Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
What to watch for against Marshall
10/19/2017 1:00:00 PM | Football
Blue Raiders are 3-4, 1-2 in C-USA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Following a tough 25-23 loss to UAB, Middle Tennessee enters must-win mode with Marshall coming to town for a special Friday night game.
The Blue Raiders (3-4, 1-2 Conference USA) currently sit 1.5 games behind both the Thundering Herd (5-1, 2-0) and FAU (3-3, 2-0) in the C-USA East Division standings with five games to play in the regular season.
The schedule weakens some after Middle Tennessee's bye week next week, but the Raiders will have to get a win against the Herd to go into the off week with momentum and a chance to get back into the C-USA race.
Wins haven't come often enough for the blue and white against Marshall. The Thundering Herd lead the all-time series 4-2, though the home team has won every contest. The Blue Raiders hope playing in front of their fans in their annual Blackout game will keep that trend going.
"I hope our students will come, I hope everybody in town comes, I hope our fans come," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "I know it's tough being a Friday night with high school football. I hate people have to make that choice, but I hope people come to our game and fill this thing up."
Middle Tennessee went on the road to Huntington, West Virginia, a season ago in its first of three games without injured starting quarterback Brent Stockstill, and they came home with a 42-17 loss.
The Blue Raiders went into halftime of that contest with a 17-14 lead, but were shut down in the second half as the Herd rattled off a 28-0 run to escape with the win.
Redemption will be on the minds of the Raiders Friday, and they'll also be representing Middle Tennessee on a national stage. More on that below.
Here's what to watch for Friday night:
Blue Raider offense almost back to full strength
While Brent Stockstill won't suit up against the Thundering Herd for the second straight season, Middle Tennessee is on the mend.
Redshirt junior receiver Richie James, the nation's active leader in receptions (239) and receiving yards per game (107.5), returned last week after a three-week absence. Fellow receiver Shane Tucker and running back Terelle West are also progressing through injuries and getting more involved offensively.
Brent Stockstill may not play Friday, but he could be getting close to returning. With a bye next week for the Blue Raiders, he'll have two weeks to further nurse his injured upper body before MT hosts UTEP on Nov. 4.
Marshall's defense will be tough to score against
Without Brent Stockstill under center, redshirt sophomore QB John Urzua will again be tasked at leading MT's offense against Marshall.
Last season, Urzua threw for 220 yards and a touchdown against the Herd and was picked off twice. He'll see a much-improved defense across from him this time around, so keeping hold of the ball will be necessity.
The Thundering Herd lead C-USA and are ninth in the nation in scoring defense (15 points per game), and they haven't allowed a touchdown in two league games. They also haven't allowed a play of more than 50 yards this season, one of nine teams in the country yet to do so.
Urzua and company have looked better of late, going over 400 total yards in three of the last four games and 394 last week at UAB. However, turnovers have been their Achilles' heel all season, as the Blue Raiders are tied for 12th in the conference with 14 giveaways.
It will be up to Urzua to guide the offense and take care of the ball in key spots. He threw an interception at the UAB 1-yard line last week and had another pass picked at the MT 45 when the Raiders were driving down two points with just over two minutes remaining.
A stout running game could help take some pressure off Urzua, especially when things get tight in the red zone. MT has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of its last four games, and last week freshman Brad Anderson continued a strong four-game stretch with 218 all-purpose yards (81 rushing, 137 receiving) and a TD. He's averaged 85.25 rushing and 157.25 all-purpose yards the last four contests.
No matter how Middle Tennessee chooses to attack the Thundering Herd, it will be a tough task.
"One of the biggest stats that people look at defensively your scoring defense," Coach Stockstill said, "and to give up 15 points a game, it means you're doing a lot of good things on defense.
"They do a lot of good things. They tackle well, they're well coached, they get a lot of people to the ball … it's a really talented defense."
Can Middle Tennessee's defense dominate the line of scrimmage?
The Thundering Herd have been led offensively this season by a dominant offensive line.
While Marshall may not stand out on the stat sheet with just a 143-yard rushing average per game, don't be fooled. Behind their line, the Herd have rushed for over 100 yards in every game except their season-opening win against Miami (Ohio) and 407 in the last two games combined.
Marshall has a two-headed rushing attack with Keion Davis (65.5 yards per game) and Tyler King (69.2 yards per game) to mix with an experienced offensive line that will make things tricky on the Blue Raiders. The Thundering Herd also have a quarterback that never seems to get touched.
Junior Chase Litton, who's second in C-USA with 13 passing TDs against just three interceptions, has only been sacked three times this season. That's tied for the third least amount of sacks given up in the country.
Middle Tennessee has been good at getting to the opposing QB with 15 teams sacks this season, but it's been up and down against the run. In the last four games, the Raiders allowed just 1 and 85 yards on the ground in wins against Bowling Green and FIU, respectively, but in losses to FAU and UAB the Raiders gave up 252 and 260 yards.
