Raiders start two-game road stretch at Marshall

Saturday, November 12

Huntington, WV

6:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

Marshall University (ASN)

11/11/2016 6:00:00 AM | Football

Kickoff is 6:06 PM Saturday

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO – After a devastating defeat at home last week, MT's injury riddled team begins a two-game road stretch at Marshall Saturday. The Herd lead the overall series, 3-2, where the home team has never lost in the five meetings.

This will mark Middle Tennessee's first game without starting quarterback Brent Stockstill who suffered a broken collarbone in last week's loss to UTSA. Redshirt freshman John Urzua will make his first collegiate start under center.

The Blue Raiders won last year's contest in Murfreesboro, 27-24, in three overtimes.

The game will be broadcast live on the American Sports Network with kickoff coming at 6:06 PM Central.

TV INFORMATION: ASN

Comcast: Channel 14/1014 (Nashville, TN area)
DirecTV: Channel 30 (DirecTV: 628-1 / 640 / 696)
Dish: Channel 30
AT&T U-verse: Channel 30

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

(GAMEDAY CENTRAL)

Hashtag: #BeatMarshall, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: MT_FB
Instagram: @MTAthletics
Facebook: Blue Raider Athletics

Game Captains: OL Chandler Brewer, DL Jimal McBride and WR Max Linder

Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
Time: 6:06 p.m. (central)
Teams: Middle Tennessee (6-3; 3-2) vs Marshall (2-7; 1-4)
Location: Huntington, WV
Stadium: Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,016)
Weather Forecast: Sunny, 53 degrees
TV: American Sports Network
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Analysis: Wes Counts

Live Streaming | Live Stats | Live Audio

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Marshall leads 3-2
At Middle Tennessee: MT leads 2-0
At Huntington: Marshall leads 3-0
At Neutral Site: 0-0
Rick Stockstill vs Marshall: 2-1
Doc Holliday vs MT: 1-2
Last MT Win: 2015 (27-24 in Murfreesboro)
Last Marshall Win: 2014 (49-24 in Huntington)

QUICK HITTERS

MT ranks tied for 3rd nationally with four road wins this season. Alabama and Western Michigan are the national leaders with five, while MT joins Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, UNC, Oklahoma and Washington with four.
The Blue Raiders have won four straight road games to match the longest streak since the 2006 campaign. The last time MT won five straight road games in a season was in 1965.
WR Richie James has 100 or more yards receiving in a school record five straight games entering the Marshall contest.
The 2016 season is the 102nd for Blue Raider football and the 18th at the FBS level.
PK Canon Rooker has hit 11 of his last 12 field goals and ranks 21st nationally in field goals made per game.
I'Tavius Mathers has rushed for 100 or more yards in six of his last seven games, including four straight on the road.
In MT's last 12 wins it has averaged 584.3 yards of total offense and allowed just 383.9.
I'Tavius Mathers ranks 12th nationally in scoring and 11th in rushing touchdowns.
Middle Tennessee is 19-5 in its last 24 home games.
The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible eight times in 11 years and partcipated in five bowls during the FBS era.
Middle Tennessee has 10 players competing this season with a degree in hand. The Blue Raiders also have seven more who will earn degrees this December (Josh Chester, Jeremy Cutrer, William Eads, Myles Harges, Shaquille Huff, Brent Stockstill (Undergraduate) and Kamani Thomas).
MT is averaging 40.2 points a game at home and 37.6 on the road in 2016.
In their last 37 conference games, the Blue Raiders have a mark of 26-11.
Over the last 52 games, the Blue Raider defense has come up with 61 interceptions. The team had 15 picks in 2013 by eight different players, 13 in 2014 and 17 in 2015.
Consecutive Starts Leaders: Shaquille Huff (34), Daniel Stephens (27) and Steven Rhodes (25).
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have been involved in 20 games that were decided in the final minute of regulation or overtime. The team is 12-8 in those games and have won eight of the last 10.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill is third on the school's all-time wins list with 70 victories.
In 134 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are +26 in turnover margin.
Middle Tennessee has scored 30 or more points 59 times under Rick Stockstill. The most 30-point games in a season under Stockstill is nine (2009) and the Raiders have 7 through 8 games in 2016.

STOCKSTILL LOST FOR REST OF REGULAR SEASON
Middle Tennessee's record-setting quarterback and team leader, Brent Stockstill, has been lost for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a broken collarbone in the second quarter against UTSA. Stockstill's goal is to return for the Blue Raiders' bowl game. Stockstill, a freshman All-American a year ago, was on pace to break all his passing marks from 2015 and a front runner for C-USA Player of the Year honors. Redshirt freshman John Urzua will now step in as the team's signal-caller.

GOOD IN NOVEMBER
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have enjoyed success down the final stretch of the season in November. Over its last 31 games in the month of November, the Blue Raiders are 21-10 and have won 12 of its last 16. Overall under Stockstill MT carries a 24-14 mark in November.

8 TIMES IN 11 YEARS
In 11 years under Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee has reached bowl eligibility eight times and seven times in the last eight years. The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible under Rick Stockstill in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The eight bowl eligible years during the 11-year span is more than any FBS team in Tennessee and equals the most of any program in C-USA.

STOCKSTILL NEW CAREER LEADER
After tossing four touchdown passes in win over FIU, QB Brent Stockstill became the programs new career leader in that category. Stockstill now has 57 career TD passes which moved him past previous record holder Logan Kilgore (53). What's impressive is that Stockstill accomplished the feat in just 22 games compared to Kilgore's 39. In 2015 he set the single-season mark with 30 touchdown passes and has 27 through nine games in 2016.

MATHERS TOPS 1,000
Senior I'Tavius Mathers became just the 10th player in Blue Raider history to reach 1,000 rushing yards when he netted 148 yards at FIU. Mathers is the first player to top 1,000 yards in a season at MT since QB Dwight Dasher in 2009 but the first running back since Dwone Hicks in 2002. Middle Tennessee has now registered 16 1,000-yard seasons in its history by 10 different players.

400-200-100
For the first time in school history, Middle Tennessee had a 400-yard passer, a 200-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher in the same game. Against WKU, QB Brent Stockstill threw for 434 yards, receiver Richie James had 223 yards receiving and I'Tavius Mathers added 143 rushing yards.

JAMES GOES BACK-TO-BACK
With a 127-yard effort at FIU, sophomore receiver Richie James went over the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season. It marks just the second time in school history a player has registered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as Kerry Wright did it in 2003 and 2004. James had a school record 1,346 yards in 2015 and enters the Marshall game with 1,132 yards.

DEFENSE SCORES
For the first time this season and the first time since the UTSA game in 2015, the Blue Raider defense put points on the board in the win at FIU. Doing it at the right time, LB DJ Sanders picked off a pass and returned it 48 yards for a TD in a tie game to provide the winning edge. It was the 24th defensive score under Stockstill and the 11th longest.

ROOKER HAVING SOLID FIRST YEAR
Junior Canon Rooker, who took over placekicking duties this year for the first time in his career, has enjoyed a steady campaign. Rooker ranks 17th nationally in field goals made per game at 1.63, 14th in scoring, and is 30th nationally in field goal made percentage at .813. He enters the UTSA game having hit 10 of his last 11 three-pointers. For the year, Rooker has hit 13 field goals which equals the seventh most in school history and the all-time record is 18.