MTSU Offense Looks For Dynamism In Year One Of Mason Era

It's hard to stop when one gets going about all that's changed for the Middle Tennessee football offense this offseason.

There's Derek Mason's new offensive coordinator from Northern Iowa, Bodie Reeder, who crossed paths with the head coach when both were on staff at Auburn. There's Reeder's new scheme featuring multiple looks that Blue Raider fans haven't seen regularly (maybe ever?) from the Blue Raiders in Floyd Stadium, including Pistol formations, snaps taken under center and shotgun formations with two tight ends, just to name a few. And then there's the resulting reshuffling of personnel throughout the offensive position rooms.

It's a lot to analyze all at once. But after listening to what Reeder, his offensive assistants and players on the offensive side of ball have had to say during fall camp, the message the coaching staff is presenting on what this offense can be at its peak is clear.

"The only one I can say is very dynamic," wide receiver Omari Kelly said when asked to describe the offense. "Everybody plays fast, everybody plays with a good tempo, and everybody plays really hard."

The expectations for how the offense can use its depth are clear.

"They have to be extremely unselfish," tight ends coach Joe Ganz said of his position group. "They all have different strengths, and they all have different weaknesses. Part of our offense is embracing those strengths and putting them in situations where they're strong at."

A dynamic offense with unselfish players checks a lot of boxes on paper for Mason's Physical, Tough, Intelligent, Blue Collar culture that he's set at the top of the program. But the clearest vision for this offense, the word nearly everyone used when asked how the offense was doing and where they needed to go? They need to be more consistent day-to-day, play-to-play, player-to-player.

"Are we consistently moving the ball down the field?" Reeder said when asked how he'd judge the success of the offense. "I'm not talking about big, long shot plays, I'm not talking about big explosive runs. What will knock a defense out is consistently being four yards or more."

In a camp that's been noted by Mason himself as having more depth at the start competing for starting jobs than nearly any program he's been around, finding the players that can be consistently, unselfishly dynamic on the field has brought out the best in many Blue Raiders. But two weeks ahead of the season opener against Tennessee Tech, there's plenty to monitor across all five position groups on the offensive side of the ball.

"We always tell the quarterback, 'Go to school on the motion.'"

The position with the most consistency, perhaps, from 2023 to 2024 is quarterback, where Nicholas Vattiato returns as the starter for the second season in a row. Having started at least one game the prior three seasons for the Blue Raiders, Vattiato was the only starter on any side of the ball named by Mason on the first day of practice, and his production from a season ago, throwing for 3,092 yards and 23 touchdowns, gave Reeder a base to build around.

"He's been through a lot of battles, he's got a lot of game experience," Reeder said of QB1. "Nick's cool as a cucumber. It's a blessing to have a guy that is weathered and callused a little bit by playing reps."

The dynamic aspects of Reeder's scheme come in play in large part through the eyes of Vattiato, who's the player reading the defense off the unusual looks Reeder can generate through consistent use of pre-snap motion, which has been ubiquitous through the first two weeks of fall camp.

"We always tell the quarterback, 'Go to school on the motion,'" Reeder said. "If we can get a tip or a clue as to what coverage they're in, that's going to be a thing. At times, it's going to be front dictated, trying to get the offensive an advantage by how we move the tight end or move the back."

Vattiato was challenged by the talent MTSU brought in the offseason. With only himself and Stone Frost remaining in the quarterback room from a season ago, Vattiato needed to beat out Junior College transfer Luther Richesson, highly-touted freshman Roman Gagliano and UCF transfer (and former Charlotte starting quarterback) Xavier Williams. All came in with plenty of talent, but Mason said at CUSA Kickoff that competition only led to Vattiato continuing to elevate his game, earning the early seal of approval from Mason.

"This is going on my fourth year in college football," Vattiato said. "I feel like I've learned a lot from guys ahead of me, guys in the past, just trying to learn each day. We've got a really competitive room."

With starting quarterback set, Gagliano has put himself in position as the most consistent arm behind Vattiato through two weeks of practice, giving him the slight edge in the fight for the back-up spot, Reeder said, while acknowledging there was a lot of football left in camp and things could change. The offensive coordinator noted the Opelika, Ala. native's fearlessness in the pocket and arm strength as traits that were already flashing on the practice field.

Williams, however, has a knack for making plays with his legs that's unlike any other quarterback in the room. And because he's had more of a learning curve in getting the offense down, a product of not arriving to the team until this summer, Reeder noted that he's someone that will only continue to get better with time.

