MT, FIU battle on Hall of Fame Day

Saturday, October 17

Murfreesboro, TN

11:00 AM

Middle Tennessee

Florida International University (FSN)

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10/16/2015 9:45:00 AM | Football

Raiders look to get back in win column

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO – It will be breakfast with the Blue Raiders Saturday morning as Middle Tennessee hosts conference foe FIU at 11 AM inside Floyd Stadium. It will also be the annual Hall of Fame Game where MT will induct the 2015 class in a pregame ceremony at 8:30 AM.

Kickoff is set for 11:05 AM central time from Floyd Stadium and will be shown regionally on Fox Sports Regional Network (DirecTV 649, Campus Cable 33.5, Comcast 1676, Dish 5415, 5416, 5417, AT&T U-Verse 1720).

Middle Tennessee and FIU have met ten times on the football field with the Blue Raiders holding a 6-4 advantage. The Blue Raiders have won four of the last six in the series.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

(GAMEDAY CENTRAL)

Hashtag: #BeatFIU, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: MT_FB
Instagram: @MTAthletics
Facebook: Blue Raider Athletics

Game Captains: OL Maurquice Shakir, LB Cavellis Luckett, LB DJ Sanders

Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
Time: 11:05 AM
Teams: Middle Tennessee (2-4) vs FIU (3-3)
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
Stadium: Floyd Stadium (30,788)
Weather Forecast: Sunny, 63°
TV: Fox Sports Regional Network
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Analysis: Wes Hofacker
Hall of Fame Game/Kid's Day/Pink Game
Raider Walk: 8:45 a.m.
Lightning's Locker Room Opens: 9:00 a.m.
Gates Open: 9:30 a.m.

Live Audio/Live Streaming | Live Stats

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Middle Tennessee leads 6-4
At Middle Tennessee: 4-1
At FIU: 2-3
At Neutral Site: 0-0
Rick Stockstill vs FIU: 6-3
Ron Turner vs MT: 1-1
Last MT Win: 2013 (48-0)
Last FIU Win: 38-28 in 2014

QUICK HITTERS

WR Ed Batties has 32 receptions in his last three games combined.
MT ranks 17th nationally in fewest penalties per game (4.67).
WR Richie James is averaging 8.2 receptions a game this season as a freshman to rank 8th nationally and ranks 1st among freshmen.
Cody Clark's consecutive made PAT streak of 121 ranks as the third longest nationally.
MT's 73 points scored in the conference opener against Charlotte went down as the second most scored in school history and came on the heels of a 70-point outing in game one.
MT had 42 points in the first quarter in win over Charlotte which was a school record for points in a quarter.
When Brent Stockstill started against JSU, he became just the second head coach's son in C-USA history to start at quarterback. In 1997-98, Tyson Helton started at Houston when his dad, Kim Helton, was the head coach.
In their last 26 conference games, MT has a mark of 18-8.
Kevin Byard is 2nd among NCAA's active players in interceptions per game at 0.39. He also ranks 1st in total interceptions with 17.
RB Shane Tucker has scored at least one touchdown in 12 of his last 20 regular season games.
Over the last 36 games, the Blue Raider defense has come up with 47 interceptions. The team had 15 picks in 2013 by eight different players, 13 in 2014 and 10 already in 2015 .
Kevin Byard has 352 career interception return yards to own the MT record and rank first on the NCAA active list. The NCAA all-time record is 501 by FSU's Terrell Buckley.
Consecutive Starts Leader: T.T. Barber at 34.
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have been involved in 17 games that were decided in the final minute of regulation or overtime. The team is 10-7 in those games and have won six of the last seven.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill is third on the school's all-time wins list with 59 victories.
In 118 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are +28 in turnover margin.
Middle Tennessee has scored 30 or more points 48 times under Rick Stockstill. The most 30-point games in a season under Stockstill is nine (2009).

RAIDERS AT FLOYD STADIUM

Since Floyd Stadium opened in 1933, the Blue Raiders have compiled an overall mark of 281-117-13 (.700), including a record 31-game win streak from 1987-94.
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are 33-19 overall at Floyd Stadium and 21-12 in conference games (6-1 vs C-USA).
Since 2007, MT has had home games against Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Georgia Tech and BYU. MT will host Vandy in 2015, 2017, Duke in 2019 and Missouri in 2022.

