Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 23
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Bowling Green
What to watch for against Bowling Green
9/22/2017 5:00:00 PM | Football
Raiders host final non-conference game
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee will try to get back to its winning ways Saturday when the Bowling Green Falcons come to Murfreesboro for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: ESPN3 or watchespn.com
Radio: 102.5 FM, 89.5 FM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, 1450 AM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app.
The Blue Raiders (1-2) fell to Minnesota on the road last week, 34-3, while the Falcons continued their winless start (0-3) with a 49-7 loss at Northwestern.
It will be the second meeting all-time between the programs. Middle Tennessee traveled to Bowling Green, Ohio, last season and came home with a win in a rain-drenched game, 41-21.
Running back I'Tavius Mathers was the difference for MT a season ago. It was tied at 21 late in the second quarter, but after that he went on a personal 20-0 run, scoring two short rushing touchdowns and a 78-yard pass from quarterback Brent Stockstill to put the game away. He finished with 157 yards rushing, 103 yards receiving and four total (three rushing) TDs.
The Blue Raiders are hoping to get their offense rolling after getting clamped by Minnesota last week. They managed just three points and 230 total yards of offense (4 yards per play).
Bowling Green has struggled on both sides of the ball in head coach Mike Jinks' second year. Before losing to Northwestern, the Falcons fell at Michigan State, 35-10, in Week 1 and followed with a 35-27 letdown against FCS South Dakota in their home opener.
Here are some keys to focus on as the game unfolds:
Can MT exploit a struggling BG defense?
Middle Tennessee has struggled this season offensively, in part due to injuries to redshirt juniors Brent Stockstill and Richie James, among others.
In the second half of their win against Syracuse in Week 2, the Blue Raiders looked a little more like the record-setting offense fans got used to seeing the past few seasons. They outscored the Orange 21-10 in the final two quarters and racked up 220 total yards of offense.
The other 10 quarters in the first three games weren't great for the blue and white. They managed just 588 total yards (on pace for 235.2 yards per game) and 18 points in those frames.
Stockstill didn't play due to an injury against Minnesota, and James missed most of the contest after leaving early on with an ailment. If redshirt sophomore John Urzua is at quarterback Saturday, and if the wide receiving corps is without James, MT may still find it hard to gain traction with the ball.
However, Bowling Green's defense may be just the medicine the Raiders have been looking for.
The Falcons boast one of the worst statistical defenses in the country. They rank 127th out of 129 FBS teams in total defense (554.3 yards per game allowed), and are giving up 244 rushing yards (118th) and 310.3 passing yards (116th) per game.
It could be the perfect opportunity for the Blue Raiders to find themselves offensively, even if their two main offensive weapons aren't up to their usual abilities.
"It's going to be a challenge for us," head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference, "but again, it goes back to us executing the fundamentals."
Can the Blue Raider pass rush get to the QB?
Middle Tennessee's defensive play has been solid through three games, at least compared to what it looked like last season.
The Blue Raiders are giving up just 339.3 yards per game, good for 49th in the country. That's a pretty sizeable improvement from the 449.5 yards they gave up per contest in 2016.
A good pass rush can take some of the credit for the improvements defensively. Middle Tennessee has already gotten to opposing quarterbacks eight times this season, good for 2.67 sacks per game (tied for 33rd in the nation). That's a slight uptick from the two sacks the Raiders averaged per contest last year.
Their Saturday counterparts haven't fared great against pass rushes so far, though they've played against two Big Ten teams with stout defenses. The Falcons are giving up 2.67 sacks per game, tied for 97th in the country.
No matter which quarterback is under center for BG, redshirt sophomore James Morgan or freshman Jarret Doege, the MT defense will need to show their pass rush is for real.
Will Middle Tennessee slow down Josh Cleveland this time around?
Despite not starting a game yet this season, senior running back Josh Cleveland has been the bell cow of the Bowling Green offense. He leads the team with 30 rushing attempts and 157 yards, and he's scored the only Falcon rushing TD.
