Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
After long search, Raiders thrilled with RB combo
11/8/2017 4:00:00 PM | Football
"Smash 'N Dash"
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Going into this season, figuring out how to replace running back I'Tavius Mathers was one of the biggest concerns for Middle Tennessee.
Mathers was like a shooting star for his hometown Blue Raiders, setting single-season school records in rushing (1,561) and all-purpose (2,194) yards in his only year for the blue and white. He was also the first player in NCAA FBS history with over 1,500 yards rushing, 500 yards receiving and 60 catches in the same season.
It was clear in the preseason MT didn't have a running back on the roster who could do things at Mathers' level, so the Blue Raiders focused on how to operate with a committee. Little did they know, that committee would take almost half a season to come together and eventually consist of a freshman and linebacker.
"It's been a struggle back there," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "Going into November when it starts to get colder, you have to be able to run the ball. It feels good that now we hopefully have two guys that are dependable back there."
Over the last four games, freshman Brad Anderson and junior Tavares Thomas have become an unlikely one-two punch for Middle Tennessee and stabilized its running game.
To say it's surprising the two are where they are at this point in the season could be an understatement.
Anderson is an undersized true freshman still trying to figure out how to be a college student. He didn't see the field against Vanderbilt in Week 1 and combined for just six carries against Syracuse and Minnesota in Weeks 2 and 3.
Thomas hadn't played running back for three years before making his debut in the position four games ago. He was a linebacker for MT originally, and last season at Navarro College tallied 82 tackles and 11 sacks (13th in the nation's JUCO ranks).
The two weren't even on the radar prior to the season at the starting running back spot. Now, they're two of the most important pieces on the Raider offense.
"I think they're both getting better," Stockstill said. "Both of those guys are starting to emerge as dependable backs, which is something we've needed all season."
The road to finding the Anderson-Thomas combination, dubbed "Smash 'N Dash" by the two RBs, was long and trying for the Blue Raiders.
Before fall camp, familiar names Shane Tucker and Terelle West and newcomer Maurice Gordon crept to the top of MT's running back depth chart.
Tucker was anticipating a move back to running back after being a receiver in 2016, while West was ready for a step up in usage after playing in 11 games last year and being named the team's Most Improved RB following spring drills. Gordon was a priority JUCO signee for Stockstill after leading Navarro College in rushing yards, rushing scores and all-purpose yards a season ago.
While all three saw some time at RB with the first-team offense in the preseason, none were the starting running back when Vanderbilt traveled to Floyd Stadium for the season opener. Tucker has since started five games as a receiver and missed time with injuries, and West was lost for the first five games due to a preseason knee ailment and hasn't cracked the lineup much since returning. Gordon had seven carries in Week 1 but hasn't seen the field since and is redshirting.
Sophomore wide receiver Ty Lee slotted into the starting running back spot for the first three games of the season, with Anderson grabbing just three total carries and Thomas still a linebacker at the time.
When redshirt junior receiver Richie James was lost during Week 3 against Minnesota, though, Lee was forced to move back to the receiving corps, where he's led the team with 49 catches for 611 yards and four TDs.
Again, Stockstill was searching for an answer in the backfield, and while Anderson was the clear next starter, he felt like a second back was necessary. Anderson showed he had the speed and agility to be a dynamic runner for Middle Tennessee, but at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, a bigger, change-of-pace-back was needed to compliment him. He needed a smash to go with his dash, in other words.
"He's so fast, he can gas a defense when they have to chase him around the field," Thomas said. "Then, I can come in and pound them and pound them. That's tough for a defense."
Thomas fit the bill as that big, bruiser back with a 6-foot, 238-pound frame. He just didn't have experience as a running back on the collegiate level.
When Stockstill recruited Gordon at Navarro College, he was pushed to take a look at Thomas and liked what he saw from the junior as a linebacker. The only problem was the team didn't have highlight film put together of him as a defender, just from when he was a running back at Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas.
Stockstill took a look at the film and liked what he saw from Thomas as a running back, and stored that information in the back of his mind, just in case.
Fast forwarding to the week before the Blue Raiders were to take on FIU, Stockstill remembered what he had seen from Thomas on film. He told the junior they were thinking of using him as a wildcat quarterback to help in some goal-line situations, and Thomas was intrigued.
"[Coach Stockstill] was hinting to it all week, then he asked me if I could do it," Thomas said. "I told him I'd do whatever to help this team, let's just get it done. I thought my running back days were over way back in high school, but to get back to it now, it's a blessing."
In Thomas' first game as a running back against FIU, he scored three times on just six carries as a compliment to Anderson, who finished with 112 yards on 11 carries and 47 more yards on six catches with a score in the Blue Raiders' 37-17 home win.
It wasn't just a one-game flash in the pan, either. The two have provided the type consistency at the position that Stockstill and the offense were searching for.
In six games since taking over as starter, Anderson has averaged 76.7 yards per game rushing. He also has 809 all-purpose yards this season (team high). Thomas in the last four games has averaged 42 yards rushing and scored a team-high four rushing TDs.
They've proven to be the long-awaited answer to the Blue Raiders' running back question, and if you ask them, they'll tell you there's plenty more "Smash 'N Dash" to come.