"You're not going to be a guy that's just going to be a slot receiver or just an outside receiver. You're a receiver."

To get the passing game firing, Reeder gave Vattiato, the rest of the quarterback room and their passing targets an ultimatum after the spring: get on the grass and work to create the timing that wasn't there often enough in spring practice.

"It takes trust and timing," Reeder said. "A new relationship has got to be built. We weren't there (in the spring), our passing game was not very good. We challenged the guys in the summer to gain trust and create that timing. It doesn't take a defense on the field; it's throwing to spots and running the right steps and throwing with the right trajectory."

That lack of initial chemistry is not only a result of a scheme change, moving away from the spread-out air raid looks that have defined Blue Raider football in recent years, but also in who's being thrown the ball at wide receiver. The Blue Raiders' leading returning receiver, Javonte Sherman, caught 19 passes for just 125 yards last year. Bringing back Holden Willis, now in the tight end room, as well as the increased use of tight ends in Reeder's offense have helped some in creating the passing game. But there needed to be a better bond early in the fall between the quarterbacks and their wideouts.

The good news for Blue Raider fans is that the work the players put in is free, and it's showing on the field. New receivers like Auburn transfer Omari Kelly, Central Arkansas Transfer Myles Butler and Duke transfer Hayes Sutton have found consistency alongside returners like Sherman, Kellen Stewart and Cam'ron Lacy. It's a fact that's gotten wide receivers coach Cornelius Williams excited about his group's depth heading into the season, particularly with so many players able to play both on the outside and in the slot.

"If you watch those guys in the league, that's what they're doing," Williams said. "Those guys are able to go inside and outside. With Coach Reeder and this offense, that's what we're going to do. We want to be able to tell guys that if you come here, you're not going to be a guy that's just going to be a slot receiver or just an outside receiver. You're a receiver."

Part of being a receiver in Reeder's offense, Williams noted, is being a willing blocker. His guys have embraced that role when it's been called for them, and it's given their position coach a lot of pride at this point in camp.

"I want our group to be recognized even if we aren't getting the ball thrown to us," Williams said, noting the physical play of receivers like Butler and Sherman in particular. "We need to go out there with all-out effort every play."

"He wants the tight ends to carry the spirit of the team."

Joe Ganz had maybe the most unenviable task of any assistant coach on Mason's staff this offseason, being tasked with building a tight end room that essentially did not exist the year prior in an air raid scheme that used four wide receiver sets almost exclusively.

That's not to say the cupboard was completely bare. The Blue Raiders used one of their slot receiver spots as a quasi-tight end in the air raid, a role that Holden Willis thrived in a year ago and one that returners like Taharin Sudderth and Jacob Coleman had experience with as well. But running a route tree that's similar to what a tight end might run in a more traditional offense and playing tight end are two different experiences entirely.

"Coach Reeder's big thing is he wants the tight ends to carry the spirit of the team," Willis said. "Because we do a lot of stuff in the offense, whether it's motioning, pass block, run block, route running, we do a lot of stuff in there, so he wants us to carry that, and we take pride in that."

Ganz is excited about the room he's built. While acknowledging that there's still plenty of room to grow for his guys, the diverse skillsets his group has as tight ends, Ganz says, gives him and Reeder a plethora of options to attack opposing defenses. Ganz expects he'll play as many as six guys at tight end during the season and is designing packages to make use of each player's skillset.

"They've got rewarded by having their own personnel groups, having certain packages for them," Ganz said. "Maybe in the past, they haven't played as much, but they're going to play a lot and in a lot of different roles... It helps with the buy-in. When they see things go right and our offense succeeds, their reps go up."

The addition of an external transfer tight end, Missouri transfer Ryan Hoerstkamp, gave the room some more depth, but the internal position moves of Slade Alexander (from linebacker) and Daniel Gonzalez (from offensive line) have given Ganz more tools in the toolbox, particularly as Alexander has continued to impress with each additional rep he's gotten this fall.

"He's strong, he's smart and he's got good football instincts," Ganz said of Alexander. "If it's not the perfect look you drew up or showed him on film, he's able to adapt. He plays his butt off, and that's part of being a tight end."

With certain players being more suited to pass catching (Willis remains a threat at all times on the field) and others more suited to blocking (it's no shock that a former offensive lineman like Gonzalez has found success with this part of his game), with some in the room in between the two extremes (Ganz highlighted Coleman and Sudderth as players that can do both), Ganz says the situation will dictate the personnel grouping in the game.

