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FSU Football: Can Tre McKitty be a weapon in Briles’ offense?

By Kelvin Hunt

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: A Florida State Seminoles cheerleader runs with a flag on the field during the College Football Playoff Semifinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: A Florida State Seminoles cheerleader runs with a flag on the field during the College Football Playoff Semifinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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FSU football will look to take advantage of matchups in the Kendal Briles offense. How much of a weapon will Tre McKitty be in 2019?

The FSU football passing attack was used a lot in 2018 because the Noles couldn’t run the ball and they were behind early and often.

The passing game struggled for a variety of reason. The inability to run against five men in the box in most games meant more defenders in the secondary.

An inaccurate QB in Deondre Francois didn’t help, nor did an offensive line that allowed defenders to penetrate with ease.

Despite those factors, tight-end Tre McKitty finished the season tied for fourth with 26 receptions. He had 256 receiving yards and two touchdowns which was a huge increase from the lone reception for 23 yards he had his freshman season.

How much of a weapon can Tre McKitty be in Kendal Briles’ offense?

Well, a big one if we go back and look at the last two years Briles has coached at Houston and Florida Atlantic.

He had a senior tight end at Houston who had 33 receptions for 409 yards and seven touchdowns. Briles has a sophomore tight end at Florida Atlantic who had 32 receptions for 408 yards and five touchdowns.

Here’s one way Briles likes to use his tight ends in his offense:

They have to be good blockers in the run game and here in the passing game. This formation and motion with the block executed perfectly sets up a wide open touchdown a few plays later.

That’s an excellent play with the larger tight end blocking the smaller defensive back. It also gives a numbers advantage with three offensive players against two defenders.

One thing you’ll notice for the tight ends in Briles’ offense the past two years is their yards per catch average. McKitty averaged 9.85 ypc in 2018 while the two tight ends mentioned at the other schools both averaged over 12 ypc.

The good news is Briles likes for his QB’s to get rid of the ball quickly. That play from the ball being hiked to the tight end catching it was 1.8 seconds.

Next. The Impact of Randy Clements On FSU In 2019. dark

They also had double the amount of touchdowns receptions, so I think it’s safe to say McKitty can be a huge weapon in the passing game.

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