“All I do is throw it 60 times a game,” says Davidson College’s sophomore quarterback, lighting up at the thought of the pigskin in continuous airborne motion.
These days, though, Carkhuff is having difficulty deciphering the difference between the game being played on the cyber gridiron and the one being whipped into shape on Richardson Stadium’s new artificial turf.
Davidson, which opens the season Saturday at Georgetown, has shifted to the “Air Raid” offense, an up-tempo, no-huddle, pass-happy package that is a throwing quarterback’s dream. Carkhuff said he is thrilled to be in an offense that resembles the aggressive game plan he executes with a controller.
“Now, I get to do it in real life,” says Carkhuff.
Wildcats coach Tripp Merritt, entering his sixth year, says the offense simply needed a change and mostly, a spark. Running a “multiple” set, Davidson averaged 14.8 points and 287.3 yards per game while going 3-8 last year. Merritt said the lack of production in recent seasons — Davidson averaged 12.4 points and 255.4 yards per game in 2009 — showed the need to shift to one strategic extreme or the other. He considered running the spread option, but the more he researched it, the more he was intrigued by the wide-open passing attack that no one else in the Pioneer Football League runs. The Air Raid is
known to excite fans and drive opposing defenses crazy.
“We try to be a headache, that’s for sure,” says new Davidson offensive coordinator Matt Mumme. If the new coordinator’s last name sounds familiar, it should. Mumme is the son of former University of Kentucky coach Hal Mumme, one of the masterminds of the Air Raid. The elder Mumme began running the Air Raid as a high school coach in Texas, and Matt has run it as a player and coach every year but three since he was in the fifth grade. After Davidson’s spring game, fans told him that the
Wildcats threw the ball deep more in the first 10 minutes than they did all of last year.
But while the Air Raid is known as mostly a passing offense that includes four or five receivers spread out and the quarterback in the shotgun, it also mixes in a steady diet of draws and screens to keep the defense honest. It’s also known as a tactical equalizer for teams that may lack size or speed.
“The whole idea behind the offense is to take what the defense gives you,” says Mumme. “What I tell kids, is attack, attack, attack.”
Mumme was a backup quarterback to Heisman candidate Tim Couch at Kentucky — though he did toss touchdown passes of 79 and 78 yards — and joined his father on coaching staffs at Southeast Louisiana, New Mexico State and most recently, at Division III McMurry in Abilene, Texas. The Mummes’ Air Raid offenses have put up remarkable numbers, and last year, McMurry was no different. In all levels of NCAA football, McMurry ranked second only to Division II Central Missouri (47) in
passing touchdowns (45). In comparison, Davidson’s offense produced 20 total touchdowns last year.
Davidson’s home opener is Sept. 10 against Lenoir-Rhyne at 7 p.m. Merritt’s advice to Wildcat fans watching the Air Raid for the first time? “Don’t blink,” he says.
The trigger man
So the Air Raid has worked for Mumme in other places. But can it work at Davidson? Mumme is confident it can, and Carkhuff is one of the key reasons why.
“There’s no doubt, you have to have a trigger man,” says Mumme.
A year ago, Carkhuff was not in the immediate plans at quarterback, originally slated as third string. But he got on the field in the final minutes of the season opener against Georgetown, and once he was in, Merritt found it difficult to take him out. He started his first game in the third week of the season against Campbell, and the remaining eight games, finishing the year 197-of-329 passing for 2,002 yards with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Carkhuff was named the PFL Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.
“He had a phenomenal freshman year,” says Merritt.
Carkhuff’s performance against Drake in October helped nudge Merritt toward an offense more geared for the pass. Carkhuff finished the game 41-of-56 for 306 yards, the 41 completions setting a school record.
“That’s when I kinda went, ‘We got something special here,’” says Merritt Because the Air Raid offense constantly adjusts to the defensive alignment, on-field decision-making is both necessary and advantageous. Carkhuff will have some freedom to audible, and the plan is to give him more leeway as he gets experience in the offense.
“He is extremely savvy on the football field,” says Mumme. “He is a smart football player. He’ll take chances when he needs to take chances.”
