Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
0-1
Vanderbilt University
1-0
Team Stats
VANDY 7, MT 0
VANDY - Kalija Lipscomb 37 yd pass from Kyle Shurmur (Tommy Openshaw kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:29
VANDY 14, MT 0
VANDY - Ralph Webb 1 yd run (Tommy Openshaw kick), 3 plays, 40 yards, TOP 1:04
VANDY 21, MT 0
VANDY - Kalija Lipscomb 4 yd pass from Kyle Shurmur (Tommy Openshaw kick) 13 plays, 76 yards, TOP 7:43
VANDY 28, MT 0
VANDY - Ralph Webb 73 yd pass from Kyle Shurmur (Tommy Openshaw kick) 3 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:24
VANDY 28, MT 6
MT - JAMES, Richie 22 yd pass from STOCKSTILL, B. (ROOKER, Canon kickblocked) 3 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:05
Players Mentioned
Blue Raiders drop home opener vs. Vandy
9/2/2017 11:31:00 PM | Football
James sets receiving yardage record
The Commodores (1-0) struck early and took the crowd of 26,717 out of the game, then hung on with solid defense to beat the Raiders (0-1) 28-6.
"I'm just disappointed in how we played," MT Head Coach Rick Stockstill said. "There are some things that we saw that we might be able to expand on a little bit with some personnel … but there's not a whole lot of positive about this game.
"We've got enough things to get corrected before we play again."
Vanderbilt was effective offensively from its first possession, though it wasn't All-Southeastern Conference running back Ralph Webb who led the way.
Junior quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who threw for just 113 yards against Middle Tennessee in 2016, was the driving force behind the Dores' 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter that seemed to grab all of the momentum for the visiting team.
He completed 6-of-7 passes in the first quarter for 124 yards and a touchdown, and finished the game with 296 yards on 20-of-28 passing with three scores.
Webb, on the other hand, managed just 21 yards rushing in the first quarter and finished with 49 on 24 attempts. It was a far cry from the 183 yards Vandy's all-time leading rusher averaged on the ground against MT the past two seasons, though he also added 104 receiving yards.
"They knew we would try to load the box, so we expected the pass but more run," senior linebacker D.J. Sanders said. "We have to fix the missing assignments we had, be more consistent, stop the run, fly to the ball and get more takeaways."
While the Blue Raider defense had its hands full with the Commodore passing attack, its offense struggled to find much momentum. And when it finally got moving, miscues led to missed opportunities.
Middle Tennessee's first two possessions ended with an interception and turnover on downs, both on Vanderbilt's side of the field, eliminating good scoring chances that could have swung the early momentum. It was the same problem the Blue Raiders had a year prior in Nashville when they scored just four times while entering Commodore territory on 11 possessions.
The line of scrimmage was where Vanderbilt was most effective in slowing down Middle Tennessee's attack. The Commodores came up with five sacks of quarterback Brent Stockstill, who had defenders in his face seemingly every time he dropped back to pass.
"They're a good defense, and they make life hard on you," the redshirt junior QB said. "Our defense played extremely well … we just have to score points. I think we'll fix it – we just have to find the right pieces and play hard, play a little tougher with more energy and enthusiasm."
Despite the offensive woes, it was still a night to remember for redshirt junior Richie James. The All-Conference USA wide receiver caught 10 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, and set a new MT career record for receiving yards (3,083) with a 19-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
"If we would have gotten that win I would have felt way better," he said. "At the end of the day, we just have to get better. At the end of the season when we win a bowl game, that's when it will mean something to me."
James, the NCAA's active leader in receptions and receiving yards per game, was also the recipient of the only score of the game, a 22-yard TD pass just over the goal line to make the score 28-6 with about 12 minutes left in the ballgame.
Brent Stockstill completed 18-of-31 passes for 166 yards, one TD and an interception.
Defensively, junior safety Wesley Bush led the way in the tackle department with eight in his first game as a Blue Raider. Redshirt junior defensive end Walter Brady, also playing in his first game at Middle Tennessee, added five tackles, a sack, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
The Blue Raiders will try again for their first win of 2017 at Syracuse in Week 2. It will be a homecoming of sorts for new defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, who spent seven seasons there as defensive coordinator then head coach from 2009-2015.
MT POSTGAME NOTES
CAPTAINS: Today's game captains RB Shane Tucker, QB Brent Stockstill and LB DJ Sanders.
SIXTH LARGEST: Middle Tennessee's announced crowd of 26,717 for the Vanderbilt game went down as the sixth largest crowd in school history. It was also the largest since Georgia Tech in 2011 when a record 30,502 attended.
NEW PLAYERS : Middle Tennessee had 20 players see action for the Blue Raiders for the first time Saturday against Vanderbilt. They had seven redshirt freshmen, four true freshmen and nine transfers see action in the opener. The true freshmen to play were Cody Smith, Jordan Ferguson, Reed Blankenship, and DQ Thomas.
JAMES FOR 100: Junior wide receiver Richie James set the Blue Raiders' all-time record for 100-yard games with his 15th against Vanderbilt. James finished with 10 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.
RECORD-SETTING RICHIE: Junior wide receiver Richie James set another Middle Tennessee record on the evening by surpassing Kendall Newson (3,074) for career receiving yards. James' 112 yards against Vanderbilt put him at 3,083 through just 27 games.
JAMES IN SECOND: Junior wide receiver Richie James' fourth quarter touchdown grab was his first of 2017 and the 21st of his career. The 21 touchdown receptions equals the second most in school history along with Kendall Newson (1998-01) and Herbert Owenby (1964-67). James now needs just one more to tie the all-time leader Kerry Wright (2001-04).