HALL OF FAME GAME
Middle Tennessee will induct its 39th hall of fame class in a pregame ceremony (8:30 AM) Saturday. Standout tailback Kippy Bayless, stellar infielder/slugger Josh Renick, nationally-ranked track star Mardy Scales and golf legend Brett Alexander comprise the 2015 class and join an elite group of Blue Raider hall of famers.

STOCKSTILL BREAKS FRESHMAN RECORD
With 296 passing yards against WKU, quarterback Brent Stockstill set a new freshman passing mark for the Blue Raiders. Stockstill now has 1,803 total passing yards on the season which broke the previous mark of 1,763 yards set by Kelly Holcomb in 1991.

STOCKSTILL SETS CAREER HIGH, ATTEMPTS RECORD
Freshman Brent Stockstill, who leads all first year players nationally in passing, is having a stellar rookie campaign. Against Vanderbilt, Stockstill completed 32 of 51 passes and both were career highs. The 32 completions went down as the second most in school history and the 51 attempts broke the school mark of 49. For the year, Stockstill is averaging 26 completions per game which equals out to 312 for the season and that would be a new MT record.

BYARD TIES CAREER RECORD
Senior Kevin Byard tied a 33-year old Middle Tennessee record when he hauled in his 17th career interception against Vanderbilt. Byard currently shares the school record with James Griffin (1979-82) and needs one more to own the mark outright. Byard's 17 picks is currently tied for first nationally among active players.

BATTIES HAVING CAREER YEAR
Senior wide receiver Ed Batties enters the FIU game with 49 receptions through six games. Last year, Batties led MT in receiving with a personal-best 45 catches. Batties needs five more catches to tie Sulecio Sanford for 10th place on the single-season list.

DANDY DUO
The receiving duo of senior Ed Batties and freshman Richie James is becoming lethal in the Blue Raiders' high octane offensive attack. The pair ranks in the Top 10 nationally in receptions per game and come into the FIU contest with a combined 98 receptions, 1,160 yards and 12 touchdowns. The top receiving tandem in school history is Kerry Wright and Chris Henry who combined for 136 catches in 2004. The pair had a 25-catch game at Illinois where Batties hauled in a school record 13 receptions and James added 12, which would have tied the old school mark.

IMPACT NEWCOMER
Junior Jeremy Cutrer, a late transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC and an original LSU signee, has made quite an impact for the Blue Raiders. In just six starts, Cutrer leads the team with three interceptions, eight pass breakups to go with a blocked field goal and fumble recovery. He ranks 5th nationally in passes defended at 1.8 per game.

WATCH LISTS
Middle Tennessee has eight different players represented on seven Watch Lists in 2015. The recognized players are Ed Batties, Kevin Byard, Darius Johnson, T.T. Barber, Josh Chester, Shane Tucker, Richie James and Brent Stockstill. Following is a list:
                Rotary Lombardi: T.T. Barber and Darius Johnson
                Jim Thorpe: Kevin Byard
                Rimington: Josh Chester
                Doak Walker: Shane Tucker
                Senior Bowl: Kevin Byard
                Biletnikoff: Ed Batties, Richie James
                Manning: Brent Stockstill

Ticket Notes
The Blue Raider ticket office is located at Gate 1 and will open at 8:00 a.m. to facilitate fans wishing to purchase tickets the day of the game, as well as will call pick up and season ticket reprints. Blue Raider fans can also purchase tickets online 24 hours a day by visiting www.GoBlueRaiders.com/tickets.

Parking Notes
If your permit indicates Reese Smith, you should enter campus via Middle Tennessee Blvd. or from Rutherford Blvd. Due to construction, access the interior lots by continuing straight through the roundabout on Middle Tennessee Blvd. and turning right onto Founders Lane. Midgett and Tower permit holders are encouraged to enter campus on Old Main Circle via East Main Street to avoid Greenland Drive congestion. You must access the Greenland Drive Lot via Middle Tennessee Boulevard or Old Lascassas Highway. Fans not destined for Greenland should avoid Greenland Drive.

Paid parking will be available in the back half (closest to Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium) of the Greenland lot, as well as in the Holmes lot. Free parking will be
available in the Livestock lot located off Greenland Drive.

Lot Closures: On Friday at 5:00 p.m. all parking spaces along Faulkinberry Drive will totally shut down to the public. Any vehicles that remain after 5:00 p.m. along Faulkinberry will be towed at the owner's expense as this area will be transformed into Raider Town. Additionally, Greenland Drive parking lot will also shut down Friday night at 10:00 p.m. All non-permitted vehicles remaining in the lot after 10:00 p.m. will be towed at the owner's expense.