BLUE RAIDERS OFFENSE
WR—3 DJ England-Chisolm 5-7 150 Jr.
WR—89 Yusuf Ali 5-9 183 Sr.
LT—61 J’Shun Bodiford 6-4 289 So.
LG—70 Tyler Falvey 6-4 303 Jr.
C—62 Jordan Palmer 6-0 297 Sr.
RG—77 Keylan Rutledge 6-3 307 Fr.
RT—79 Sterling Porcher 6-5 301 So.
WR—2 Izaiah Gathings 6-4 222 Sr.
WR—83 Jaylin Lane 5-8 183 So.
QB—16 Chase Cunningham 5-11 188 Sr.
RB—36 Frank Peasant 5-10 198 So.
The Blue Raiders are six years and three offensive coordinators removed from their 2016 appearance in the Hawaii Bowl. But while there has been some tinkering — no stack formations or flex bones — some elements remain. The 2016 QB1 (Brent Stockstill) is now the pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “We have a great relationship,” said Chase Cunningham, a sixth-year quarterback who was Stockstill’s understudy for two seasons. “He’s an incredible person. Everything he’s done speaks for itself.” The Raiders will align in four-wide sets, divided into 2-2 or 3-1 looks. All four receivers can sprint on vertical routes, or one or two receivers will break off patterns to create overloads. In football’s version of the iso play, three receivers will clutter an area, leaving a speedy wideout — DJ England-Chisolm (16.3 yards per catch) or Jaylin Lane (team-high 59 receptions) — to face single coverage. Twenty Raiders have caught passes, including Cunningham. After suffering a head injury against Louisiana Tech, Cunningham did not play the following game against Charlotte. But in the two games since rejoining the lineup, Cunningham is 69-for-96 for 727 yards and five touchdowns. He is 80 passing yards away from being the second QB to reach 3,000 yards in a season. At 5-11 and 188 pounds, Cunningham conceded, “I might not be the biggest dog in the fight, but I try to give everything I’ve got.” He averages 4.3 yards on scrambles and keepers, and can back-pedal laterally to get a panoramic view of the passing tree.
BLUE RAIDERS DEFENSE
LE—7 Zaylin Wood 6-1 280 So. ‘
LT—57 Marley Cook 6-1 306 So.
RT—10 JaKerrius Wyatt 6-3 270 Jr.
RE—9 Jordan Ferguson 6-2 271 Sr.
WLB—91 Parker Hughes 6-2 205 Fr.
MLB—8 Devyn Curtis 6-2 237 Fr.
SLB—40 Drew Francis 6-2 226 So.
LC—1 Teldrick Ross 5-10 190 Jr.
SS—30 Jakobe Thomas 6-2 199 Fr.
FS—17 Tra Fluellen 6-2 205 Jr.
RC—33 Decorian Patterson 6-0 193 Jr.
Scott Shafer was a college quarterback whose first job was offensive analyst. When Floyd Keith was hired as Rhode Island’s head coach in 1993, he picked Shafer to coach the secondary. “I hadn’t done anything with DBs since eighth grade,” said Shafer, who then began a decades-long quest for defensive knowledge. Shafer gleaned pointers working under Bill Mallory at Indiana, Joe Novak at Northern Illinois, Bill Cubit at Western Michigan and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. He attended clinics on 4-3 fronts. Doug Marrone showed the importance of the middle linebacker playing on the ball, choking the running gaps. “Watching tape and asking questions to a lot of good coaches, and then trying to turn it into your own body of work,” Shafer said. At Middle Tennessee, Shafer directs a 4-3 scheme that can sub a nickelback for a ’backer, or a three-man front with as many as six DBs. The goal is to attack first-down rushes — 3.6-yard average — “and have fun on second and third down when teams have to pass,” said right end Jordan Ferguson, whose next sack — the 23rd of his career — will set a school record. Ferguson is strong, heavy-handed in fighting off grasping O-linemen (he aspires to be an amateur boxer), and relentless. Left tackle Marley Cook is the line re-setter. Corners Teldrick Ross (18 pass breakups) and Decorian Patterson (six interceptions) are dual turbulence to aerial attacks. Middle linebacker Devyn Curtis’ GPA — 4.0 —is the same as his Richter-scale impact. Curtis earned All-Freshman recognition.
BLUE RAIDERS SPECIALISTS
PK—7 Zeke Rankin 5-8 192 Fr.
KO—24 Scott Payne 5-11 178 So.
LS—69 Brody Butler 5-11 218 So.
P/H—13 Kyle Ulbrich 6-0 202 Sr.
KR—1 Teldrick Ross 5-10 190 Jr.
PR—83 Jaylin Lane 5-8 183 So.
According to legend, Bobby Ulbrich shed light on his son’s kicking career. A car’s headlights allowed Kyle Ulbrich to practice squib kicks on a darkened field. The younger Ulbrich is now sixth nationally in punting with a 46.2 average. Ulbrich has 63 career punts of at least 50 yards, including air-mailing a 75-yarder this year. The Raiders have blocked six kicks this season, parlaying one into Jalen Montgomery’s 19-yard return for a touchdown.
