For college football coaches, game planning is a large part of the job description. Coaches break down film, look at tendencies and search for any weakness in an opponents scheme.
That?s problematic for the MTSU coaching staff this week, as the Blue Raiders prepare to open the 2009 season Saturday night at Clemson.
The Tigers enter the season with a new head coach (Dabo Swinney), new offensive coordinator (Billy Napier), new quarterback (Kyle Parker) and new defensive coordinator (Kevin Steele), leaving the Blue Raiders with little film and little background on what they will face at Memorial Stadium.
?We still look at it like it?s our first game and, it?s not coach speak, we?re really just trying to do our stuff correctly,? said MTSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who is charged with stopping Napier?s offense. ?We?re going to do what we?re going to do for the most part regardless of who we?re playing.?
A former quarterback at Furman, Napier served as the Tigers? tight ends coach the previous three years, but was promoted to offensive coordinator when Dabo Swinney was elevated from interim coach to head coach.
While Napier has a quarterback in Parker who will be taking his collegiate snaps, there are proven weapons in his spread attack, most notably two-time All-ACC running back C.J. Spiller (4,908 career all-purpose yards) and Jacoby Ford (the reigning NCAA 60-meter indoor track champion).
?It?s too hard to play a guessing game of what they?re going to do,? Diaz said. ?We have an idea of what they?re going to do. We have an idea of who they have, but at this point, we?re more worried about not beating ourselves.?
Offensively, the educated guesses are a little easier, though not fool proof. Steele is new to the Clemson defensive staff, he is well traveled and considered one of the brightest defensive minds in college football. Swinney lured Steele and his attacking style away from Alabama where, last year, Steele?s defense ranked third nationally in total defense.
?You look at their film (from last year) for personnel, and then you have to look at Alabama?s film for scheme and then, you just guess,? said first-year MTSU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. ?Kevin (Steele) has been everywhere, you know he?s coached at a lot of different places, he?s been a lot of different places, so we?ll have an idea of a lot of different things he does.?
This early in the season though, Franklin is taking the same approach as Diaz, relying on his own team to dictate play.
?If we play with great tempo, it limits what they can do, can?t do and what they would like to do,? Franklin said. ?We just hope to play with good tempo, and if we do that, we should be okay.?
That?s problematic for the MTSU coaching staff this week, as the Blue Raiders prepare to open the 2009 season Saturday night at Clemson.
The Tigers enter the season with a new head coach (Dabo Swinney), new offensive coordinator (Billy Napier), new quarterback (Kyle Parker) and new defensive coordinator (Kevin Steele), leaving the Blue Raiders with little film and little background on what they will face at Memorial Stadium.
?We still look at it like it?s our first game and, it?s not coach speak, we?re really just trying to do our stuff correctly,? said MTSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who is charged with stopping Napier?s offense. ?We?re going to do what we?re going to do for the most part regardless of who we?re playing.?
A former quarterback at Furman, Napier served as the Tigers? tight ends coach the previous three years, but was promoted to offensive coordinator when Dabo Swinney was elevated from interim coach to head coach.
While Napier has a quarterback in Parker who will be taking his collegiate snaps, there are proven weapons in his spread attack, most notably two-time All-ACC running back C.J. Spiller (4,908 career all-purpose yards) and Jacoby Ford (the reigning NCAA 60-meter indoor track champion).
?It?s too hard to play a guessing game of what they?re going to do,? Diaz said. ?We have an idea of what they?re going to do. We have an idea of who they have, but at this point, we?re more worried about not beating ourselves.?
Offensively, the educated guesses are a little easier, though not fool proof. Steele is new to the Clemson defensive staff, he is well traveled and considered one of the brightest defensive minds in college football. Swinney lured Steele and his attacking style away from Alabama where, last year, Steele?s defense ranked third nationally in total defense.
?You look at their film (from last year) for personnel, and then you have to look at Alabama?s film for scheme and then, you just guess,? said first-year MTSU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. ?Kevin (Steele) has been everywhere, you know he?s coached at a lot of different places, he?s been a lot of different places, so we?ll have an idea of a lot of different things he does.?
This early in the season though, Franklin is taking the same approach as Diaz, relying on his own team to dictate play.
?If we play with great tempo, it limits what they can do, can?t do and what they would like to do,? Franklin said. ?We just hope to play with good tempo, and if we do that, we should be okay.?