Last season, Marshall ran for 207 yards on 41 attempts (5-yard average) in the matchup and Litton, who wasn't sacked in the game, threw for 246 yards and four TDs.
The Blue Raider defense will have to be better on Friday night.
"We're going to have to switch up our pressures and disguise some stuff," senior safety D.J. Sanders said. "When the opportunity presents itself, we're going to have to make a play."
Middle Tennessee better be special on special teams
Marshall features one of the better special teams units in the country, and it starts with its punter and kickoff returner.
Herd punter Kaare Vedvik leads C-USA with a 44.8-yard average, and last week against Old Dominion he sailed a punt 92 yards. Keion Davis leads C-USA with 35.4-yard kickoff return average, and he's brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns this season.
Middle Tennessee has been good in coverage this season, not allowing a TD through seven games. But, the Blue Raiders did give up a 50-yard return to UAB last week, the only kickoff return of the game for the Blazers.
Another good coverage showing for the Raiders plus a few big return plays could go a long way in helping MT win the field position battle, which could be key against a strong MU defense.
ESPN at Middle Tennessee
For the first time since 2010, ESPN will broadcast nationally Friday from Middle Tennessee on ESPN2.
While the Blue Raiders have played on ESPN for each of their six bowl games since 2006, it will be the first time the ESPN family of networks have come to Middle Tennessee since a 42-13 MT loss to Troy in 2010, also on ESPN2.
BLACKOUT
The game will serve as Middle Tennessee's annual Blackout game.
Blackout T-shirts for the game can be purchased at the Blue Raider Ticket Office (Gate 1A at Floyd Stadium), Textbook Brokers (1403 Greenland Drive), Raider Tees (910 Ridgely Rd B) and Alumni Hall (The Avenue Murfreesboro #1040, 2615 Medical Center Pkwy).
There are also T-shirt and ticket combination packages still available for purchase. For $15, fans will receive an End Zone Reserved ticket voucher and the official 2017 Blackout T-shirt.
Colton Sheets honorary captain
For the third time, 11-year-old Colton Sheets will be Middle Tennessee's honorary captain on Friday.
Sheets, a cancer survivor, has been on hand as honorary captain for two Blue Raider wins. Last year, he saw the blue and white take down LA Tech, and the season before that a 73-14 win over Charlotte.
He'll perform the coin toss, which is his favorite part about being honorary captain.
"I'm excited for the game … and I'm confident MTSU is going to win again," he said.
The Blue Raiders (3-4, 1-2 Conference USA) currently sit 1.5 games behind both the Thundering Herd (5-1, 2-0) and FAU (3-3, 2-0) in the C-USA East Division standings with five games to play in the regular season.
The schedule weakens some after Middle Tennessee's bye week next week, but the Raiders will have to get a win against the Herd to go into the off week with momentum and a chance to get back into the C-USA race.
Wins haven't come often enough for the blue and white against Marshall. The Thundering Herd lead the all-time series 4-2, though the home team has won every contest. The Blue Raiders hope playing in front of their fans in their annual Blackout game will keep that trend going.
"I hope our students will come, I hope everybody in town comes, I hope our fans come," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "I know it's tough being a Friday night with high school football. I hate people have to make that choice, but I hope people come to our game and fill this thing up."
Middle Tennessee went on the road to Huntington, West Virginia, a season ago in its first of three games without injured starting quarterback Brent Stockstill, and they came home with a 42-17 loss.
The Blue Raiders went into halftime of that contest with a 17-14 lead, but were shut down in the second half as the Herd rattled off a 28-0 run to escape with the win.
Redemption will be on the minds of the Raiders Friday, and they'll also be representing Middle Tennessee on a national stage. More on that below.
Here's what to watch for Friday night:
Blue Raider offense almost back to full strength
While Brent Stockstill won't suit up against the Thundering Herd for the second straight season, Middle Tennessee is on the mend.
Redshirt junior receiver Richie James, the nation's active leader in receptions (239) and receiving yards per game (107.5), returned last week after a three-week absence. Fellow receiver Shane Tucker and running back Terelle West are also progressing through injuries and getting more involved offensively.
Brent Stockstill may not play Friday, but he could be getting close to returning. With a bye next week for the Blue Raiders, he'll have two weeks to further nurse his injured upper body before MT hosts UTEP on Nov. 4.
Marshall's defense will be tough to score against
Without Brent Stockstill under center, redshirt sophomore QB John Urzua will again be tasked at leading MT's offense against Marshall.
Last season, Urzua threw for 220 yards and a touchdown against the Herd and was picked off twice. He'll see a much-improved defense across from him this time around, so keeping hold of the ball will be necessity.
