Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
22 football seniors to be honored Saturday
11/23/2016 3:30:00 PM | Football
Group has been bowl eligible each year
MURFREESBORO - The last home game of the season is a culmination and representation of many things.
It is the final contest in what has been a career spanning youth, middle school, high school and collegiate football for many senior players. For others, it's just another step in the football journey that may take them on to professional play or the coaching ranks.
No matter if a player is participating in his last football game or just his last home game in Murfreesboro, senior day is full of emotion, remembrance and hope for what is to come in the future.
As Middle Tennessee prepares to say goodbye to its 22 seniors, it's important to highlight just how much the group has meant to the program.
"This senior class, the fifth year guys, won a bunch of games," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "These seniors have meant a lot to me personally and a lot to this football program and this university."
The seniors have guided Middle Tennessee into Conference USA without a hitch. Since the Blue Raiders made the move from the Sun Belt in 2013, they have finished second in the CUSA East Division three times in four years. They have compiled a 21-10 league record, which trails only Marshall and Louisiana Tech (22-9) for the best record in the conference over that period.
No other senior class since MT made the switch to Division I in 1999 has as many total wins as this year's, either. The group, which has been bowl eligible every season since arriving on campus, enters its last game at Floyd Stadium with a 36-25 record over the past five seasons and marquee wins over the likes of Power 5 schools Georgia Tech and Missouri.
Getting that many wins over that period is due to dedication from every member of the senior class. According to redshirt senior defensive tackle Shaquille Huff, the dedication comes from a bond that was created as soon as they stepped on campus.
"It's been a pretty close knit family," he said. "We lost a few people here and there, but all the ones who stayed, we have a bond that I think can never be broken."
Perhaps no other seniors attest to the commitment and consistency shown by the class than Steven Rhodes, Huff and Hunter Rogers. The three will play in their 50th career games on Saturday, joining nine other Blue Raiders who have played at least 50 games at MT. If all three play in the Raiders' impending bowl game, they will take sole possession of second all-time on the career games list.
"It's definitely a blessing," Huff said. "My family is coming up and FAU is always a close game. It's just one last time to go out there and be on that field with everyone I came in with. I'm excited; I can't wait."
Huff leads the team with 37 career games started (36 straight). Daniel Stephens is one behind with 36 (29 straight) and fellow lineman Josh Chester is third with 31. Rhodes has 29 career starts and 27 in a row going into Saturday.
Just playing in games isn't what has made them special, though. They have also been highly effective in those games, setting single-season school records in total offense (5,946 yards in 2015) and scoring (442 points in 2015), among others.
"It's just hard work in what we do in the offseason," Stephens said. "We have a tough offseason program, [Strength coach Jason] Spray and the coaches do a great job in instilling a mentality in us during the offseason. You can see it carry over, I mean we're out here working hard every day. That's how you win games."
While their performance on the field is impressive, it might not be the best thing about the senior class. All 22 have graduated or will graduate in December or the spring, many with their second degrees.
"All of them have graduated or will graduate in December or in the spring, so the entire class will have graduated," Stockstill said. "I'm extremely proud of that, I'm extremely proud of what they've accomplished on the field, and I'm extremely proud in the men they've grown to be."
With degrees in hand, it appears this year's senior class is prepared to make a name for themselves either on or off the football field once they leave Middle Tennessee. They will never forget their time in Murfreesboro, and the university will never forget how much they have meant to the football program.
The list of seniors includes:
Dennis Andrews
Nick Beasley
Richie Bisaccia
Chris Brown
Josh Chester
Jeremy Cutrer
Rod Ducksworth
William Eads
Deontay Evans
Raynard Felton
Demetrius Frazier
Chris Hale
Dontavious Heard
Shaquille Huff
I'Tavius Mathers
Jimal McBride
Terry Pettis
Steven Rhodes
Hunter Rogers
Maurquice Shakir
Daniel Stephens
Azar Wilson
It is the final contest in what has been a career spanning youth, middle school, high school and collegiate football for many senior players. For others, it's just another step in the football journey that may take them on to professional play or the coaching ranks.
No matter if a player is participating in his last football game or just his last home game in Murfreesboro, senior day is full of emotion, remembrance and hope for what is to come in the future.
As Middle Tennessee prepares to say goodbye to its 22 seniors, it's important to highlight just how much the group has meant to the program.
"This senior class, the fifth year guys, won a bunch of games," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "These seniors have meant a lot to me personally and a lot to this football program and this university."
The seniors have guided Middle Tennessee into Conference USA without a hitch. Since the Blue Raiders made the move from the Sun Belt in 2013, they have finished second in the CUSA East Division three times in four years. They have compiled a 21-10 league record, which trails only Marshall and Louisiana Tech (22-9) for the best record in the conference over that period.
No other senior class since MT made the switch to Division I in 1999 has as many total wins as this year's, either. The group, which has been bowl eligible every season since arriving on campus, enters its last game at Floyd Stadium with a 36-25 record over the past five seasons and marquee wins over the likes of Power 5 schools Georgia Tech and Missouri.
Getting that many wins over that period is due to dedication from every member of the senior class. According to redshirt senior defensive tackle Shaquille Huff, the dedication comes from a bond that was created as soon as they stepped on campus.
"It's been a pretty close knit family," he said. "We lost a few people here and there, but all the ones who stayed, we have a bond that I think can never be broken."
Perhaps no other seniors attest to the commitment and consistency shown by the class than Steven Rhodes, Huff and Hunter Rogers. The three will play in their 50th career games on Saturday, joining nine other Blue Raiders who have played at least 50 games at MT. If all three play in the Raiders' impending bowl game, they will take sole possession of second all-time on the career games list.
"It's definitely a blessing," Huff said. "My family is coming up and FAU is always a close game. It's just one last time to go out there and be on that field with everyone I came in with. I'm excited; I can't wait."
Huff leads the team with 37 career games started (36 straight). Daniel Stephens is one behind with 36 (29 straight) and fellow lineman Josh Chester is third with 31. Rhodes has 29 career starts and 27 in a row going into Saturday.
Just playing in games isn't what has made them special, though. They have also been highly effective in those games, setting single-season school records in total offense (5,946 yards in 2015) and scoring (442 points in 2015), among others.
"It's just hard work in what we do in the offseason," Stephens said. "We have a tough offseason program, [Strength coach Jason] Spray and the coaches do a great job in instilling a mentality in us during the offseason. You can see it carry over, I mean we're out here working hard every day. That's how you win games."
While their performance on the field is impressive, it might not be the best thing about the senior class. All 22 have graduated or will graduate in December or the spring, many with their second degrees.
"All of them have graduated or will graduate in December or in the spring, so the entire class will have graduated," Stockstill said. "I'm extremely proud of that, I'm extremely proud of what they've accomplished on the field, and I'm extremely proud in the men they've grown to be."
With degrees in hand, it appears this year's senior class is prepared to make a name for themselves either on or off the football field once they leave Middle Tennessee. They will never forget their time in Murfreesboro, and the university will never forget how much they have meant to the football program.
The list of seniors includes:
Dennis Andrews
Nick Beasley
Richie Bisaccia
Chris Brown
Josh Chester
Jeremy Cutrer
Rod Ducksworth
William Eads
Deontay Evans
Raynard Felton
Demetrius Frazier
Chris Hale
Dontavious Heard
Shaquille Huff
I'Tavius Mathers
Jimal McBride
Terry Pettis
Steven Rhodes
Hunter Rogers
Maurquice Shakir
Daniel Stephens
Azar Wilson
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