And yes, that might give defenses a clue to what MTSU might be running on a given play, he acknowledged. But with the ability of his guys, Ganz doesn't want to overthink things either.

"They might know he's going to run a certain route, but make them cover it," Ganz said. "The France team knew Steph Curry was going to shoot the three, he still made about seven of them... I'm going to make that guy stop it and prove to me they we can't run this certain package of plays. We'll dress it up, maybe give it a different look, we're always conscious of that, but you don't want to make it too complicated."

"If you're hot, you're going to roll."

Running back is another room that's got consistency and unselfishness early in camp, with four returning runners, Frank Peasant, Jaiden Credle, Jekail Middlebrook and Terry Wilkins all flashing for new running backs coach Calvin Lowry.

It's a recurring theme for the Blue Raiders, the depth they have at running back. The quartet of returners took all but five running back rushing attempts for the Blue Raiders last season. The difference this year, Peasant noted, is that the running backs are in an offense that is planning to run the ball a lot more consistently than in years past.

"We know the run is coming," Peasant said. "So, we've got to be more locked in on what we've got to do to make our team successful."

What excites Lowry about that group is that they're all well-rounded as players. Some maybe have a little more elusiveness, a little more power, a little more pass catching ability than the others. But they can all do whatever Lowry and Reeder ask of them, making deciding who plays very straightforward.

"If you're hot, you're going to roll," Lowry said. "I'm not going to take fish grease off the stove and then go back and try to cook some fish when the grease is cooled off."

Lowry knows that to get through an entire season, he'll likely need all four of those players, and likely some more help from guys behind them as well like Brian Brewton and Jayce Gardner. When the hits are more intense and the grind of a 60-minute game takes its toll, who can withstand that pressure and the physical cost? Time will tell.

For Peasant's part, the competition in the room has brought out the best in him this fall.

"I know that I've got three younger players that I've got to compete with and stay on top," Peasant said. "I've got them chomping at the bit, trying to get their starting position. I've got to stay focused, keep doing what I'm doing and just lead them, bring them along."

"This group has grown learning how to strain."

The key to all of this offense's plans, from being able to run the ball with consistency to making use of the improved timing and chemistry in the passing game to being able to make use of all the tools the tight end room brings, starts and ends with the offensive line. Led by first-year coach Kendall Simmons, with help from his GA, former Appalachian State standout Baer Hunter, it's a group that maybe had the most competition of any position group heading into the fall, with all five starting positions up for grabs when practice kicked off.

"Competition breeds excellence," offensive lineman Marcus Miller said after the first day of practice. "Everyone being able to battle for a spot leaves no room for error, in that kind of way. Everyone's able to say that they gave their all because they're fighting for a spot."

Two weeks in, Simmons has found some answers on the offensive line. He likes the production of Mateo Guevara, an All-CUSA Freshman selection last year, at right guard. Julius Pierce, in his sixth year of college football, provides stability at center. And Miller, a UNLV transfer, has stuck at left tackle as someone Simmons trusts the most, a player he can play at all five positions on the offensive line.

Simmons wants to play eight to nine guys each game but keep three of the starting five almost always the same series-to-series, to build consistency and chemistry along the line. With those three standing out, that makes the competition for the final two spots on the offensive line especially heated in the final half of fall camp.

"We've got six guys fighting for two spots," Simmons said. "But at least eight guys are going to play, just to keep everybody fresh."

At right tackle, J'Shun Bodiford has an advantage from having played with Guevara and Pierce a good bit last season. But he'll have to battle with a fellow returner Morgan Scott, as well as freshman Zach Clayton, who Simmons says has been very impressive in his first college football fall and will "play a lot" by the end of the season. At left guard, returner Ethan Ellis is battling with fellow returnee Simon Wilson and Tennessee Tech transfer Ellis Adams for the final starting spot.

As a group, Simmons notes, the offensive line has embraced that competition, knowing that their position coaches have no problem putting in someone new if they're not producing. Simmons has worked on making sure he doesn't give the group too much information all at once, focusing on one specific thing to correct each practice. But they all have improved in the most important part of building a physical offensive line.

"This group has grown learning how to strain," Simmons said. "All I'm asking for, since the day I met you, is the effort side of it, straining, and taking the coaching. There's nothing that we say that is personal."

Sam Doughton