Last season, Cleveland was the main driver of the BG offense in the torrential downpour that soaked the matchup with MT. He rushed only 18 times but had an 8.5-yard average thanks to three rushes of more than 20 yards, finishing with 153 total yards and a touchdown.
Middle Tennessee's defense has shown it's up to stopping the run so far, limiting opponents to 139.3 rushing yards per game this season despite playing two bigger, heavily run-oriented teams in Vanderbilt and Minnesota.
The Blue Raiders will need to continue to be good against the ground game if they want to be able to make the Falcons one-dimensional and unleash their pass rush led by defensive end Walter Brady (team-high two sacks).
"We've got to do a good job of creating a new line of scrimmage, trying to get in their backfield to disrupt their plays," Coach Stockstill said. "We've got to tackle good, and we've tackled really well so far this year. It will be a challenge, but one I know our defense is up to."
Who wins on third down?
Both teams haven't shown a great ability to convert third downs this season, but Middle Tennessee's defense has been far better at third down defense through three games.
The Blue Raiders have converted just six third downs, though they'll go against one of the worst third-down defenses in the country. Bowling Green has allowed their opponents to be successful on 22 of 42 third-down tries, good for a 52.4 percent conversion rate.
Doing better on first and second down could help Middle Tennessee's offense immensely on third down. Against Minnesota last week, the Raiders' average third-down distance was 8 yards.
While MT's offense has struggled to convert third downs, its defense has done a good job of stopping opponents. In three games, teams have managed just a 38-percent conversion rate (19-50).
Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductions
Prior to the game, six individuals will be inducted in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame at a ceremony just outside the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame.
The event begins at 3:30 p.m. with speeches by each of the inductees.
Chrissy Givens (women's basketball), Rick Insell (women's basketball), Wes Counts (football), Marco Born (tennis), Andreas Siljestrom (tennis) and Michael McKenry (baseball) will be forever enshrined alongside other all-time Blue Raider greats.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: ESPN3 or watchespn.com
Radio: 102.5 FM, 89.5 FM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, 1450 AM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app.
The Blue Raiders (1-2) fell to Minnesota on the road last week, 34-3, while the Falcons continued their winless start (0-3) with a 49-7 loss at Northwestern.
It will be the second meeting all-time between the programs. Middle Tennessee traveled to Bowling Green, Ohio, last season and came home with a win in a rain-drenched game, 41-21.
Running back I'Tavius Mathers was the difference for MT a season ago. It was tied at 21 late in the second quarter, but after that he went on a personal 20-0 run, scoring two short rushing touchdowns and a 78-yard pass from quarterback Brent Stockstill to put the game away. He finished with 157 yards rushing, 103 yards receiving and four total (three rushing) TDs.
The Blue Raiders are hoping to get their offense rolling after getting clamped by Minnesota last week. They managed just three points and 230 total yards of offense (4 yards per play).
Bowling Green has struggled on both sides of the ball in head coach Mike Jinks' second year. Before losing to Northwestern, the Falcons fell at Michigan State, 35-10, in Week 1 and followed with a 35-27 letdown against FCS South Dakota in their home opener.
Here are some keys to focus on as the game unfolds:
Can MT exploit a struggling BG defense?
Middle Tennessee has struggled this season offensively, in part due to injuries to redshirt juniors Brent Stockstill and Richie James, among others.
In the second half of their win against Syracuse in Week 2, the Blue Raiders looked a little more like the record-setting offense fans got used to seeing the past few seasons. They outscored the Orange 21-10 in the final two quarters and racked up 220 total yards of offense.
The other 10 quarters in the first three games weren't great for the blue and white. They managed just 588 total yards (on pace for 235.2 yards per game) and 18 points in those frames.
