Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
The I-Train is rolling after two big games
9/28/2016 5:30:00 PM | Football
Mathers is 13th nationally in rushing
After Middle Tennessee's big conference-opening win against Louisiana Tech, several players in the Blue Raider locker room were shouting a new type of train, the I-Train, has rolled into Murfreesboro.
This train doesn't run on tracks, make you stop at railroad crossings or carry your finest consumer goods. What this train named I'Tavius Mathers brings are football victories.
With a career-best 163 yards on the ground Saturday, the redshirt senior out of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro has 447 rushing yards this season, good for 13th in the country. That ranks him higher than big-time names like Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, Georgia's Nick Chubb, LSU's Leonard Fournette and Tennessee's Jalen Hurd.
That feat may not have been conceivable when Mathers first arrived on Middle Tennessee's campus in 2015 after spending three years at Ole Miss. First-year Blue Raider offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said when he arrived in the spring, Mathers wasn't playing up to the hype he had coming from Mississippi. That has changed drastically, though.
"He's playing really well and we knew in the summer that he had changed, that he had done everything we had asked him to do," Franklin said. "He's playing at a high level and he's making plays and getting more confident."
A big part of Mathers' development has come from his newfound ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Through four games he is second on the team with 260 receiving yards on 18 catches, and he ranks seventh in the country in all-purpose yards per game (176.75) when his receiving and rushing totals are added together.
"I've always struggled with catching," Mathers said. "I wouldn't say it's one of my strongest things, but in the summer I got with some of the receivers and just asked how I could catch better. I started doing receiver drills with them and worked on it every day."
His receiving ability has helped guide the Blue Raider offense, especially the last two weeks. Against Bowling Green in Week 3 and last week against LA Tech, Mathers led the team with 177 yards combined receiving to go along with 320 yards rushing.
The 497 all-purpose yards he's racked up the last two weeks have led to Mathers winning back-to-back Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week awards, making him the first Blue Raider to win the award in back-to-back weeks since MT moved to Conference USA in 2013.
The soft-spoken Mathers has also been pretty good at finding the end zone. He ranks third nationally in rushing touchdowns with seven and is seventh in scoring at 13.5 points a game. Mathers has scored eight touchdowns the last two games.
He's also garnered a bigger share of offensive duties for MT.
"I have a chart that says he needs to touch it 20 times a game at least," Franklin said. "It depends on the flow of the game, but the fact that he's catching the ball really well and making plays after the catch means he's going to get at least 20 a game."
While Mathers should be credited for his play so far this season, there is another group that is vitally important to his success.
"None of this would be possible without my offensive line," he said. "They play key roles and they go unnoticed. It makes it look like I'm the star when really they're the stars. They make my job easy."
Mathers and his line have connected very well this season not only on the field but off it, as well.
"We're pretty tight, I guess," he said. "I like to joke around with them at times and try to start stuff with them. I know I won't win, they're very big, but I do it just to mess with them. They're all special guys I like to be around."
Looking down the line to Middle Tennessee's game at North Texas Saturday and beyond, Mathers is hoping to continue getting better on the ground and in the passing game. Franklin said his running back will continue to be successful if he can stay healthy and stick to who he is as a player.
"He needs to stay healthy, that's the biggest thing," Franklin said. "He's a special kid. There are guys who are more talented than him, but there aren't any who work harder than he does to be a good player."
When the Blue Raiders return home to face off against Western Kentucky on homecoming Oct. 15, keep an eye open for the I-Train to roll back into Floyd Stadium.
This train doesn't run on tracks, make you stop at railroad crossings or carry your finest consumer goods. What this train named I'Tavius Mathers brings are football victories.
Eight touchdowns and two @Conference_USA Player of the Week honors in two weeks for @I_Train5! #BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/g6IZVX0y5Y
— MT Athletics (@MTAthletics) September 26, 2016
With a career-best 163 yards on the ground Saturday, the redshirt senior out of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro has 447 rushing yards this season, good for 13th in the country. That ranks him higher than big-time names like Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, Georgia's Nick Chubb, LSU's Leonard Fournette and Tennessee's Jalen Hurd.
That feat may not have been conceivable when Mathers first arrived on Middle Tennessee's campus in 2015 after spending three years at Ole Miss. First-year Blue Raider offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said when he arrived in the spring, Mathers wasn't playing up to the hype he had coming from Mississippi. That has changed drastically, though.
"He's playing really well and we knew in the summer that he had changed, that he had done everything we had asked him to do," Franklin said. "He's playing at a high level and he's making plays and getting more confident."
A big part of Mathers' development has come from his newfound ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Through four games he is second on the team with 260 receiving yards on 18 catches, and he ranks seventh in the country in all-purpose yards per game (176.75) when his receiving and rushing totals are added together.
"I've always struggled with catching," Mathers said. "I wouldn't say it's one of my strongest things, but in the summer I got with some of the receivers and just asked how I could catch better. I started doing receiver drills with them and worked on it every day."
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| Middle Tennessee running back I'Tavius Mathers runs towards a Bowling Green defender in the Blue Raiders 41-21 victory Sept. 17. Brent Beerends/MT Athletic Communications |
His receiving ability has helped guide the Blue Raider offense, especially the last two weeks. Against Bowling Green in Week 3 and last week against LA Tech, Mathers led the team with 177 yards combined receiving to go along with 320 yards rushing.
The 497 all-purpose yards he's racked up the last two weeks have led to Mathers winning back-to-back Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week awards, making him the first Blue Raider to win the award in back-to-back weeks since MT moved to Conference USA in 2013.
The soft-spoken Mathers has also been pretty good at finding the end zone. He ranks third nationally in rushing touchdowns with seven and is seventh in scoring at 13.5 points a game. Mathers has scored eight touchdowns the last two games.
He's also garnered a bigger share of offensive duties for MT.
"I have a chart that says he needs to touch it 20 times a game at least," Franklin said. "It depends on the flow of the game, but the fact that he's catching the ball really well and making plays after the catch means he's going to get at least 20 a game."
While Mathers should be credited for his play so far this season, there is another group that is vitally important to his success.
"None of this would be possible without my offensive line," he said. "They play key roles and they go unnoticed. It makes it look like I'm the star when really they're the stars. They make my job easy."
Mathers and his line have connected very well this season not only on the field but off it, as well.
"We're pretty tight, I guess," he said. "I like to joke around with them at times and try to start stuff with them. I know I won't win, they're very big, but I do it just to mess with them. They're all special guys I like to be around."
Looking down the line to Middle Tennessee's game at North Texas Saturday and beyond, Mathers is hoping to continue getting better on the ground and in the passing game. Franklin said his running back will continue to be successful if he can stay healthy and stick to who he is as a player.
"He needs to stay healthy, that's the biggest thing," Franklin said. "He's a special kid. There are guys who are more talented than him, but there aren't any who work harder than he does to be a good player."
When the Blue Raiders return home to face off against Western Kentucky on homecoming Oct. 15, keep an eye open for the I-Train to roll back into Floyd Stadium.
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