In the dark days of AU football, it was dreadful to watch the offense jog out onto the field and come away empty time after time. This year, there is a much different buzz in the air when Tyson Harley and his offense hit the field.
Harley is a freshman quarterback working with a lot of other underclassmen on the offensive side of the ball, and the group is dynamic.
Having four wide recievers come out almost every play can be predictable after a while, but the Ravens manage to confuse teams by forcing them to spread out their linebackers and defensive backs. Their balance of run and pass keeps defenses guessing and leads to a lot of big plays.
The one-two punch from Reggie Lipscomb and Johnell Wortham has been fruitful thus far for the Ravens. Lipscomb is a dynamic player in both the run and pass games, while Wortham has the size and speed to punish a defense. They have combined for nine touchdowns so far this season.
Harley, fresh off of setting the school record for most passing yards in a game with 479, has a big arm and is accurate on the deep ball too. The freshman quarterback had nearly 1,984 passing yards through the first six games. For comparison, only two NFL quarterbacks have thrown for more yards in their first six games this season. Those two players are 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes and 2016 MVP Matt Ryan.
Harley isn’t alone in his success. He has been sacked just 14 times this season behind a solid offensive line that mixes upper and lower classmen well. He also has a plethora of talented receivers. Five receivers have more than 230 yards on the year and three different receivers have caught at least four touchdowns. Sophomore Zac Tallent is leading the team in most receiving categories, with 55 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns.
The team as a whole has not performed consistently so far this season and have lost two straight games heading into a tough homecoming matchup against Rose-Hulman. In each game, they have managed to remain productive on offense despite struggling in other areas. As this team grows together, this offense could become lethal by Harley’s junior or senior year.