Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
MT ready to get back to work against UTEP
10/30/2017 4:20:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Following a much-needed bye week, Middle Tennessee returns to the gridiron on Saturday when UTEP comes to town.
The contest, which will be the third meeting between the two Conference USA programs, will also serve as MT's annual Salute to Veterans & Armed Forces game, and it will be co-sponsored by State Farm and Big O Tires of Murfreesboro.
"Obviously, UTEP has struggled this year, they haven't won a game," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "But, if you turn on the film, those guys play extremely hard … they're playing with a great deal of passion. They'll play hard, and we'll get their best effort, I can promise you that."
The Blue Raiders (3-5, 1-3) and Miners (0-8, 0-4) haven't met on the football field since a 24-21 Miners win in El Paso, Texas, in 2014.
UTEP's head coach for that game, Sean Kugler, ended his tenure at the program after five games this season. On Oct. 1, he resigned after the Miners were defeated by Army, 35-21. He had been head coach of the team since the 2013 season.
Mike Price, from whom Kugler inherited the team in 2013, took over as UTEP's interim head coach prior to the Miners' sixth game. He was previously their head man from 2004-2012.
Since Price has taken over the team, UTEP has done little in three losses to change its fortunes from when Kugler was leading the way.
The Miners currently rank last or next to last in C-USA in nearly every team statistic, including points per game (12.5, last), points per game allowed (37, 13th in C-USA), total offense (222.5 yards per game, last) and total defense (450.9 yards per game allowed, last).
UTEP's 222.5 yards per game average is also the worst mark out of 129 teams in Division I FBS football nationally. That should have Middle Tennessee, which ranks as the fourth-best total defense in C-USA, salivating heading into Saturday.
While UTEP may seem like an inferior opponent that the Blue Raiders should roll over, Stockstill is preaching to his players not to look past the Miners.
"We can't overlook anybody – we're not good enough to overlook anybody," he said. "And that's what I told our team Sunday … you can look at records of anybody in any conference you play, anybody can beat anybody. This is a very even conference, you've got to play really well every Saturday to have a chance to win no matter who you play."
The bye week came at a great time for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders, who've been bitten badly by the injury bug this season, used the off week to heal up some, re-evaluate and rest mentally.
"Coming off the bye week, I feel like we're mentally ready," junior safety Jovante Moffatt said. "Taking a couple of days off, I think, is actually going to help us going into this week."
Some Blue Raider injuries may be too severe for a bye week to fix, but a few key players could be closer to seeing the field, which will be good news for an offense averaging 361 yards (10th C-USA) and 19.1 points (11th C-USA) per game.
Redshirt junior quarterback Brent Stockstill, who hasn't played since Week 2 against Syracuse, will be re-evaluated this week to see where he stands going forward. Redshirt junior receiver Richie James, who went down in MT's last game against Marshall, will also undergo more tests to see if he can suit up Saturday, though it could be a stretch.
"Well, I don't know if we got all the way healthy, as we still have a lot of bumps and bruises," Coach Stockstill said. "I think we came back yesterday not only physically fresh but mentally fresher than when we left."
With four games left in the regular season and a 3-5 record, there isn't much room for Middle Tennessee to slip up if the Raiders want to reach bowl eligibility for the ninth time in 12 seasons under Coach Stockstill.
It all starts with UTEP on Saturday, and the Blue Raiders and their head coach are excited to get back on the field.
"We had two really good practices last week during our open date and a good workout yesterday," Coach Stockstill said. "I think this team is really hungry and anxious to play this game this weekend."
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The contest, which will be the third meeting between the two Conference USA programs, will also serve as MT's annual Salute to Veterans & Armed Forces game, and it will be co-sponsored by State Farm and Big O Tires of Murfreesboro.
"Obviously, UTEP has struggled this year, they haven't won a game," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "But, if you turn on the film, those guys play extremely hard … they're playing with a great deal of passion. They'll play hard, and we'll get their best effort, I can promise you that."
The Blue Raiders (3-5, 1-3) and Miners (0-8, 0-4) haven't met on the football field since a 24-21 Miners win in El Paso, Texas, in 2014.
UTEP's head coach for that game, Sean Kugler, ended his tenure at the program after five games this season. On Oct. 1, he resigned after the Miners were defeated by Army, 35-21. He had been head coach of the team since the 2013 season.
Mike Price, from whom Kugler inherited the team in 2013, took over as UTEP's interim head coach prior to the Miners' sixth game. He was previously their head man from 2004-2012.
Since Price has taken over the team, UTEP has done little in three losses to change its fortunes from when Kugler was leading the way.
The Miners currently rank last or next to last in C-USA in nearly every team statistic, including points per game (12.5, last), points per game allowed (37, 13th in C-USA), total offense (222.5 yards per game, last) and total defense (450.9 yards per game allowed, last).
UTEP's 222.5 yards per game average is also the worst mark out of 129 teams in Division I FBS football nationally. That should have Middle Tennessee, which ranks as the fourth-best total defense in C-USA, salivating heading into Saturday.
While UTEP may seem like an inferior opponent that the Blue Raiders should roll over, Stockstill is preaching to his players not to look past the Miners.
"We can't overlook anybody – we're not good enough to overlook anybody," he said. "And that's what I told our team Sunday … you can look at records of anybody in any conference you play, anybody can beat anybody. This is a very even conference, you've got to play really well every Saturday to have a chance to win no matter who you play."
The bye week came at a great time for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders, who've been bitten badly by the injury bug this season, used the off week to heal up some, re-evaluate and rest mentally.
"Coming off the bye week, I feel like we're mentally ready," junior safety Jovante Moffatt said. "Taking a couple of days off, I think, is actually going to help us going into this week."
Some Blue Raider injuries may be too severe for a bye week to fix, but a few key players could be closer to seeing the field, which will be good news for an offense averaging 361 yards (10th C-USA) and 19.1 points (11th C-USA) per game.
Redshirt junior quarterback Brent Stockstill, who hasn't played since Week 2 against Syracuse, will be re-evaluated this week to see where he stands going forward. Redshirt junior receiver Richie James, who went down in MT's last game against Marshall, will also undergo more tests to see if he can suit up Saturday, though it could be a stretch.
"Well, I don't know if we got all the way healthy, as we still have a lot of bumps and bruises," Coach Stockstill said. "I think we came back yesterday not only physically fresh but mentally fresher than when we left."
With four games left in the regular season and a 3-5 record, there isn't much room for Middle Tennessee to slip up if the Raiders want to reach bowl eligibility for the ninth time in 12 seasons under Coach Stockstill.
It all starts with UTEP on Saturday, and the Blue Raiders and their head coach are excited to get back on the field.
"We had two really good practices last week during our open date and a good workout yesterday," Coach Stockstill said. "I think this team is really hungry and anxious to play this game this weekend."
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference 1/17/26
Saturday, January 17
Introducing Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach - Anthony Scelfo
Tuesday, January 13
MTSU Football Signing Day Press Conference 12/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Sunday, November 30