The Thundering Herd lead C-USA and are ninth in the nation in scoring defense (15 points per game), and they haven't allowed a touchdown in two league games. They also haven't allowed a play of more than 50 yards this season, one of nine teams in the country yet to do so.
Urzua and company have looked better of late, going over 400 total yards in three of the last four games and 394 last week at UAB. However, turnovers have been their Achilles' heel all season, as the Blue Raiders are tied for 12th in the conference with 14 giveaways.
It will be up to Urzua to guide the offense and take care of the ball in key spots. He threw an interception at the UAB 1-yard line last week and had another pass picked at the MT 45 when the Raiders were driving down two points with just over two minutes remaining.
A stout running game could help take some pressure off Urzua, especially when things get tight in the red zone. MT has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of its last four games, and last week freshman Brad Anderson continued a strong four-game stretch with 218 all-purpose yards (81 rushing, 137 receiving) and a TD. He's averaged 85.25 rushing and 157.25 all-purpose yards the last four contests.
No matter how Middle Tennessee chooses to attack the Thundering Herd, it will be a tough task.
"One of the biggest stats that people look at defensively your scoring defense," Coach Stockstill said, "and to give up 15 points a game, it means you're doing a lot of good things on defense.
"They do a lot of good things. They tackle well, they're well coached, they get a lot of people to the ball … it's a really talented defense."
Can Middle Tennessee's defense dominate the line of scrimmage?
The Thundering Herd have been led offensively this season by a dominant offensive line.
While Marshall may not stand out on the stat sheet with just a 143-yard rushing average per game, don't be fooled. Behind their line, the Herd have rushed for over 100 yards in every game except their season-opening win against Miami (Ohio) and 407 in the last two games combined.
Marshall has a two-headed rushing attack with Keion Davis (65.5 yards per game) and Tyler King (69.2 yards per game) to mix with an experienced offensive line that will make things tricky on the Blue Raiders. The Thundering Herd also have a quarterback that never seems to get touched.
Junior Chase Litton, who's second in C-USA with 13 passing TDs against just three interceptions, has only been sacked three times this season. That's tied for the third least amount of sacks given up in the country.
Middle Tennessee has been good at getting to the opposing QB with 15 teams sacks this season, but it's been up and down against the run. In the last four games, the Raiders allowed just 1 and 85 yards on the ground in wins against Bowling Green and FIU, respectively, but in losses to FAU and UAB the Raiders gave up 252 and 260 yards.
Last season, Marshall ran for 207 yards on 41 attempts (5-yard average) in the matchup and Litton, who wasn't sacked in the game, threw for 246 yards and four TDs.
The Blue Raider defense will have to be better on Friday night.
"We're going to have to switch up our pressures and disguise some stuff," senior safety D.J. Sanders said. "When the opportunity presents itself, we're going to have to make a play."
Middle Tennessee better be special on special teams
Marshall features one of the better special teams units in the country, and it starts with its punter and kickoff returner.
Herd punter Kaare Vedvik leads C-USA with a 44.8-yard average, and last week against Old Dominion he sailed a punt 92 yards. Keion Davis leads C-USA with 35.4-yard kickoff return average, and he's brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns this season.
Middle Tennessee has been good in coverage this season, not allowing a TD through seven games. But, the Blue Raiders did give up a 50-yard return to UAB last week, the only kickoff return of the game for the Blazers.
Another good coverage showing for the Raiders plus a few big return plays could go a long way in helping MT win the field position battle, which could be key against a strong MU defense.
ESPN at Middle Tennessee
For the first time since 2010, ESPN will broadcast nationally Friday from Middle Tennessee on ESPN2.
While the Blue Raiders have played on ESPN for each of their six bowl games since 2006, it will be the first time the ESPN family of networks have come to Middle Tennessee since a 42-13 MT loss to Troy in 2010, also on ESPN2.
BLACKOUT
The game will serve as Middle Tennessee's annual Blackout game.
Blackout T-shirts for the game can be purchased at the Blue Raider Ticket Office (Gate 1A at Floyd Stadium), Textbook Brokers (1403 Greenland Drive), Raider Tees (910 Ridgely Rd B) and Alumni Hall (The Avenue Murfreesboro #1040, 2615 Medical Center Pkwy).
There are also T-shirt and ticket combination packages still available for purchase. For $15, fans will receive an End Zone Reserved ticket voucher and the official 2017 Blackout T-shirt.
Colton Sheets honorary captain
For the third time, 11-year-old Colton Sheets will be Middle Tennessee's honorary captain on Friday.
Sheets, a cancer survivor, has been on hand as honorary captain for two Blue Raider wins. Last year, he saw the blue and white take down LA Tech, and the season before that a 73-14 win over Charlotte.
He'll perform the coin toss, which is his favorite part about being honorary captain.
"I'm excited for the game … and I'm confident MTSU is going to win again," he said.
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