1. With NC State’s offense rapidly becoming “Virginia South,” what better person to learn about how it has been at Virginia than CavsCorner.com publisher Brad Franklin.
Franklin was able to provide impressive insight into new NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae and offensive line coach Garett Tujague, plus potential transfer additions such as quarterback Brennan Armstrong and Logan Taylor.
For the first part, we’ll start off with the coaches, who worked together at BYU and Virginia from 2013-21, with Tujague staying on with new coach Tony Elliott, while Anae went to Syracuse for a year.
What are the trademarks of Anae’s offense?
“Lots of personnel packages, lots of dudes coming in and out and pre-snap motion. Anae is very good at calling what amounts as the same play but having it come out of multiple formations, so it makes it hard for a defense to prepare for. There are no keys to play off of.
“The pre-snap motion helps his quarterback diagnose the coverages he’s seeing. Whether that means to move a guy from one side to another or just go wholesale, you’ll see a lot of pre-snap stuff.
“He’s also very good at setting up tendencies that he can go to later. He can set up plays that he knows are coming later. He is good at laying that trap.”
What do you think will be the run-pass balance?
“I imagine that NC State is going to throw the ball a lot under him. For folks who think there will be any balance to the offense, they should probably be careful with those expectations. He will lean into what works. So if running the ball works, maybe he would.
“Anae’s offense is predicated on maximizing the talent he has by making things both simple and complex at the same time. His route concepts are simple but effective.”
Is he good with slot receivers or slot tight ends? How well does he adapt to his talent?
“He is good with inside receivers and using motion. I will say, in my experience, if it doesn’t work early, it might not work late [with play-calling]. If they come in with a game plan that isn’t working, it could be a long afternoon, but that rarely happened.
“When he got steady quarterback play — Kurt Benkert, Bryce Perkins or Brennan Armstrong — all three of those quarterbacks are very different quarterbacks. Benkert had an A-plus arm, but not very mobile. He came in with the outs and different passes. He really threw the ball and got it out quick.
“Perkins hadn’t played much [coming in from Arizona State]. He physically was a much different quarterback and could move. He really settled into a one read and go kind of offense.
“They liked having that Taysom Hill [of New Orleans Saints] of a dude who can run but also throw. That is probably Anae’s ideal fit, which was kind of like Armstrong because he could extend the play and move around a little bit. Ultimately, he wants to throw the ball.”
2. Tujague was tasked with picking up the pieces on the offensive line, but also didn’t have Anae’s input with the group this past season. Anae was a former offensive line coach and really was involved at times with the group at Virginia.
How was the run-game blocking at Virginia?
“It’s been a while since they had any ground game success [2018 season with running back Jordan Ellis]. I think the problem with the run game was the offensive line was always pass blocking. The defense would struggle to stop the run because they didn’t run in practice. That was something [star linebacker] Nick Jackson had mentioned before the 2022 season. They saw the run more often [this past season].
“It felt like Tujague’s entire tenure at Virginia was trying to figure out how to solve problems that weren’t of his doing. The roster was in disarray when he got there. When he finally got bodies, there would be injuries and freak situations. He was never able to have that stability.
“They brought in a bunch of young guys and they leaned on those young guys. They had the 2019 where Perkins basically created in spite of the offensive line issues. Then it paid off in the 2021 season and they had all kinds of experience, and they were pretty good. Then they lost all those guys [in 2022].”
How was Tujague’s personality?
“He’s a fiery coach and he’s very good at motivating his guys. He’s a player’s coach and they love him to death. I am not surprised that one of those players [Taylor] might follow him to Raleigh.
“I think he was a great voice on the recruiting side, whether it was recruiting offensive lineman or recruiting in general. His family are an all-in bunch. He’s a great people person, and that extends to the game itself and beyond the game. He is back in a system that he is familiar with.”
Franklin was able to provide impressive insight into new NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae and offensive line coach Garett Tujague, plus potential transfer additions such as quarterback Brennan Armstrong and Logan Taylor.
For the first part, we’ll start off with the coaches, who worked together at BYU and Virginia from 2013-21, with Tujague staying on with new coach Tony Elliott, while Anae went to Syracuse for a year.
What are the trademarks of Anae’s offense?
“Lots of personnel packages, lots of dudes coming in and out and pre-snap motion. Anae is very good at calling what amounts as the same play but having it come out of multiple formations, so it makes it hard for a defense to prepare for. There are no keys to play off of.
“The pre-snap motion helps his quarterback diagnose the coverages he’s seeing. Whether that means to move a guy from one side to another or just go wholesale, you’ll see a lot of pre-snap stuff.
“He’s also very good at setting up tendencies that he can go to later. He can set up plays that he knows are coming later. He is good at laying that trap.”
What do you think will be the run-pass balance?
“I imagine that NC State is going to throw the ball a lot under him. For folks who think there will be any balance to the offense, they should probably be careful with those expectations. He will lean into what works. So if running the ball works, maybe he would.
“Anae’s offense is predicated on maximizing the talent he has by making things both simple and complex at the same time. His route concepts are simple but effective.”
Is he good with slot receivers or slot tight ends? How well does he adapt to his talent?
“He is good with inside receivers and using motion. I will say, in my experience, if it doesn’t work early, it might not work late [with play-calling]. If they come in with a game plan that isn’t working, it could be a long afternoon, but that rarely happened.
“When he got steady quarterback play — Kurt Benkert, Bryce Perkins or Brennan Armstrong — all three of those quarterbacks are very different quarterbacks. Benkert had an A-plus arm, but not very mobile. He came in with the outs and different passes. He really threw the ball and got it out quick.
“Perkins hadn’t played much [coming in from Arizona State]. He physically was a much different quarterback and could move. He really settled into a one read and go kind of offense.
“They liked having that Taysom Hill [of New Orleans Saints] of a dude who can run but also throw. That is probably Anae’s ideal fit, which was kind of like Armstrong because he could extend the play and move around a little bit. Ultimately, he wants to throw the ball.”
2. Tujague was tasked with picking up the pieces on the offensive line, but also didn’t have Anae’s input with the group this past season. Anae was a former offensive line coach and really was involved at times with the group at Virginia.
How was the run-game blocking at Virginia?
“It’s been a while since they had any ground game success [2018 season with running back Jordan Ellis]. I think the problem with the run game was the offensive line was always pass blocking. The defense would struggle to stop the run because they didn’t run in practice. That was something [star linebacker] Nick Jackson had mentioned before the 2022 season. They saw the run more often [this past season].
“It felt like Tujague’s entire tenure at Virginia was trying to figure out how to solve problems that weren’t of his doing. The roster was in disarray when he got there. When he finally got bodies, there would be injuries and freak situations. He was never able to have that stability.
“They brought in a bunch of young guys and they leaned on those young guys. They had the 2019 where Perkins basically created in spite of the offensive line issues. Then it paid off in the 2021 season and they had all kinds of experience, and they were pretty good. Then they lost all those guys [in 2022].”
How was Tujague’s personality?
“He’s a fiery coach and he’s very good at motivating his guys. He’s a player’s coach and they love him to death. I am not surprised that one of those players [Taylor] might follow him to Raleigh.
“I think he was a great voice on the recruiting side, whether it was recruiting offensive lineman or recruiting in general. His family are an all-in bunch. He’s a great people person, and that extends to the game itself and beyond the game. He is back in a system that he is familiar with.”
