Raiders to open 102nd season

Saturday, September 3

6:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

Alabama A&M University

Tickets

9/2/2016 10:00:00 AM | Football

MT-AAMU to kickoff at 6 PM Saturday

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO – Middle Tennessee is set to begin its 102^nd season of football when the Blue Raiders open at home Saturday against Alabama A&M. The game will kick-off at 6 PM Central and can be seen on CUSA.tv/RaiderVision (requires a subscription).

This marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools who are only 90 miles apart.

The Blue Raiders are hoping to continue their impressive run at home where they have won 17 of their last 20 games.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

(GAMEDAY CENTRAL)

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

Game Captains: 66 Daniel Stephens, 97 Raynard Felton, 13 Demetrius Frazier

Date: Saturday, Sept. 3
Time: 6:00 PM
Teams: Middle Tennessee (0-0) vs Alabama A&M (0-0)
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
Stadium: Floyd (30,788)
Note: All bags 14-by-14-by-10 inches and smaller will be allowed into the stadium, and every bag will be checked before patrons are allowed to enter. There will also be separate lines for those without bags.
Weather Forecast: Sunny, 86°
Honorary Captains: Mayors, Police and Fire Chiefs
Parking: Map
Raider Walk: 3:45 p.m.
Raider Town: Opens at 4 PM (Gate 3)
Gates Open: 4:30 p.m.
TV: CUSA.tv (Jake Rose and DeJuan Buford)
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: First Meeting
At Middle Tennessee: 0-0
At Floyd Stadium: 0-0
At AAMU: 0-0
At Neutral Site: 0-0
Rick Stockstill vs AAMU: 0-0
James Spady vs MT: 0-0
Last MT Win: NA
Last AAMU Win: NA

QUICK HITTERS

The 2016 season is the 102nd for Blue Raider football and the 18th at the FBS level.
Middle Tennessee is 17-3 in its last 20 home games.
The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible seven times in 10 years and partcipated in five bowls during the FBS era.
Middle Tennessee has 10 players competing this season with a degree in hand.
In MT's seven wins last season it averaged 529.7 yards of total offense and allowed just 324.1.
MT averaged 44.3 points a game at home and 25.1 on the road in 2015.
Dating back to last season, WR Richie James has 53 receptions over his last six games combined.
QB Brent Stockstill has thrown for 300 or more yards in five of his last six outings.
Middle Tennessee enters the AAMU game having hit 198 consecutive extra points. That is the third longest current streak in the nation.
In their last 32 conference games, MT has a mark of 23-9.
Over the last 43 games, the Blue Raider defense has come up with 54 interceptions. The team had 15 picks in 2013 by eight different players, 13 in 2014 and 17 in 2015 .
Consecutive Starts Leaders: Shaquille Huff (25), Daniel Stephens (18) and Steven Rhodes (16).
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have been involved in 18 games that were decided in the final minute of regulation or overtime. The team is 11-7 in those games and have won seven of the last eight.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill is third on the school's all-time wins list with 64 victories.
In 125 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are +22 in turnover margin.
Middle Tennessee has scored 30 or more points 52 times under Rick Stockstill. The most 30-point games in a season under Stockstill is nine (2009).

SEASON OPENERS
Middle Tennessee has an overall mark of 60-39-2 in season-opening games and has won 21 of its last 34, including three straight. The Blue Raiders have won their opening game six times since elevating to the FBS level in 1999. MT defeated SEC member Vanderbilt in 2001 on the road and then upset Akron on the road in 2004. The Blue Raiders also won the 2006 opener at home against FIU, the 2013 opener against Western Carolina, 2014 versus Savannah State and 2015 vs Jackson State.

RAIDERS AT FLOYD STADIUM
Since Floyd Stadium opened in 1933, the Blue Raiders have compiled an overall mark of 284-116-13 (.700), including a record 31-game win streak from 1987-94.

Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are 36-19 overall at Floyd Stadium and 24-12 in conference games (11-1 vs C-USA). MT has a 17-3 record at home in its last 20 games.

Since 2007, MT has had home games against Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, BYU and Vandy. MT will host Vandy in 2017, Duke in 2019 and Missouri in 2022.

PROGRAM STABILITY
Since 1978, Middle Tennessee can boast one of the more stable football programs in the country. Since that time, the Blue Raiders have had just three head coaches to rank tied for second nationally. During that time, Florida State has had just two head coaches with the Blue Raiders, Virginia Tech and Penn State close behind with three. Here is a look at the Top 5:
                1. Florida State 2 Head Coaches
                2. Middle Tennessee      3 Head Coaches
                    Virginia Tech 3 Head Coaches
                    Penn State      3 Head Coaches
                5. Air Force         4 Head Coaches
                    Fresno State 4 Head Coaches

GRADUATES
Middle Tennessee will play the 2016 season with 10 student-athletes owning a degree which is tied for 8th most in the country. The student-athletes with a degree are Dennis Andrews, Chris Brown, Deontay Evans, Raynard Felton, Demetrius Frazier, Chris Hale, I'Tavius Mathers, Terry Pettis, Hunter Rogers, and Maurquice Shakir.

1.            Virginia 15
2.            Pittsburgh           13
3.            Georgia Southern            11
                Illinois   11
                Northwestern   11
                Temple 11
                West Virginia     11
8.            Middle Tennessee          10
                Iowa State          10

HE'S BACK
After helping lead MT to its best season in the FBS era, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is back to call the shots for the Blue Raiders' potent attack. Franklin guided the offense in 2009 when MT went 10-3 and won the New Orleans Bowl. Since leaving after the 2009 campaign, Franklin spent time at LA Tech and Cal where he tutored the NFL's 2016 top draft pick (Jared Goff).

FATHER-SON
The father-son combination in college football is rare, especially when its the head coach and starting quarterback. With Rick Stockstill and Brent Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are one of just seven programs nationally where the head coach is coaching his son. Following is a list:

School                                  Head Coach                                  Player
UL-Lafayette                      Mark Hudspeth                          Gunner Hudspeth
Iowa                                      Kirk Ferentz                                  Steve Ferentz
Utah                                      Kyle Whittingham                      Alex Whittingham
Middle Tenn.                     Rick Stockstill                               Brent Stockstill
Old Dominion                    Bobby Wilder                               Derek Wilder
Colorado                              Mike Macintyre                          Jay Macintyre
Tennessee                          Butch Jones                                  Alex Jones

FATHER-SON II
Even rarer is to have two coaches on the same staff coaching their sons. Middle Tennessee and Utah are the only programs in the country who have two coaches with sons on the team. The Blue Raiders have HC Rick Stockstill and QB Brent Stockstill, along with DC Tyrone Nix and DT Ty Nix. At Utah HC Kyle Willingham has three of his sons on the team while CB coach Sharrieff Shah has his son Sharrieff Shah Jr. on the team.