Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Raiders look to bounce back in HOF game
9/18/2017 4:00:00 PM | Football
Kickoff set for 6 PM Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Following a tough loss at Minnesota, Middle Tennessee returns home Saturday to take on Bowling Green in front of a newly enshrined Blue Raider Hall of Fame class.
The annual Family Day and Hall of Fame game kicks off at 6 p.m., with a hall of fame ceremony starting prior to the contest at 3:30 p.m. where five new members will be enshrined.
The game features two teams looking to hit their stride after disappointing losses to Big Ten teams in Week 3. The Blue Raiders (1-2) traveled to Minnesota and were handled by the Gophers, 34-3, while the Falcons, out of the Mid-American Conference, suffered a 49-7 road loss to Northwestern.
"This is what I told our team yesterday," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said, "this is about us this week, and we've got to really get better in a lot of places and worry about ourselves and improve this week. If we do that, then we'll have a chance to play a competitive game against Bowling Green."
It will be the second time the teams have met on the gridiron. Middle Tennessee went to Bowling Green last season and returned to Murfreesboro with a 41-21 win. The Blue Raiders trailed in that game 21-14 before going on a 24-0 run from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the game.
A big reason for the Blue Raiders' victory in Ohio last season was the play of its redshirt senior running back, I'Tavius Mathers. MT's all-time single-season rushing king became just the second player in program history to amass 100-plus yards rushing and receiving in the same game. He finished with 157 on the ground and 103 on three catches, scoring four total (three rushing) touchdowns.
If Middle Tennessee wants to have similar success against BGSU on Saturday, it will have to find someone to step up in the backfield. Through three games this season, the Raiders are 127th in the country averaging just 63 yards per game on the ground, and their top two rushers – sophomore Ty Lee and junior Richie James – are their two best wide receivers.
While the Blue Raider rushing attack has been anything but effective so far, relief could be coming. Bowling Green was one of the worst defenses in the nation last year in head coach Mike Jinks' first season, and hasn't looked much better through three games in 2017.
The Falcons currently rank 118th in the country in rushing defense (244 yards per game allowed) and 127th in total defense (554.3 total yards per game allowed). It may be difficult for them to slow down the Raiders even if quarterback Brent Stockstill, who didn't play against Minnesota, and James, who didn't play in the second half, don't see much of the field.
"They've got a good front seven," Rick Stockstill said. "It's going to be a challenge for us, but again, it goes back to us executing the fundamentals. We're good when we're disciplined in our technique, how we run the football and how we block on the perimeter, as well as inside.
"We've all got to be accountable to take a little bit more pride in the product that we're putting out there in the run game."
Middle Tennessee's defense has fared much better this season under new defensive coordinator Scott Shafer than Bowling Green's, and that could spell trouble for the Falcons.
In a monsoon-like rain last season against MT, BGSU turned the ball over four times and didn't score in the second half. Against a better Raider defense, which is giving up just 339.3 total yards per contest this season, the Falcons may struggle to move the ball.
Running back Josh Cleveland should be the focal point for Bowling Green offensively. He currently paces the team with 30 carries and 157 rushing yards, and last season against MT he rattled off 153 yards and a TD to go with graduate Fred Coppet's 118 yards.
The Blue Raiders will also have to flash their new pass rush, which ranks 33rd in the nation with eight sacks, if they want to keep the Falcons in check. Sophomore quarterback James Morgan, who made seven starts last season but didn't play against MT, has thrown for 622 yards, two TDs and two interceptions in three games. He's also been sacked eight times.
"The main focus is just to get hats to the ball," senior Blue Raider safety Jovante Moffatt said.
"Effort is also going to be big, just getting all 11 guys to the ball in pursuit.
"I feel like Coach Shafer does a really good job of keeping our confidence level up. He's always making sure we play a consistent rate and just being who we are, and that's what I think we will do."
With some key players either missing time against Minnesota or coming away with small ailments, Saturday's matchup with BGSU will be a good chance to see how healthy Middle Tennessee is with Conference USA play looming.
