Big Sky Conference

Despite abrupt in-season departure of OC, SUU offense continues to roll

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Ammon Olsen couldn’t believe the news. Now that it has been a month, it seems like not much has changed for the Southern Utah offense.

The first Saturday of October, Olsen, Southern Utah’s senior quarterback, and the Thunderbirds destroyed in-state rival Weber State. The 44-0 win was SUU’s third straight, including its second consecutive victory to begin Big Sky Conference play. After an 0-2 start, the Thunderbirds were riding high entering their bye week.

Then, well-traveled veteran offensive coordinator Gary Crowton abruptly resigned.

SUU offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid

SUU offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid

“I was shocked,” Olsen said in an interview earlier this season. “I had no idea, didn’t see it coming and I was a little worried in the moment.”

In the three games before Crowton stepped down and wide receivers/running backs coach Justin Walterscheid took over calling the plays, the Thunderbirds had averaged 43 points and close to 400 yards of total offense per outing. As No. 20 Southern Utah prepares to take on Montana State at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman on Saturday, the Thunderbirds offense has been even more productive since Crowton’s departure.

Over the last three weeks, SUU’s up-tempo, no-huddle spread attack is averaging 44 points and 500 yards of total offense per outing, including 324 yards per game through the air. During that time, Olsen has completed 63.7 percent of his passes and has thrown nine touchdowns compared to just one interception.

“The offense, it’s really not a big difference. It’s the same offense just with (Walterscheid’s) personality,” Olsen said. “The offense in general got a little nervous when Coach Crowton left and it was good for us. It made us focus a little more.”

SUU head coach Ed Lamb expressed a similar sense of surprise when Crowton stepped down. He said Crowton was very “close to the vest and respectful” but did not reveal too many details about the situation. Lamb said he appreciated the timing of the resignation given SUU’s bye week but acknowledged the adversity it would create for his team in the midst of a season.

SUU wide receiver Justin Brown

SUU wide receiver Justin Brown

Crowton has made many stops during his 33-year coaching career. His first Division I offensive coordinator job came at Western Illinois in 1987 for one year before taking the reigns at New Hampshire for three seasons. He was the OC at Georgia Tech in 1994 before taking the same job at Louisiana Tech in 1995. From 1996-1998, Crowton was the head coach at LA Tech before jumping to the NFL. Crowton was the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 1999 and 2000 before taking the head coaching job at BYU in 2001. In 2005, he became the offensive coordinator at Oregon. In 2007, he joined Nick Saban’s staff at LSU and in 2008, he was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers’ national championship team. By 2012, he was the OC for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. The staff was fired in 2013 and Crowton landed at Southern Utah.

Lamb, a BYU alum, served as a graduate assistant on Crowton’s staff at his alma mater in 2001. Lamb has been the head coach at Southern Utah since 2008.

“My reaction was really devastation on a personal level because of what coach has meant to me and what he offers day to day around the program,” Lamb said in October. “But professionally, we had a job to do. We had practice that day and a team to take care of.”

SUU offensive line taking the field

SUU offensive line taking the field

Lamb promoted Walterscheid immediately. The SUU alum has been on Lamb’s staff for six seasons coaching running backs, receivers and serving as the Thunderbirds’ special teams coordinator. During Southern Utah’s 2013 playoff run, Walterscheid called the plays from the sideline even though Steve Clark held the title of offensive coordinator in a much more conservative, pro-style attack.

Southern Utah’s offense has looked more aggressive with Walterscheid calling the shots although the principles instilled by Crowton — playing at a fast tempo, running an abundance of plays, staying ahead of the sticks — remain the same for the no-huddle attack.

“In one context, it kind of makes it sound like it was a good move for Gary to be gone and for Justin to be here and in a sense that is true,” Lamb said on Monday. “But the thing that needs to be stated is that Gary had a great plan and his creativity put us in a new place with new opportunities on offense and that’s something that will be a legacy for us. Justin Walterscheid brings an organizational talent and a detailed approach that I think, had Justin not had Gary to train him, we might not be as dynamic.

“Had Gary not decided to leave, we might not have been as dynamic either. I think it was a culmination of both of those guys working hard and a plan in place and Justin Walterscheid was always going to be the next offensive coordinator at SUU. I think the players have rallied around the change.”

SUU running back Levi Te'o

SUU running back Levi Te’o

Lamb said Walterscheid’s organizational skills have helped make SUU’s offensive practices more concise. The Thunderbirds practice less plays, putting a priority on efficiency and tempo rather than endless game planning as SUU tries the spread out ball distribution.

“Offensively, their scheme is tough,” MSU ninth-year head coach Rob Ash said. “They are very balanced. They do the run action pass game extremely well and they can attack down field and make plays.

“You look at them on film and sometimes, you click onto the next play and they are already snapping the ball. They are even faster than the camera. I don’t think there’s anybody that has played as fast as these guys do.”

Olsen isn’t the only one that has benefited in recent weeks. Since Walterscheid took over, senior running back Malik Brown has emerged to the forefront of a running backs group that also includes juniors Levi Te’o and Jarom Healey. Brown is rushing for 95 yards per game and has scored three touchdowns in the last three games. Senior wide receiver Mike Sharp caught three of his four touchdowns in a 44-0 win over Sacramento State. Senior wide receiver Justin Brown has caught 20 passes and averaged 111.3 yards per game, hauling in three of his four touchdowns since Walterscheidt started dialing up the plays.

SUU wide receiver Malik Brown

SUU wide receiver Malik Brown

The sum total coupled with a SUU defense that leads the league in takeaways and has scored six touchdowns themselves has Southern Utah in a newfound position. SUU is 5-0 in Big Sky Conference play and riding a six-game winning streak on the way to Bozeman. The Thunderbirds still have games against MSU, at Portland State and at home against Northern Arizona remaining. The conference title seems within reach this fall despite the adversity the offensive side of the ball has had to endure.

“Last year, we were a really talented team but the offense and the defense were never clicking together,” said Olsen, who took over for Aaron Cantu as the starter down the stretch of SUU’s 3-9 season last fall. “It felt like we were never on the same page for some reason. This year, the defense is dominating, the offense is on a roll and it feels like it’s all coming together.”

Photos courtesy of Southern Utah Media Relations. All Rights Reserved.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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