"If we can just stay consistent and trust our eyes, we could be a dangerous combo," Anderson said.
Mathers was like a shooting star for his hometown Blue Raiders, setting single-season school records in rushing (1,561) and all-purpose (2,194) yards in his only year for the blue and white. He was also the first player in NCAA FBS history with over 1,500 yards rushing, 500 yards receiving and 60 catches in the same season.
It was clear in the preseason MT didn't have a running back on the roster who could do things at Mathers' level, so the Blue Raiders focused on how to operate with a committee. Little did they know, that committee would take almost half a season to come together and eventually consist of a freshman and linebacker.
"It's been a struggle back there," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "Going into November when it starts to get colder, you have to be able to run the ball. It feels good that now we hopefully have two guys that are dependable back there."
Over the last four games, freshman Brad Anderson and junior Tavares Thomas have become an unlikely one-two punch for Middle Tennessee and stabilized its running game.
To say it's surprising the two are where they are at this point in the season could be an understatement.
Anderson is an undersized true freshman still trying to figure out how to be a college student. He didn't see the field against Vanderbilt in Week 1 and combined for just six carries against Syracuse and Minnesota in Weeks 2 and 3.
Thomas hadn't played running back for three years before making his debut in the position four games ago. He was a linebacker for MT originally, and last season at Navarro College tallied 82 tackles and 11 sacks (13th in the nation's JUCO ranks).
The two weren't even on the radar prior to the season at the starting running back spot. Now, they're two of the most important pieces on the Raider offense.
"I think they're both getting better," Stockstill said. "Both of those guys are starting to emerge as dependable backs, which is something we've needed all season."
The road to finding the Anderson-Thomas combination, dubbed "Smash 'N Dash" by the two RBs, was long and trying for the Blue Raiders.
Before fall camp, familiar names Shane Tucker and Terelle West and newcomer Maurice Gordon crept to the top of MT's running back depth chart.
Tucker was anticipating a move back to running back after being a receiver in 2016, while West was ready for a step up in usage after playing in 11 games last year and being named the team's Most Improved RB following spring drills. Gordon was a priority JUCO signee for Stockstill after leading Navarro College in rushing yards, rushing scores and all-purpose yards a season ago.
While all three saw some time at RB with the first-team offense in the preseason, none were the starting running back when Vanderbilt traveled to Floyd Stadium for the season opener. Tucker has since started five games as a receiver and missed time with injuries, and West was lost for the first five games due to a preseason knee ailment and hasn't cracked the lineup much since returning. Gordon had seven carries in Week 1 but hasn't seen the field since and is redshirting.
Sophomore wide receiver Ty Lee slotted into the starting running back spot for the first three games of the season, with Anderson grabbing just three total carries and Thomas still a linebacker at the time.
When redshirt junior receiver Richie James was lost during Week 3 against Minnesota, though, Lee was forced to move back to the receiving corps, where he's led the team with 49 catches for 611 yards and four TDs.
Again, Stockstill was searching for an answer in the backfield, and while Anderson was the clear next starter, he felt like a second back was necessary. Anderson showed he had the speed and agility to be a dynamic runner for Middle Tennessee, but at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, a bigger, change-of-pace-back was needed to compliment him. He needed a smash to go with his dash, in other words.
"He's so fast, he can gas a defense when they have to chase him around the field," Thomas said. "Then, I can come in and pound them and pound them. That's tough for a defense."
Thomas fit the bill as that big, bruiser back with a 6-foot, 238-pound frame. He just didn't have experience as a running back on the collegiate level.
When Stockstill recruited Gordon at Navarro College, he was pushed to take a look at Thomas and liked what he saw from the junior as a linebacker. The only problem was the team didn't have highlight film put together of him as a defender, just from when he was a running back at Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas.
Stockstill took a look at the film and liked what he saw from Thomas as a running back, and stored that information in the back of his mind, just in case.
Fast forwarding to the week before the Blue Raiders were to take on FIU, Stockstill remembered what he had seen from Thomas on film. He told the junior they were thinking of using him as a wildcat quarterback to help in some goal-line situations, and Thomas was intrigued.
"[Coach Stockstill] was hinting to it all week, then he asked me if I could do it," Thomas said. "I told him I'd do whatever to help this team, let's just get it done. I thought my running back days were over way back in high school, but to get back to it now, it's a blessing."
In Thomas' first game as a running back against FIU, he scored three times on just six carries as a compliment to Anderson, who finished with 112 yards on 11 carries and 47 more yards on six catches with a score in the Blue Raiders' 37-17 home win.
It wasn't just a one-game flash in the pan, either. The two have provided the type consistency at the position that Stockstill and the offense were searching for.
In six games since taking over as starter, Anderson has averaged 76.7 yards per game rushing. He also has 809 all-purpose yards this season (team high). Thomas in the last four games has averaged 42 yards rushing and scored a team-high four rushing TDs.
They've proven to be the long-awaited answer to the Blue Raiders' running back question, and if you ask them, they'll tell you there's plenty more "Smash 'N Dash" to come.
"If we can just stay consistent and trust our eyes, we could be a dangerous combo," Anderson said.
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