Welcome to day three of our 2019 TXST Football Preview. Today we take a look at the offense.
Offense
While the defense gave up a middle of the pack 27.7 points per game, good for 74th in the nation, the offense was a different story. The Bobcat offense was ranked 121st in scoring with just 19.8 points per game. The Bobcats finished the final three games of the 2018 season scoring just 7 points in each contest. While the defense made a huge leap from 111 to 73 in overall defense, the offense remained stagnant the entire 3 years Withers was the head coach. The Bobcat faithful have sat through their fair share of disappointing losses due to the offensive struggles over the past 3 years, even when the defense held their opponent well below what could reasonably be expected.
For example, if you would have told me at the beginning of last season that the Bobcats would hold Georgia Southern and Troy to just 15 and 12 points respectively, I would have definitely counted those as wins. Unfortunately, the Bobcat offense couldn’t get anything going in either of those games and only scored 13 and 7 points to lose both contests.
The good news, and yes there is good news, is that I don’t believe the offensive struggles over the past three years were due to a lack of talent. If you dig deeper into the play by play and situational play calling from last year, you start to understand why the Bobcats weren’t as successful on that side of the ball. For example, calling a delayed QB draw out of the shotgun backed up in your own end zone is just asking for a safety. Which is exactly what happened in the Georgia Southern game I just mentioned. The resulting 2 points ended up being the deciding factor in that game. QB draws at inopportune times weren’t the only play calling issues the Bobcats had last season. Predictability was a huge problem! When the drunk guy a few rows up on the “dark side” of the stadium can accurately call out the next play consistently, you know the other team is also able to identify what’s coming next. The Bobcats seemed to only run the same 5 plays just with a variation in formation or pre-snap motion all season long. The primary plays were either a run up the middle, a delayed QB draw, or a wide receiver screen.
Of course, this is a minor exaggeration, but the play calling was predictable enough to allow the opposing team to stack the box and rush almost every play with no fear of giving up the deep shot or a big play. This not so coincidentally led to 3 and outs more frequently than successful drives that result in points. The Bobcats had 55 out of 156 drives end in 3 and outs or a turnover within the first 3 plays, versus 37 drives resulting in points.
Which brings me back to my original point, the offensive struggles were likely not related to depth or talent on that side of the ball, but rather poor play calling and talent utilization. This is good news for two huge reasons. The first, the Bobcats return almost everyone on offense just like they do on defense. The second, and probably the biggest reason, Jake Spavital and Bob Stitt.
While Spavital is unproven as a head coach, he has more than proven he can lead successful offenses. Spavital was West Virginia University’s offensive coordinator for the 2017 and 2018 seasons prior to being hired as the head coach for the Bobcats. In those 2 seasons, he led the Mountaineers to an overall offensive ranking of #20 in 2017 and #8 in 2018. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator at California where he led the Golden Bears to a #10 total offense ranking. In the previous three years prior to his time at California, he was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. During his time at A&M, he led the Aggie offense to several additional national rankings including #4 in total offense for 2013 as a co-coordinator and #7 in passing touchdowns for 2014.
If you’re not already excited at the prospect of having a head coach with Spavital’s offensive chops, don’t worry because Spavital also brought in Bob Stitt as the offensive coordinator. Stitt brings 32 years of coaching experience to the Bobcats including 18 years of head coaching experience at the Colorado School of Mines and Montana. He is probably best known for his upset of 4-time defending National Champions North Dakota State in his first game as the Montana head coach in 2015, where his offense scored 38 points with 55 passes for 434 yards. Stitt was also credited with the creation of the fly sweep by Dana Holgerson after Holgerson featured it in a blowout win in the 2012 Orange Bowl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TxW-2DhGgk
Basically, all you need to know about these two coaches is that they are brilliant offensive minds, which the Bobcats desperately need. Oh yea, and #StittHappens.
With that being said, let’s take a look at what Stitt and Spavital have to work with on offense.
Offensive Line
As I mentioned earlier, the Bobcats return almost everyone. The only major losses on the offense are Keenan Brown and Tyler Watts. Keenan Brown was the Bobcats leader in receiving yards at 577 and will be hard to replace. The Oklahoma State transfer brought Big 12 talent to the Sun Belt, which explains why he was targeted so much. If the Bobcats had one bright spot on the offensive side of the ball last year, it was Keenan Brown.