Stockstill didn't play due to an injury against Minnesota, and James missed most of the contest after leaving early on with an ailment. If redshirt sophomore John Urzua is at quarterback Saturday, and if the wide receiving corps is without James, MT may still find it hard to gain traction with the ball.
However, Bowling Green's defense may be just the medicine the Raiders have been looking for.
The Falcons boast one of the worst statistical defenses in the country. They rank 127th out of 129 FBS teams in total defense (554.3 yards per game allowed), and are giving up 244 rushing yards (118th) and 310.3 passing yards (116th) per game.
It could be the perfect opportunity for the Blue Raiders to find themselves offensively, even if their two main offensive weapons aren't up to their usual abilities.
"It's going to be a challenge for us," head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference, "but again, it goes back to us executing the fundamentals."
Can the Blue Raider pass rush get to the QB?
Middle Tennessee's defensive play has been solid through three games, at least compared to what it looked like last season.
The Blue Raiders are giving up just 339.3 yards per game, good for 49th in the country. That's a pretty sizeable improvement from the 449.5 yards they gave up per contest in 2016.
A good pass rush can take some of the credit for the improvements defensively. Middle Tennessee has already gotten to opposing quarterbacks eight times this season, good for 2.67 sacks per game (tied for 33rd in the nation). That's a slight uptick from the two sacks the Raiders averaged per contest last year.
Their Saturday counterparts haven't fared great against pass rushes so far, though they've played against two Big Ten teams with stout defenses. The Falcons are giving up 2.67 sacks per game, tied for 97th in the country.
No matter which quarterback is under center for BG, redshirt sophomore James Morgan or freshman Jarret Doege, the MT defense will need to show their pass rush is for real.
Will Middle Tennessee slow down Josh Cleveland this time around?
Despite not starting a game yet this season, senior running back Josh Cleveland has been the bell cow of the Bowling Green offense. He leads the team with 30 rushing attempts and 157 yards, and he's scored the only Falcon rushing TD.
Last season, Cleveland was the main driver of the BG offense in the torrential downpour that soaked the matchup with MT. He rushed only 18 times but had an 8.5-yard average thanks to three rushes of more than 20 yards, finishing with 153 total yards and a touchdown.
Middle Tennessee's defense has shown it's up to stopping the run so far, limiting opponents to 139.3 rushing yards per game this season despite playing two bigger, heavily run-oriented teams in Vanderbilt and Minnesota.
The Blue Raiders will need to continue to be good against the ground game if they want to be able to make the Falcons one-dimensional and unleash their pass rush led by defensive end Walter Brady (team-high two sacks).
"We've got to do a good job of creating a new line of scrimmage, trying to get in their backfield to disrupt their plays," Coach Stockstill said. "We've got to tackle good, and we've tackled really well so far this year. It will be a challenge, but one I know our defense is up to."
Who wins on third down?
Both teams haven't shown a great ability to convert third downs this season, but Middle Tennessee's defense has been far better at third down defense through three games.
The Blue Raiders have converted just six third downs, though they'll go against one of the worst third-down defenses in the country. Bowling Green has allowed their opponents to be successful on 22 of 42 third-down tries, good for a 52.4 percent conversion rate.
Doing better on first and second down could help Middle Tennessee's offense immensely on third down. Against Minnesota last week, the Raiders' average third-down distance was 8 yards.
While MT's offense has struggled to convert third downs, its defense has done a good job of stopping opponents. In three games, teams have managed just a 38-percent conversion rate (19-50).
Blue Raider Hall of Fame inductions
Prior to the game, six individuals will be inducted in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame at a ceremony just outside the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame.
The event begins at 3:30 p.m. with speeches by each of the inductees.
Chrissy Givens (women's basketball), Rick Insell (women's basketball), Wes Counts (football), Marco Born (tennis), Andreas Siljestrom (tennis) and Michael McKenry (baseball) will be forever enshrined alongside other all-time Blue Raider greats.
Players Mentioned
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