Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Used non-traditionally, tight end position will be key in FAU-Herd matchup
10/16/2019 3:58:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Owls, Marshall are two of the best nationally in production from that position
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – They sometimes might seem like tight ends in name only, but Florida Atlantic and Marshall receive more production from their big-bodied pass catchers than most.
In Friday night's Sunshine State showdown at FAU Stadium (6:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network), tight ends will take center stage. FAU and Marshall rank in the top two in Conference USA in tight end receptions, tight end receiving yards and tight end touchdowns.
Nationally, FAU ranks No. 3 in receiving yards by tight ends with 551, trailing only Northern Illinois (655 yards) and Boston College (608 yards). Marshall ranks ninth with 444 receiving yards by tight ends Armani Levias, Xavier Gaines, Devin Miller and Garet Morrell. The Thundering Herd ranks No. 4 nationally with six receiving touchdowns by tight ends, trailing Oregon (nine), Western Michigan (eight) and Boston College (seven).
"They put a lot of importance on their tight ends in their offensive scheme, and we go against three or four really good tight ends every day," Marshall linebacker Tyler Brown said. "Since spring ball; since camp. They're definitely helping us getting ready to see these guys."
FAU is led by senior Harrison Bryant, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end who has a team-high 25 receptions for a team-best 413 yards and no touchdowns this season. Bryant is second among tight ends nationally in receiving yards.
"No. 40 is a very athletic person," Brown said of Bryant. "Ever since I've been at Marshall he has been an impact player for FAU. He's always been one of their main players. Very technique sound. Surprisingly athletic. If you let him get out on you he's going to take it all the way."
The Owls also lean on 6-2, 235-pound John Raine, who has 22 receptions – second on the team – and 138 receiving yards. He is tied for the team lead with four receiving touchdowns.
"Obviously, their tight end position – they're really good at tight end," Brown said. "The tight end is probably who they have most trust in on their offense."
Marshall isn't bashful about throwing to their tight ends, either. Those players are not tight ends in a traditional sense, rarely fixed to the offensive line. Levias made SportsCenter's top plays for a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown in which he juggled the ball and put a spin move on Middle Tennessee's defender en route to the touchdown. On that play, Levias was lined up out wide. Gaines has lined up as a quarterback, running back, receiver and tight end this season, and has receiving and rushing touchdowns, and nearly threw for a touchdown pass last Saturday against Old Dominion.
"FAU is similar to what we are," Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. "They play a couple tight ends. A little bit like us, they're playing with two receivers as times. They've got talented tight ends. They're more '12' personnel, which is two tight ends, a little bit more than in the past. Our guys have gone up against that all camp in practice, they've seen us do that, so our guys have gotten some work against it.
Bryant made six catches for 59 yards and FAU's only touchdowns in last season's meeting in Huntington.
"The tight end, he's a very good player," Merrell said of Bryant. "The offense is kind of like what they did last year; they just try to find ways to get Bryant the ball. They did the same thing last year."
This season, Bryant has 18 plays of 10 or more yards, and six of 20-plus yards.
"He's a big-play guy for them," said Brad Lambert, Marshall's defensive coordinator.
Levias leads Marshall in receptions (18) and receiving yards (199). Gaines is second on the team with 17 receptions, and has turned into a big-play weapon with five scrimmage plays of 20-plus yards this season. If professional football scouts need a tight end, they might want to find their way to Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday night.
"You got some guys," Cramsey said. "I haven't studied (Bryant), but I think they use him the same way we use ours. He's a tight end by title. It's my understanding they move him around all over the place and he's catching the ball in a whole bunch of different spots."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
