Catching up with Tavita Pritchard, The Andrew Luck Director of Offense
Q: Your role has been expanded this season. Do you foresee any changes?
A: From a philosophical standpoint, it's a continuation of our bread and butter. What's great about coaching our offense is we have the ability to be diverse because we recruit diversity and guys are versatile. I've been here for 14 years. You've seen our offense go through different iterations and we try our best to cater to what we have.
I think you will see a continuation of what we did last year, and we want our offense to be characterized by great execution. That, to me, is the most important thing. Whether we run two-back power, one back or empty passing game, we have to execute at a high level; it doesn't matter what scheme we're running. That's what we hang our hat on. Our guys are smart, tough and prepared.
We're going to have different makeups in terms of personnel from year-to-year, whether it's like the tight ends we had in 2010 or the riches of running backs we've had the past few seasons. We have talent across the board and good players at the skill positions. Names that stand out from last year are Bryce Love, Kaden Smith, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin.
Q: How do you manage the high expectations?
A: There's a Michael Jordan quote that Coach Shaw uses a lot and it refers to his championship teams: "The difference between teams that win and championship teams is that talent can win games, but cohesion and selflessness wins championships." The best offensive lines we've had weren't always the most individually talented guys. It's the line that works best together. The offensive line is a microcosm of our entire unit. Statistically, if we can increase our level of execution and consistency, the sky is the limit. it all comes back to cohesion, execution and consistency.
Q: Power running has been the staple of this offense for many years and has led to unprecedented success. Do you ever worry about predictability?
A: We have a formula and construct our game plan and philosophy based on the players we have available. Every team does. Some teams seem predictable, but there's a reason they do it, because of execution and how effective it is.
Q: As a sophomore, quarterback K.J. Costello started the last seven games and sparked the squad to victories against Washington and Notre Dame, both ranked No. 9 at the time. He missed spring practice with an injury, but has been sharp in fall camp.
A: K.J. had a lot of on the job training last year and did a nice job handling it. When you ask a kid to grow in game situations, they tend to fall back on what they know and what their habits are. K.J. pushed through that and let himself grow and progress to get better.
With that foundation laid, it really creates a springboard. Even with the injury, from a mental standpoint -- playing in that many meaningful games, it allowed him to attack the mental side of the game. One of the keys to our offensive scheme is being able to master it, like Kevin Hogan. He went from being a football player, a good playmaker, to a great quarterback, by managing the offense. That's the challenge for K.J., taking that next step of truly playing the position.
Q: What are his biggest strengths?
A: One of them is passion. There are different ways of displaying confidence, but his shows in his play, the way he carries himself in the huddle, the way that he manages the line of scrimmage, and the way he throws the ball. He plays with confidence and it permeates through the offense.
Q: Bryce Love was phenomenal last season. How do you prevent defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage to try and stop him?
A: I think it's safe to say we're going to find ways to get him the ball, period. His package will expand back to when he was as a freshman, when he caught the ball a lot. Last year, he was limited because of his injury. Bryce has done a tremendous job of working on his hands, route running, vision and pass protection, just becoming a complete back.
That's part of the reason he returned. He wants to be the best possible football player he can be. I'm so excited for him to show everyone what he can do. He's got great character and is a leader.
Q: Bryce aside, the offense is deep and talented. Let's start with running back.
A: Cameron Scarlett and Trevor Speights are big-time players; they just happen to have the best player in college football ahead of them. They will fight for carries and plays, and I don't expect to have a drop off. Dorian Maddox runs really hard and he knows the system. We always want fresh guys.
At tight end, Smith, Colby Parkinson and Scooter (Harrington) are back and guys we are very excited about. Look for Tucker Fisk to play. He had a great spring and knows our system.
Up front, A.T. Hall, Walker Little, Nate Herbig and Jesse Burkett are back. Foster Sarell had a strong off-season, has really improved physically and is showing well in camp. Brandon Fanaika and Devery Hamilton are extremely talented and had to step up and play a lot last year due to injuries. Drew Dalman is a name with good Stanford history (his father, Chris, was a standout offensive lineman). He has added weight so he can be an anchor at the center position. He might get some game action, and obviously Brian Chaffin and Dylan Powell are two guys that also provide good depth at center.
The fullback position is vital to many things we run. We are fortunate to have Houston (Heimuli) and Reagan (Williams). Both are physical and hard workers. Houston can be a guy that does a plethora of things.
Q: Stanford has produced many talented receivers throughout the years. Some observers think this group has the potential to be among the best in program history.
A: It's a talented group. JJ is probably the best deep-ball guy in college football. Trenton's ability as a route-runner is staggering, and Connor (Wedington) worked his tail off during the off-season. You can't overstate the leadership of JJ and Trenton. As much as we coaches try to shape the culture around the locker room – and we do to a large extent -- the guys really take ownership and drive it forward. All our guys take their cue from JJ and Trenton.
Connor made a big contribution last year as a freshman. Donald Stewart is having a phenomenal camp, and Osiris St. Brown is playing well. It's an exciting, selfless group for how talented they are, and it's a ton of fun to watch them do their jobs. If one makes a big play, they all get excited and high-five each other. It's an example of what makes this the greatest team sport.
Q: Will Connor concentrate on wide receiver or also see time at running back?
A: We'll make it hard for the defense to find him.
Q: Will play calling be shared again?
A: Yes. I have known Coach Shaw since 2007 and have an extreme level of trust in him. It's such a collaborative process in how we do things around here. He always has final say, but the conversation and dialogue helps us come to a great answer, whether it's preparing for a game or when you only have 40 seconds to decide. I have faith that we'll come out with the best plan for our players to be successful.
Q: Without divulging secrets, how many plays are typically called in the huddle?
A: Multiple. We get up to the line and pick and choose from those options. Sometimes, we'll call two plays in the huddle, go to the line, and depending on the defensive look, KJ will make a call right at the line. There are different modes of operation that make us flexible in communicating our play calls … it's our way of changing up the tempo.
Q: Red zone efficiency is always a key, especially in close games. Is that a point of emphasis?
A: We absolutely want to be the best situational football offense in the country. Converting those opportunities into touchdowns – six points instead of three. We need to be efficient on first and second down to have manageable third downs. We also need to excel in short-yardage, goal line situations. It will continue to be a theme in our preparation.
