practice observations like the ones I had this week that can continue to be shared after the fact like MTSU did Saturday.
It's the price of my access as an internal staff writer. I get to see many things most beat reporters wouldn't simply because, at the end of the day, I'm part of the team itself. And while football coaches and players are often generous with their time, they are also fiercely protective of their trade secrets, whether it's who's running with the 1s in practice or an injury report, particularly in college football, where the latter is not mandated to be given out each day of practice.
So, when I see a player working through injuries on the side with the training staff, a new rotation in at nickel or a fun new scheme being drawn up, I just make a mental note of it and move on with my day.
Many times, that mental note is left inside my head. Players get cleared to play on Saturday or the trick play you saw doesn't end up being run, and the mental note just becomes an observation you didn't have to share when the information inside of it becomes public. But when something you saw in practice becomes public knowledge, oh man, there's few feelings that are better than that as a writer.
I got to experience that feeling early in MTSU's 49-6 victory over Tennessee State on Saturday, when a Yusuf Ali receiving touchdown was waived off and the ball was placed at the one-yard line. Offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart, with potentially four goal line chances in front of his offense, dialed up a formation I'd seen getting put into place at practice earlier that week.
It started a standard heavy formation, particularly for an air raid offense, with Frank Peasant behind Chase Cunningham in the pistol as the team's usual wide receivers were split in pairs on either side. MTSU stalled a bit, then Cunningham barked some signals, and the wide receivers crashed in to play tight to the line. Peasant went forward on the snap, but not quite enough.
On second down, the four wideouts sprinted off, replaced by four defensive linemen. Ja'Kerrius Wyatt and Jordan Ferguson planned to line up on opposite ends of the offensive line at tight end, Zaylin Wood and Marley Cook would lead block as H-backs in the A-Gap.
"You see those four guys run on the field, I think everybody in the stadium knows what's about to happen," Cunningham said.
Exactly like in practice, Cunningham had his guys in as close to a huddle as you'll see in the air raid, clapping them out as everyone zoomed to their spot, snapping the ball within four seconds of breaking the huddle. TSU was able to get a hand on Peasant, but not before the running back burst through the hole punched by his d-line.
"I love my D-Line," Peasant said. "They're the most aggressive blockers that I've seen. Once he called that, it's an automatic touchdown. Ain't nobody blocking that, ain't nobody holding them up. We're getting in the endzone."
Zaylin Wood after the game said that the formation was drawn up after Stewart had watched film of the 2021 Blue Raiders, where then offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon started working in Wood, Ferguson and Cook into his goal line sets, both as lead blockers and as pass catchers. Wood's touchdown catch against FAU in the regular season finale out of the "Heavy D" set still is part of the rotation of season highlights that plays on TVs in the Murphy Center just outside the Athletic Communications office.
It's a smart idea to adapt down by the goal line, where the defensive line can provide the strength needed to give the tiny seam that's all that is needed in those short yardage situations, while also having the athleticism to go up and snag a pass on a screen or a fade. Time will tell if the latter is worked into the scheme. All I've seen, both on the practice field and in Floyd Stadium, has been the lead blocking for the Blue Raider running backs.
Wherever the MTSU offense goes with its defense helping them on the field, it takes me back to the best parts of football, where Julius Peppers and JJ Watt can line up out wide for a fade in the NFL or a college football team can part the defense using a state champion powerlifter that had two sacks the previous week. The kind of creativity, the simple innovation of taking what worked before while also making it your own that has defined so much of football's schemes over the years.
I just hope I'll continue to have more practice observations like the ones I had this week that can continue to be shared after the fact like MTSU did Saturday.
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