New Ben Davis offensive coordinator Tyler Campbell brings ‘Air Raid’ attack to Giants

Tyler Campbell was 22 years old – the youngest head football coach in the state – when he coached his first game at Covington in 2020. His team threw 34 passes, four interceptions and lost by six touchdowns.

“When you’re throwing the ball 40 times and you lose your first game by 40 points,” said Campbell, “you get some questions.”

When Campbell moved on to Maconaquah the following year, his first game was remarkably similar: a 48-0 loss. His team attempted 34 passes, threw two interceptions and made nine first downs. More questions.

Maconaquah had been a double wing, run-oriented team for two years prior to Campbell’s arrival. “The forward pass was foreign,” he said. Maconaquah started 18 freshmen and sophomores. The team finished 2-6. But Campbell was undaunted. He knew his offensive system – well, not his exactly – would work eventually.

Ben Davis offensive coordinator Tyler Campbell brings an “Air Raid” coaching style learned from Hal Mumme to the Giants.

Sure enough, quarterback Braxton Birner passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2022. Maconaquah improved to 6-4. In 2023, Birner threw for 2,999 yards and 36 TDs and the team went 7-4.

“There were flashes of what we could be early,” Campbell said. “But we weren’t very good. Kudos to the kids and community there. They didn’t flinch and stayed bought in. In Year 2 we had some success, scored more points and took a big step forward. After that it was smooth sailing as far as, ‘Hey, we’re going to throw the ball, not huddle and those kinds of things.’”

Campbell, 27, planned on staying at Maconaquah at least another year. But his coaching journey, already one of the most unique in the state, took another turn when Ben Davis offensive coordinator Caleb Small was hired as the head coach at Northwestern High School near…


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Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-07-30 08:31:05

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