Some air raid coaches will teach their quarterback to note the depth of the cornerback pre-snap. Sign up for the Razorbacks Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning, Not everyone is a fan of Sam Pittman's offseason moves. Sign up for the Longhorns Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Kittleys protg quarterback Bailey Zappe is the nations leading passer, despite it being his first season playing at the FBS level. Change). 74 in the country in total offense, No. #11084 Bowling Green, KY , WKU OC Zach Kittley and the road that led him to the Hill. If he bails to cover the corner route, throw to the flat (cover 4 rules): The exception to this would obviously be if the outside linebacker flies out fast enough to adequately cover the flat. Zappe led the nation with 35 passing touchdowns in 2019 and ranked second in passing yards per game for a Huskies offense that was third nationally in passing offense with 334.3 yards per game through the air. Zach Kittleys electric offense this past season at Western Kentucky put the normally below-the-radar Hilltoppers program onto the national scene. Copyright 2021 WBKO. The success of the offense helped Kittley land the offensive coordinator role at Texas Tech under new head coach Joey McGuire. Zach Barnett. Typically this would be double slants to fill the open void left by the Mike, or some sort of dig/pivot or levels concept designed to place a high/low stretch on the flat defender. Don Williams Peyton Hillis spent more than a week in the hospital and was in intensive care and on a ventilator. The Big 12 will be moving much faster in 2022 than we saw in 2021. 3 in yards per play (7.08). WebFor Students; Student Employment; WKU Athletics Minority Fellowship; WKU Red Wave; Forms/Requests; Book Big Red; Donation Requests; Site Feedback; For Fans; Alumni Tailgates 15 in total offense last season and looking to be even better in 2023. Statistically, it's not even close, no one's in the same ballpark as he is. As this was happening, the Z would run a lazy slant/snag route (he was coached to fake a fade against a rolled corner) and take the Ys place on the stick. Symons' record set in 2003 and his 56 touchdowns are five short of Joe Burrow's record set in 2019. Have confirmed that Zach Kittley has agreed to return to Texas Tech as offensive coordinator. That was obvious early at Texas Tech and he did a tremendous job for us; I know he had a big impact on Patrick Mahomes and was critical to his development. Houston Baptist also ranked second in the Southland Conference and 12th nationally after posting 426.6 yards of total offense that season. That was the most points ever scored by an unranked team against a top 5 opponent and vanquished much of the negativity surrounding South Carolina's lack of production this season. #WreckEm https://t.co/S8w9ERrcNu, Strong endorsements on our new OC! 2018-20 Houston Baptist Offensive Coordinator (Quarterbacks) 1)Total offense: 528.5 ypg (No. 1. ?? The 6-4, 305-pound Spencer played in Zach Kittleys offense back at Western Kentucky and should help sure up the trenches in Lubbock. 3)10-plus yards pass completions: 223 (No. When I left [HBU], there was a little inkling in me thinking that he would leave, he had an SEC offer and a Big 12 offer. Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Led by transfers Bailey Zappe and Jerreth Sterns, WKU finished the season averaging 44 points and 536 yards per game, second behind only Ohio State in total offense. Sterns has also been successful this season, catching 137 passes for 1,718 yards and 17 touchdowns. ?? Hambys praise of WKU seemed to have a strong effect on Kittley. 58 in the country in total offense, No. Kittley was outspoken about Zappe as a Heisman Trophy contender, though he didn't get much play in the national conversation. The Hilltoppers wont be passing the ball on every snap, however. Running Backs should be heavily involved as well. Kittley hopes to run a balanced offense that can tire out defenses using the running game while taking advantage of the deep ball as its deadliest weapon. I believe when he got to run film study with Baker Mayfield, Davis Webb, and of course Patrick Mahomes he started to blossom. The Hilltoppers closed the 2021 campaign as the FBS leader in passing yards per game (433.7) and first downs (384) and ranked second for both scoring offense and total offense and then 13th in red zone offense after scoring in 90.9 percent of their appearances inside the 20. Mahomes led the Big 12 in passing yards in 2015 (5,052) and led the NCAA as a whole in 2016 (5,052) while working with Kittley. When the strong safety would begin to cheat down in an effort to eliminate the stick concept (often in the red zone), Y corner was the obvious constraint play because it took advantage of the open void that was now left behind the cornerback: As the safety came down, the Y would run a 4 step corner, giving a slight head fake to the Mike before cutting to an aiming point 1 yard inside the back pylon ( it is better to be too high on the corner route than too flat because it is easier to come back to the ball). The cornerback jumps the shoot, isolating Sterns on the corner route against an outmatched linebacker: Against UTSA they put the back on tear motion, which allows Zappe to identify man coverage when the backer vacates the box to run with him. He was a receiver on offense and played safety on defense, Kittleys father said. Now the defense has a numbers advantage to the snag side: This is why the complimentary passing concept placed to the backside is so important-it must take advantage of this overreaction by the defense. Zappe became the highest-drafted quarterback in Western Kentucky following a record-setting final collegiate season where he snapped the NCAA FBS records for single-season passing yards (5,967) and passing touchdowns (62). WKU running snag in the red zone for a score, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. I think I was in seventh grade or so, I told [my father] I wanted to be a coach one day, I didnt know what else to coach at the time. 2019 showed signs of improvement as the Huskies put together a 5-7 record with a pair of wins over Southland Conference opponents. Houston Baptist also ranked second in the Southland Conference and 12th nationally after posting 426.6 yards of total offense that season. Its unusual for a coach to have to replace a coordinator this late into the off-season, but these are unusual times for college football. Stick is a short, ball control passing concept that places a horizontal stretch on the flat defender: Against a split coverage team, Mumme and Leach would ensure that stick was a prominent part of the game plan. Zappe actually broke the previous FBS record set by Texas Techs own B.J. Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns led the nation in receptions (137) and receiving yards (1,718) while catching 14 touchdowns. Alumni Association. When given his opportunity, Cupp was a difference maker in his first year in Lubbock. One of Steve Sarkisian's aces in the hole on staff, Brennan Marion and his "GoGo" offense with two running backs is exciting if you have the personnel to run it. Welcome to the Zach Kittley era. Zach Kittley, the architect behind one of the nations top offenses this past two years at both Houston Baptist at Western Kentucky, enters his first season on the Texas Tech staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Born and raised in Lubbock, his father, Wes Kittley, serves as Texas Techs Track and Field and Cross County Director. Zach Kittleys electric offense this past season at Western Kentucky put the normally below-the-radar Hilltoppers program onto the national scene. In fact, there's a chance the 35-year-old could be leading a team in the NFL as early as next season. Thats kinda what makes it work.. Toronto had 94 field goal attempts to Chicagos 71 and outrebounded the Bulls 47-35, including a 19-6 advantage on the offensive glass. After the Birmingham bowl, literally sitting on the bus, wrapping my head around, A, the last second loss we had, but B, what am I going to do. He couldnt take the risk of going somewhere and not knowing people and maybe not even learning the system, who knows what happens from there., And then the other three guys, I love those guys. Promising sophomore Behren Morton will push Shough, but the Red Raiders are in good shape with either at the controls of coordinator Zach Kittley's offense. That is what will determine how successful this offense can be in 2022. The Sooners have all season to prepare for Kittleys new-look offensive attack. 93 in red zone offense and No. Tyler Shough is back from injury and is a perfect scheme fit for Kittleys air raid offense. Led by transfers Bailey Zappe and Jerreth Sterns, WKU finished the season averaging 44 points and 536 yards per game, second behind only Ohio State in total offense. His offense led the nation in passing & was second in total offense. Maybe Ruggiero is looking to do the same. Zappe actually broke the previous FBS record set by Texas Techs own B.J. Of course, their success stems directly from quarterback Bailey Zappe, who led the nation in virtually every passing statistic. Texas Tech made one of the more underrated moves of the offseason with the hire of offensive coordinator Zach Kittley. Barbay rides a balanced spread-style offense for the Mountaineers and just finished his first season as play-caller with the nation's No. & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging. He lost two quarterbacks to injury and one to the transfer portal during camp and both of USF's starting tackles to injury. Once Kittley took the job in Bowling Green, however, he had to say goodbye to what he had helped build down in Houston. All the credit goes to the players and the staff there I inherited Bailey Zappe, the staff before me clearly saw something in Zappe that was very special.. During his time at Texas Tech, he worked with current NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes who went on to become the Leagues Most Valuable Player in 2018 and Super Bowl LIV champion and game MVP a year later. 9 in the conference in 2021. New Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley will make close to $2.2 million over the life of a three-year deal he signed last week. A deal is not in place at this time, but could be by the end of the weekend. #WreckEm https://t.co/S8w9ERrcNu, Strong endorsements on our new OC! Im six foot seven, so growing up in west Texas I was the tallest guy on the corner all the time and I was a pretty decent basketball player so that was just a path that I felt I needed to take, just to kind of see how it went, Kittley said. He stayed helping Sonny the first year and then Sonny left to take the TCU offensive coordinator job and [Texas Tech head coach] Kliff Kingsbury called me and told me how valuable Zach was to them and [that] he was going to take him as his GA and help with the quarterbacks. Another primary passing play the Hilltoppers used throughout their record breaking 2021 season was the snag concept. This move is likely not happening after Loggains took the job as South Carolinas offensive coordinator in December. This season, he led the Red Raiders to finishing No. I have no way of knowing for sure without access to their playbook, but it is possible that this is kind of an option route, where their outside receiver is coached to work back toward the sideline if he doesnt initially get the ball on the slant: Backside slant touchdown throw on a redzone 4th down: Again on 4th down, UTSA is in man free and Zappe works the vertical/out combo to the backside: Here against Marshall, Zappe works a high/low combo on the backside flat defender: Later on in the game they run snag and go, where the outside receiver basically fakes snag and then runs vertical. WKU is doing it all behind a pass-heavy offense that is throwing the ball over 68 percent of the time. Zappe, who Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. High schools were starting to run spread offenses and Zach just understood where to tell his teammates where to line up. "He calls his offense the Ferrari and he hands me the keys before every game, Zappe told Pro Football Focus recently. Satterfield was one an expiring contract with the Gamecocks and his future with the program prior to Matt Rhule's arrival at Nebraska was shaky at best. The pandemic-shortened 2020 season, however, was when Kittleys high-octane air raid offense began to draw national attention. In two years with the Huskies, he worked with current WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe and wide receiver Jerreth Sterns before all three transplanted themselves to Bowling Green this past spring. No team in the Big 12 has more to replace on offense than Iowa State. Mullen helped develop some stud quarterbacks at the college level like Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott. Kittleys version of the play is similar but puts the #2 receiver on a deeper 10 yard corner. Bijan Robinson (Texas), Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State), Marvin Mims (Oklahoma) and Xavier Worthy (Texas) are just a few of many talented skill players. It was fun going to his track meets, being around his college athletes, Kittley said. He runs a similar offensive scheme to Kendall Briles the slow mesh version of the RPO which focuses on tempo and passing slightly more than the traditional RPO scheme. , Kittleys air raid attack was the third-most explosive offense in college football. WebZach Kittley, the architect behind one of the nations top offenses this past two years at both Houston Baptist at Western Kentucky, enters his first season on the were also second nationally in total offense and scoring offense in 2015. Western Kentucky traded in a clunker for a Ferrari and its new offensive coordinator didn't need Without him out there, people didnt know where to line up. Zappe completed 30-of-49 passes for 567 yards with four touchdowns, the most passing yards ever for an FCS player against an FBS defense. The Red Raiders also made a big move by hiring Zach Kittley as offensive coordinator (well get to that) and is rumored to be considering hiring Ewers high school coach. "The stats don't lie," Kittley said last week. The 31-year-old is currently Texas Techs offensive coordinator and fresh off of his first season at the Power Five level. 95 in scoring offense, No. Familiar staples of the system originally made famous by Hal Mumme and Mike Leach were omnipresent in WKUs offense, particularly a heavy dose of 4 verticals and Y stick (although they preferred the Y stick/slot fade variation). The spot route presents another man beater element to the play with the rub it places on the defender covering the flat route. 