Middle Tennessee (or just “MT,” per athletic department branding) is a Conference USA team that’s struggled of late, with losing seasons in 2020 and 2019. This year’s team looks like a mix of young and new in lots of places, so it’s hard to say if this squad is looking at an uphill season, or if they’ve been restocked and recharged.

Last week they faced FCS/Big South member Monmouth, which has made regular playoff appearances the past few years. For the first half, Monmouth gave MT all they could handle, though a stream of mistakes ended the upset attempt. Unfortunately, ESPN’s JV crew filmed the game, with many plays beginning with a tight zoom on the QB, and even the “wide” overhead shots were often tight on the box, which left out receivers from the frame, so there’s some inferring to be made. The available highlights are even worse, so apologies in advance for not having much video this week.

Offense

Brent Dearmon is the new OC, and he takes over after Air Raid guru Tony Franklin’s prickly resignation due to COVID disagreements in 2020. Dearmon is best known for being promoted from consultant to coordinator during Les Miles’ short-lived Kansas run; the promotion came after Khalil Herbert bowed out, so you probably can’t blame/thank Dearmon for that. The new MT offense is more of a spread-option offense than Air Raid. Alignment wise, it looks a bit like what you see from the Hokies, except that they like to keep an H-back in a “sniffer” spot just behind and inside of the tackle:

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