Fortunately, the Bob Stitt and Jake Spavital offenses don’t utilize the tight end position in the same way as the Bobcat offense did in 2018 and that should result in a less noticeable gap to fill with Brown’s absence. The Bobcat offense will likely use the tight end position to shore up the run game by using it in various blocking schemes. However, they will also spread them out occasionally to keep the defense on their toes and exploit mismatches on the outside.
Regardless, the Bobcats will look to Brendon Rushing and Seth Caillouet at tight end. Rushing has played in 29 games over the past three years, including eight games in 2018. At 6’4” 235, he has the size to create those mismatches I was talking about when spread out wide, but also has the ability to help out in the run game when needed. Caillouet on the other hand played in just 4 games last season. All of his playing time came on special teams and he was able to redshirt last year due to the new NCAA four game redshirt rule. I expect him to get his first meaningful reps in 2019 as he rotates in to provide some depth at the position. The Bobcats can also rotate in Hunter Hebert, a redshirt sophomore out of La Porte High School.
Continuing with the offensive line, there are still a ton of questions that need to be answered. Primarily, which position each player is going to play. If there’s one thing I want to see moving into 2019, it’s consistency on the offensive line. The Bobcats return several players that have played multiple positions throughout their time with TXST, including Aaron Brewer. Brewer is probably the most talented offensive lineman the Bobcats return from last year. He has been called on to play every position on the offensive line at some point during his TXST career. Brewer lined up at right tackle throughout Spring practices and I expect him to start at right tackle heading into 2019 as well. Brewer has been selected as a Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Center. While I don’t expect Brewer to play center in 2019, he has in the past and clearly has the talent and ability to do it. Center may even be where he fits best, but he will be needed on the outside more than at center.
On the other end of the line, Jacob Roland will likely start at left tackle. Roland is another Bobcat linemen that has a lot of experience and has played multiple positions. In 2018, he started at right tackle, guard, and finally finished the season at left tackle. Heading into the 2019 season, he has been selected as a Preseason All-Sun Belt Fourth Team Linemen by Athlon Sports.
Moving to the interior line, expect to see Jalen Momerelle at left guard and Tate Heitmeier at right guard. Tanner King and David Tachie could also see playing time at guard and will help fill out the depth chart.
Reece Jordan got significant playing time at center during Spring practices and I expect him to get the start at center in the Fall as well. Jacob Fryrear got second team reps in the Spring and will likely back up Jordan moving into next year.
While the offensive line wasn’t particularly good in 2018, they suffered from a lack of consistency and identity. If they are given time to jell and really learn their position, I expect that to eliminate several of the problems this position group showed in previous years. Given another year of experience, another offseason and time in the weightroom, and an offensive identity that has been lacking in previous years, I fully expect this group to greatly improve from 2018 to 2019.
Running Backs
Moving on to the running back position group. The Bobcats once again return everyone. The Bobcats finished just 108 in rushing S&P+ for the 2018 season. Part of that was the lack of consistency in the offensive line and predictability in play calling that I already mentioned. When you don’t stretch the field and your opponent knows which plays you are likely to run, they are able to stack the box and blitz on almost every play. This makes it difficult for the running backs to get anything going. If Spavital and Stitt are able to spread the field both horizontally and vertically with a legitimate passing threat, it will open up lanes for the running backs that haven’t been there in previous years.
Anthony D. Taylor, Jaylin Nelson, and Alec Harris are all back from last season. All three backs have been competing for the starting position throughout the Spring, but it was Taylor who set himself apart in the Spring game. Taylor also led the Bobcat running backs in 2018 with 312 total yards, good for a 3.6 yards per carry. This is a another position group that should see significant improvement with the new coaching staff and offensive scheme changes from previous years.
Wide Receivers
Moving on to the wide receivers. The Bobcats have several quality receivers returning from last season including five of the top seven players in total reception yards. Mason Hays, Jeremiah Haydel, Hutch White, Javen Banks, Caleb Twyford, and Jah’Marae Sheread will all be back for 2019. The experience and depth at this position will allow Spavital and Stitt to rotate players in without a significant drop in talent from first to second team players. Hays returns after posting 9 receptions for 122 yards in 2018 and looks to have his best season yet. In 2017, he started the first four games recording 9 catches for 148 yards before an injury ended his season. During the Spring Game, Hays electrified the Bobcat crowd when he went up and caught a 72 yard catch to set up a 3 yard touchdown reception the very next play. If the Bobcats want to have success in the passing game and open things up for the running backs too, they will need Hays to have a breakout season.
