Raiders, 'Dores tangle in the 'Boro

MURFREESBORO – Middle Tennessee will welcome rival Vanderbilt to Floyd Stadium on Saturday night in the first meeting between the two schools in 10 years. It will also mark the Commodores' first trip to Murfreesboro since 1920.

Kickoff is set for 6:04 PM central time from Floyd Stadium and will be shown nationally on CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 221, Campus Cable 34.1, Comcast 1721, Dish 158, AT&T U-Verse 1643).

The Blue Raiders (2-2; 1-0) are coming off a heart-breaking 27-25 loss to Illinois last week, while the Commodores fell at No. 3 Ole Miss, 28-16.

Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt have met 15 times on the football field with the Commodores holding a 12-3 advantage. The Blue Raiders, however, have won three straight in the series.

As a reminder for fans, umbrellas are not allowed inside Floyd Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

(GAMEDAY CENTRAL)

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

Game Captains: WR Ed Batties, DE Alexandro Antoine, LB Trey Wafford

Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
Time: 6:04 PM
Teams: Middle Tennessee (2-2) vs Vanderbilt (1-3)
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
Stadium: Floyd (30,788)
Weather Forecast: PM Showers, 62°/53°
Boots Donnelly Statue Unveiling: 3:30 PM
Raider Walk: 3:45
Gates Open: 4:30 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports 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: Dejuan Buford

Live Audio/Live Streaming | Live Stats

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Vanderbilt leads 12-3
At Middle Tennessee: 0-1
At Floyd Stadium: 0-1
At Vanderbilt: 3-11
At Neutral Site: 0-0
Rick Stockstill vs Vanderbilt: 0-0
Derek Mason vs MT: 0-0
Last MT Win: 2005 (17-15)
Last Vanderbilt Win: 23-13 in 1956

QUICK HITTERS

MT is 10-1 at home in its last 11 games.
The Blue Raiders are averaging an astounding 71.5 points a game this season at home.
MT ranks 16th nationally in fewest penalties per game (4.75).
WR Richie James is averaging 8.5 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 116 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 25 conference games, MT has a mark of 18-7.
Kevin Byard is 3rd among NCAA's active players in interceptions per game at 0.39. He also ranks 1st in total interceptions with 16.
RB Shane Tucker has scored at least one touchdown in 12 of his last 19 regular season games.
Over the last 34 games, the Blue Raider defense has come up with 44 interceptions. The team had 15 picks in 2013 by eight different players, 13 in 2014 and seven already in 2015 .
Kevin Byard has 327 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 32.
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 116 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are +27 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).

MT ON HOMECOMING
Middle Tennessee has an overall mark of 51-22-2 on Homecoming and has won 22 of the past 27. The Blue Raiders defeated UAB, 34-22, in last year's Homecoming game. The five losses during this stretch came against Troy in 1999, Louisiana-Lafayette in 2005 and 2007, ULM in 2012 and ECU in 2013. The Blue Raiders are 6-3 on Homecoming under Rick Stockstill.

RAIDERS VS THE SEC
When Middle Tennessee kicks off against Vanderbilt it will mark the 24th game against the SEC since the Blue Raiders moved to FBS (I-A) status in 1999 and its second of 2015. The Blue Raiders have three victories during that span with each coming on the road against Vanderbilt (2001, 2002, 2005). Since 1999, the Blue Raiders have faced every team in the SEC at least once except for Auburn.

RAIDERS AT FLOYD STADIUM

Since Floyd Stadium opened in 1933, the Blue Raiders have compiled an overall mark of 281-116-13 (.700), including a record 31-game win streak from 1987-94.
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are 33-18 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.

RAIDERS GETTING OFFENSIVE
Middle Tennessee has been very effective offensively the early part of the season by averaging 476.8 yards a game to rank 30th nationally. The unit put up 659 yards against Charlotte and 73 points, which was the second most in school history. With a 70-point game in their opener vs JSU, the 2015 Raiders are the first in school history to score 70 or more points twice in a season. The unit is also averaging 44.5 points a game to rank 12th nationally.

DEFENSE NOT TOO SHABBY EITHER
Middle Tennessee gets a lot of praise for its offense but the defense is quietly having a solid season as well. Through four games, MT ranks 7th in turnovers gained (10), 8th in interceptions and 5th in red zone defense (.600). The unit is allowing just 351.3 yards a game and 23.0 points.

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 12 nationally in receptions per game and come into the Vandy contest with a combined 64 receptions, 798 yards and eight touchdowns. The top receiving tandem in school history is Kerry Wright and Chris Henry who combined for 136 catches in 2004. The pair is coming off 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 four starts, Cutrer leads the team with three interceptions, six pass breakups to go with a blocked field goal and fumble recovery. He ranks 6th nationally in passes defended at 2.3 per game.

WATCH LISTS
Middle Tennessee has five different players represented on five Watch Lists in 2015. The recognized players are Ed Batties, Kevin Byard, Darius Johnson, T.T. Barber, Josh Chester, and Shane Tucker. 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

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.

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Players Mentioned

Alexandro Antoine

T.T. Barber

Ed Batties

Kevin Byard

Josh Chester

Cody Clark

Jeremy Cutrer

Richie James

Darius Johnson

Brent Stockstill

Shane Tucker

Trey Wafford

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics