MTSU football coach Rick Stockstill and star QB son Brent sat down with USA TODAY Network — Tennessee to watch game film of each other for the first time.
Rick and Brent Stockstill walked into a dimly lit room.
The conference room at Murphy Center where the offensive coaches meet was set for the MTSU football coach and his star quarterback son who is entering his final season with the Blue Raiders.
The projector was on with the screen pointed to the whiteboard. The film was ready. They sat at the end of the table side by side.
For the first time, they said, they were about to watch film together of one game they played in. It had never really crossed their minds to do it but they agreed to at the request of USA TODAY Network — Tennessee.
Father and son don't analyze tape of Brent Stockstill games with each other. Instead, the quarterback watches film with MTSU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
“You got a father and son, both college quarterbacks and now he’s able to watch me play and hear me say stuff and I’m able to watch him play," Rick Stockstill said.
Rick Stockstill was Florida State’s starting quarterback for two seasons. He earned honorable mention All-America honors in 1981.
His film was first up: Florida State at Ohio State in 1981.
But before things got started, he wanted to remind everyone of one thing.
“He’s by far the best left-handed passer in the family and I’m the best right-handed passer in the family,” Rick said.
Brent mentioned how much different the game is now. His father was taking nine-step drops. He’s used to being in the shotgun.
Brent was smiling while controlling the remote. It quickly brought back memories from his childhood..
“I was his right-hand man and after school every day, I would just go up to watch practice and hang out with him,” Brent said. “Recruiting was a lot different back then and he would be gone a lot, especially with him being a recruiting coordinator.
How would Brent cope? He would pull out some of Rick’s college films and pop them in into a VHS. The Ohio State film was one he said he watched plenty of times. Watching his dad play brought him a sense of normalcy.
When thinking back to those days, Rick got a little emotional.
They never watched games together. Instead, they would go outside and make their own plays.
He ended up throwing for 299 yards as the Seminoles upset the No. 7 Buckeyes 36-27.
Will Brent Stockstill watch film with dad again?
Once they were finished with the Florida State film, they switched over Brent’s.
It was the Blue Raiders’ 51-45 win over Missouri in 2016. He threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns.
After Brent had a 63-yard run in the first half, Rick turned and cracked a joke.
There was a disagreement about whether it is easier to play quarterback with the flashy, pass-first modern offenses compared to the old-school style of offense.
There were compliments as well. Rick mentioned how much of a hard worker Brent is. Under his breath, Brent said he got it from his dad.
The two of them sat quietly for a second once the film session was finished.
And once Brent finishes his final game at MTSU, they might do this again.