Why MTSU football players, coaches are optimistic about offense following spring practice

Middle Tennessee State football took a lot of positives away from spring practice.

The offense arguably gave the biggest reason for optimism during the five-week spring session, which concluded Saturday at Floyd Stadium with a workout that included several scrimmage periods.

For MTSU second-year offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart, having a unit more comfortable with his offense was a key component of the spring, after he came in just before spring practice last season.

"I think so," said Stewart, when asked if things slowed down for his players more this spring than last. "A lot of that comes with the guys being back. It's not the first time they've heard it. When it's your first time saying it, there can be some disconnect, but we've bridged the gap on a lot of that disconnect."

MTSU finished 8-5 after a Hawaii Bowl win over San Diego State last season. The Blue Raiders averaged 29 points a game on offense, but the passing game accounted for 71% of the team's total yardage.

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The Blue Raiders hope to have a more balanced offense in 2023, and bringing in running backs Jaiden Credle (Northern Illinois transfer) and Romal Webb (Coffeyville Community College) should help compliment returnee Frank Peasant in a running game that averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Credle rushed 72 times for 288 yards and a TD as a freshman last season. The 5-9, 200-pound Webb had 624 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Peasant led MTSU with 774 yards (4.3 average) and nine TDs.

"I feel really good about our running backs," Stewart said. "Frank is about as consistent as can be, and he had a really good spring. We brought in two guys to put pressure on him, and they did that with (Credle) and (Webb). They did a tremendous job."

"Frank's going to do what Frank does, but having Flip and Spider (Credle and Webb) coming in (really helps)," MTSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Vattiato said. "Flip, when you watch him run, is so smooth. Spider is so subtle. He hits the hole and bursts, and you won't see him, and he'll pop out on the other side."

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Experienced Vattiato leads athletic QB room

Vatiatto is the leader of a deep quarterback group that will replace graduated starter Chase Cunningham. He has eight games and six starts. He showed off more of an ability to run this spring after rushing for just 40 career yards to date.

"(The read option) is something I've been working on," said Vattiato, who redshirted last season after starting one game. "We're just making it another part of our offense, something else the defense has to be aware of. It opens a lot more of what we can do. I'm continuing to get better at it."

Vattiato has 1,340 career passing yards with seven TDs and seven interceptions.

"We've had it all along, but Nick is very cerebral," Stewart said. "We can give him a lot of options and let him go. It's kind of what we gradually want to get to. The thing I love about Nick is he can extend plays. He can run and extend plays and make things happen with his feet, so we're going to allow him to do that."

While Vattiato is the veteran leader and the likely candidate over at quarterback, the team's depth behind him improved this spring with sophomores D.J. Riles and Kyle Lowe, both redshirt freshmen. Both are more traditionally running QBs.

"I like where we are from the quarterback position heading into the summer," coach Rick Stockstill said. "I thought Nick had a really good spring, a consistent spring. D.J. got better ... he's improved throwing the ball and he's a dynamic runner. His pocket presence improved this spring.

"Same with Kyle. He's a good runner and moves around well. I thought he protected the ball a lot better this spring than he did in the fall. Both of those guys really improved their presence in the pocket."

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The offensive line received high praise for their work this spring after having their shares of struggles in 2022.

"They took a lot of heat last year," Stewart said. "But they've used that heat to fuel them in the weight room, during offseason conditioning and those type of things. We're seeing them gel together, which is what you want. They don't have to be the 'best,' but if they play the best together, that can go a long way. (Their improvement) is really exciting.

"They're the group I've been most pleased with."

The Blue Raiders open the season on the road at perennial power Alabama Sept. 2.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU football: Improving offense gives Blue Raiders optimism in spring