Jeremiah Haydel finished second in total receiving yards behind Keenan Brown last year with 326 total yards. He also had the longest reception of the season for the Bobcats with a 93 yard touchdown pass against Georgia State. Haydel was selected as a 2019 All-Sun Belt Third Team Receiver by Athlon Sports.
Hutch White was third on the total receiving yards list for the Bobcats with 298 yards last season. White will also be the Bobcats primary punt returner in 2019 where he was selected as an All-Sun Belt First Team Punt Returner.
Javen Banks returns after catching 10 passes for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Caleb Twyford had 16 catches for 121 yards in 2018, but also rushed 70 times for 311 yards as he split duties in 2018. Look for Twyford to stay put at wide receiver this year. Finally, Sheread who played in just four games last season before being redshirted, returns after catching 6 passes for 53 yards.
Quarterbacks
Finally, the Quarterbacks! I know this is the real reason you’re still reading… The Bobcats struggled to find a quarterback that fit what Withers and company wanted to do offensively last year. Willie Jones III, who transferred out in the offseason, was an extremely athletic quarterback. He led the offense in rushing yards with 402 and an average of 4.2 per carry, but only had a completion percentage of 56.5%. Tyler Vitt had a little better accuracy at 60.7%, but lacked the running ability that Jones had.
Moving into the 2019 season, Spavital has 3 quarterbacks that are competing for the starting job. Tyler Vitt, Jaylen Gipson, and Gresch Jensen. Gipson was 3rd string in 2018 behind Jones and Vitt, improved a lot from last season to the Spring. In 2018, Gipson threw just 6 times completing half of those attempts for 12 yards. However, in the Spring game his threw 7-11 for 69 yards and looked like a legitimate contender to move up the depth chart.
Tyle Vitt struggled in 2018 primarily due to decision making. Something a true freshman quarterback can be expected to struggle with. I firmly believe that had Withers not been feeling the heat last year, he would have liked to redshirt Vitt and give him a little more time to adjust. However, with Jones being more one dimensional and Withers getting pressure from the fans and the administration to win more immediately, he needed to play both quarterbacks to give the Bobcats the best chance at winning. Vitt ended up getting sacked 18 times and throwing 10 interceptions last year. Several of the sacks and interceptions seemed unnecessary and were mistakes that you don’t typically see from a more experienced quarterback. With that being said, those are mistakes that can be corrected with a little more experience and some coaching from a QB coach that has coached players like Johnny Manziel, Will Grier, Geno Smith, and Davis Webb.
Gresch Jensen received most of the first team snaps during the Spring game and alternated with Vitt for first team reps throughout the Spring. He was 11-21 for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Spring game. Jensen also has experience in Coach Stitt’s offense. As a redshirt freshman, Jensen played for Stitt at Montana in 2017. That season, Jensen accounted for 2,531 yards passing and also rushed for 203 yards. He then transferred to Fullerton College, a JUCO, before transferring to TXST and reuniting with Stitt just 2 years later. While at Fullerton, Jensen threw for 2,330 yards and 16 touchdowns. Jensen has the advantage of already knowing Stitt’s offensive system and can step in without a learning curve.
For this reason, I believe the best course of action for the Bobcats would be to start Jensen, use Gipson as QB2, and redshirt Vitt. This gives Vitt another year to mature and get better, which will help TXST in the long run, and has the added advantage of starting a QB that already understands Stitts system.
Special Teams
Special Teams is an often ignored part of college football. However, this is an area that TXST absolutely has to improve if they want to be competitive next season. The Bobcats finished 2018 tied for second to last in blocked kicks allowed with 6. They were also second to last in blocked punts allowed, 123 out of 130 in net punting, 87.1% in extra point percentage missing 4 extra points, and made just 42.9% of their field goal attempts.
Chris Kessler returns as the place kicker from last year after finishing with the best extra point percentage after making all four of his attempts. However, he did miss both of his field goal attempts last season. Foster Hilborn, who played in 2017, returns after using his redshirt last season. He will give the Bobcats another option when it comes to FG attempts. Finally, Clayton Stewert returns as the punter for TXST.
Stay tuned tomorrow as we wrap up our 2019 Preview with final thoughts, a prediction of the Bobcats final record, and a prediction of what the 2 deep depth chart could look like.
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