AZTECS OFFENSE
X—14 Tyrell Shavers 6-6 210 Sr.
TE—81Mark Redman 6-6 250 Jr.
LT—61 Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson 6-6 310 Jr.
LG—60 Cade Bennett 6-3 315 So.
C—72 Alama Uluave 6-2 305 Sr.
RG—68 Thomas Mirabella 6-4 300 So.
RT—77 Josh Simmons 6-6 305 Fr.
SB—83 Mekhi Shaw 5-10 175 So.
Z—45 Jesse Matthews 6-0 190 Jr.
QB—18 Jalen Mayden 6-3 220 Sr.
RB—15 Jordan Byrd 5-9 170 Sr.
On Oct. 1, the Aztecs hit the reset button. Of the three quarterbacks who combined to average 65.6 yards in a 2-3 start, Will Haskell left the team, Kyle Crum had a broken collarbone, and Braxton Burmeister was in concussion protocol. The Aztecs released offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinski, gave those game-plan duties to associate head coach Jeff Horton, and named Ryan Lindley as quarterbacks coach. Jalen Mayden, a quarterback who moved to safety in the spring, was brought back to lead the offense. It did not matter that Mayden had not thrown a pass since Sept. 1, 2018, when he played for Mississippi State. “We tried to build some things around him,” Horton said. The Aztecs employed more two-back sets, with H-back Jay Randolph bursting from his three-point stance in the backfield to pick off blitzers or clear running lanes. Mayden’s quick left-handed release enabled him to loiter in the pocket a half-second longer as routes matured. The Aztecs went 5-2 with Mayden at the controls. In the first five games, plays were signaled from the sideline. Under Horton, the offense huddled before each snap. Players wore wristbands encoded with play selections. That improved communication amongst players, and helped Mayden command the huddle. “You get (the play) directly from my mouth,” Mayden said. “They’re listening to me. Sometimes I get to engage with them. ‘Hey, good catch,’ and ‘we’re going to need you this play, so you’ll have to step up.’ That’s what gets me into the leadership role.” Punahou graduate Alama Uluave makes the blocking adjustments as the center. “He gets us in the right protection and the right run fits,” Horton said of Uluave. “And he brings that island passion that we all love.”
AZTECS DEFENSE
DE—66 Jonah Tavai 6-0 290 Sr.
DT—92 Justus Tavai 6-3 290 Sr.
DE—2 Keshawn Banks 6-4 255 Sr.
SLB—54 Caden McDonald 6-3 235 Sr.
MLB—51 Zyrus Fiaseu 6-0 230 Fr.
WLB—46 Michael Shawcroft 6-2 220 Sr.
FCB—12 Dallas Branch 5-11 180 Sr.
FS—31 Davaughn Celestine 6-0 190 Jr.
Aztec—33 Patrick McMorris 6-0 210 Sr.
BS—3 Cedarious Barfield 5-11 195 Sr.
BCB—32 Dez Malone 6-2 200 So.
The square roots of the 3-3-5 defense are the Tavai and McDonald brothers. Jonah Tavai and Justus Tavai have provided enough off-the-line pressure to force double teams and shift the numbers advantage to the Aztecs. Jonah Tavai, who was named to the AP All-America second team, is an end with an interior lineman’s build. He can overpower edge blockers trying to create running space. He has 12.5 backfield tackles, including nine sacks, 42 hurries and 11 QB owies. Justus Tavai, who transferred from Hawaii this summer, is 3-technique brawler whose surprising vertical jump can be an obstacle in the passing lane. Weak-side linebacker Cooper McDonald transferred from Washington to reunite with Cade McDonald, the No. 1 strong-side ’backer. Caden McDonald can align as a rush end or, when the front three widen their splits, set up as a stand-up tackle. He was named to the All-MWC first team. Linebacker Michael Shawcroft has amassed 5.5 sacks. The Aztecs’ scheme, first installed by former head coach Rocky Long, is a series of moving parts. They can press with a five-man front or go with a layered look in which seven defenders are at least 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Patrick McMorris plays the safety-linebacker position known as “Aztec,” which is drawn up as the middle defender in the three-deep umbrella. But McMorris often moves into the box and, on occasion, as a rush end.
AZTECS SPECIALISTS
K/P—13 Jack Browning 5-11 190 Sr.
LS—50 Ryan Wintermeyer 6-1 220 So.
H—41 David Delgado 5-10 165 Jr.
KR/PR—15 Jordan Byrd 5-9 170 Sr.
The last time Jack Browning played in the Ching Complex, he scored a 13-yard touchdown on a fake field-goal attempt against Hawaii last year. Browning traded his holder’s job to become the Aztecs’ point-scoring kicker, kickoff specialist and punter. Browning was named the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year after converting 17 of 21 field-goal attempts, including the winner against Hawaii, and averaging 46.0 yards per punt. Pro Football Focus noted Browning had the nation’s best punt grade (87.2) this regular season.