The Blue Raiders will be back on the road next week at C-USA foe FAU, and momentum from a big Hall of Fame game win on Saturday could go a long way in ensuring they get conference play started on the right foot.
The annual Family Day and Hall of Fame game kicks off at 6 p.m., with a hall of fame ceremony starting prior to the contest at 3:30 p.m. where five new members will be enshrined.
The game features two teams looking to hit their stride after disappointing losses to Big Ten teams in Week 3. The Blue Raiders (1-2) traveled to Minnesota and were handled by the Gophers, 34-3, while the Falcons, out of the Mid-American Conference, suffered a 49-7 road loss to Northwestern.
"This is what I told our team yesterday," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said, "this is about us this week, and we've got to really get better in a lot of places and worry about ourselves and improve this week. If we do that, then we'll have a chance to play a competitive game against Bowling Green."
It will be the second time the teams have met on the gridiron. Middle Tennessee went to Bowling Green last season and returned to Murfreesboro with a 41-21 win. The Blue Raiders trailed in that game 21-14 before going on a 24-0 run from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the game.
A big reason for the Blue Raiders' victory in Ohio last season was the play of its redshirt senior running back, I'Tavius Mathers. MT's all-time single-season rushing king became just the second player in program history to amass 100-plus yards rushing and receiving in the same game. He finished with 157 on the ground and 103 on three catches, scoring four total (three rushing) touchdowns.
If Middle Tennessee wants to have similar success against BGSU on Saturday, it will have to find someone to step up in the backfield. Through three games this season, the Raiders are 127th in the country averaging just 63 yards per game on the ground, and their top two rushers – sophomore Ty Lee and junior Richie James – are their two best wide receivers.
While the Blue Raider rushing attack has been anything but effective so far, relief could be coming. Bowling Green was one of the worst defenses in the nation last year in head coach Mike Jinks' first season, and hasn't looked much better through three games in 2017.
The Falcons currently rank 118th in the country in rushing defense (244 yards per game allowed) and 127th in total defense (554.3 total yards per game allowed). It may be difficult for them to slow down the Raiders even if quarterback Brent Stockstill, who didn't play against Minnesota, and James, who didn't play in the second half, don't see much of the field.
"They've got a good front seven," Rick Stockstill said. "It's going to be a challenge for us, but again, it goes back to us executing the fundamentals. We're good when we're disciplined in our technique, how we run the football and how we block on the perimeter, as well as inside.
"We've all got to be accountable to take a little bit more pride in the product that we're putting out there in the run game."
Middle Tennessee's defense has fared much better this season under new defensive coordinator Scott Shafer than Bowling Green's, and that could spell trouble for the Falcons.
In a monsoon-like rain last season against MT, BGSU turned the ball over four times and didn't score in the second half. Against a better Raider defense, which is giving up just 339.3 total yards per contest this season, the Falcons may struggle to move the ball.
Running back Josh Cleveland should be the focal point for Bowling Green offensively. He currently paces the team with 30 carries and 157 rushing yards, and last season against MT he rattled off 153 yards and a TD to go with graduate Fred Coppet's 118 yards.
The Blue Raiders will also have to flash their new pass rush, which ranks 33rd in the nation with eight sacks, if they want to keep the Falcons in check. Sophomore quarterback James Morgan, who made seven starts last season but didn't play against MT, has thrown for 622 yards, two TDs and two interceptions in three games. He's also been sacked eight times.
"The main focus is just to get hats to the ball," senior Blue Raider safety Jovante Moffatt said.
"Effort is also going to be big, just getting all 11 guys to the ball in pursuit.
"I feel like Coach Shafer does a really good job of keeping our confidence level up. He's always making sure we play a consistent rate and just being who we are, and that's what I think we will do."
With some key players either missing time against Minnesota or coming away with small ailments, Saturday's matchup with BGSU will be a good chance to see how healthy Middle Tennessee is with Conference USA play looming.
The Blue Raiders will be back on the road next week at C-USA foe FAU, and momentum from a big Hall of Fame game win on Saturday could go a long way in ensuring they get conference play started on the right foot.
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