111)Total offense: 290.3 ypg (No. But the biggest statement the Huskies made in 2020 came in Lubbock on Sept. 12 when Kittley returned to Jones AT&T Stadium to face off with the program that set him up for success. Can he fix what has derailed this offense in recent years? Typically this would be double slants to fill the open void left by the Mike, or some sort of dig/pivot or levels concept designed to place a high/low stretch on the flat defender. A potential trio of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Bijan Robinson would be exciting to watch at the next level. In that case, the spot route runner should be open as he settles into the window between the flat and hook defender: If the cornerback jumps the flat, throw to the corner (cover 2 rules): Against cover 3, the cornerback should bail to his deep third and cancel out the corner, leaving the apexed flat defender in the precarious position of covering both the spot and the flat. Outside of the quarterback position, the Big 12 returns some of the most electric players in the country. Tight ends aren't a big part of the WKU We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Red Raiders bring back former right-hand man to Kliff Kingsbury Kittley is the youngest coach to be named 247Sports' Offensive Coordinator of the YearKittley's quick rebuild at Western Kentucky was possible because of the transfer portal as four of his players at FCS Houston Baptist quarterback Bailey Zappe and three receivers followed him to the Conference USA school last offseason. Ian Boyd 04/15/22. Symons that stood nearly 20 years up until Western Kentuckys win in the Boca Raton Bowl. Kittley is the son of Wes Kittley, Texas Techs longtime Director of Track and Field who led the Red Raiders to a national title at the 2019 NCAA Mens Outdoor Championships. Wide receiver Quinten Johnson will be one of the best in the Big 12 in 2022. I think this offense can be successful in this conference, Kittley said. The Red Raiders, who averaged more than 30 points per game in each of those three seasons, were also second nationally in total offense and scoring offense in 2015. That opportunity came knocking immediately after Kittleys squad fell to South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 23, 2017. Zach Kittley is the leading candidate to be Texas Tech's offensive coordinator, sources told FootballScoop on Saturday. The Heisman Trophy also goes to who's the most important player to the team. J.T. The Mountaineers do have many question marks personnel-wise, but Harrells offense will be exciting nonetheless. Zach Kittley, the architect behind one of the nations top offenses this past two years at both Houston Baptist at Western Kentucky, enters his first season on the Texas Tech staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Briles' play-calling decisions have come under fire at times this season for the Razorbacks, much of that due to personnel issues due to injuries, among other things. By Spencer Sanders is back for his senior season after leading the Pokes to an 11-2 season in 2021. He also had three rushing touchdowns. WebZach Kittley, the architect behind one of the nations top offenses this past two years at both Houston Baptist at Western Kentucky, enters his first season on the Texas Tech staff as Zappe, just the sixth quarterback in FBS history to record at least 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, was named the Conference USA Most Valuable Player as well as the winner of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. Led by transfers Not great numbers on the surface but is young and has potential. Running backs remain an afterthought. I have no way of knowing for sure without access to their playbook, but it is possible that this is kind of an option route, where their outside receiver is coached to work back toward the sideline if he doesnt initially get the ball on the slant: Backside slant touchdown throw on a redzone 4th down: Again on 4th down, UTSA is in man free and Zappe works the vertical/out combo to the backside: Here against Marshall, Zappe works a high/low combo on the backside flat defender: Later on in the game they run snag and go, where the outside receiver basically fakes snag and then runs vertical. The Hilltoppers averaged 527.5 yards per game (second-best) and 7.07 yards per play (third-best). Texas Tech ranks 12th nationally in passing offense, so Rattler and the South Carolina quarterback room would love to see an assistant coach of his caliber come to the SEC. I love that place, Kittley said. Through the air, the Chippewas averaged 265.4 passing yards a game. Academic Majors. 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