Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, October 20
Murfreesboro, TN
2:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Charlotte
Looking ahead to MT vs Charlotte
10/19/2018 10:00:00 AM | Football
It's Homecoming!
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – With an Oct. 13 loss to FIU, Middle Tennessee no longer sits in the driver's seat in the Conference USA East Division, but it can keep pace with a bounce back, starting with a homecoming clash Saturday with Charlotte.
The 49ers (3-3, 2-1) may have their best team in the program's short history, and their talent coupled with some Raider personnel questions have created a mountain of a task for MT (3-3, 2-1).
"I told our team [Sunday], this is the best Charlotte team we've played since they came to the conference," head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "I hope everyone comes out and supports this team. We need a big crowd … there'd be nothing better than to see this stadium full and energized."
Middle Tennessee's homecoming festivities will last all day, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: ESPN3, ESPN3.com
Radio: 102.5 FM, 89.5 FM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, 1450 AM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app.
Series history
Charlotte has only fielded a football team since 2013, and it's been an FBS and Conference USA member since 2015.
The upstart program has understandably had issues competing with most teams in the league as it builds a recruiting base, and its matchup with Middle Tennessee has been no different. The Blue Raiders hold a 3-0 record all-time, outscoring the 49ers 146-66.
The last time the teams met in Murfreesboro, in 2015, MT left with a 73-14 win after accumulating 659 total yards of offense.
Last meeting
Needing a victory in its 10th game to pull within a win of bowl eligibility, Middle Tennessee traveled to Charlotte in 2017 with its offense finally finding its stride.
Quarterback Brent Stockstill made his second straight start after missing six games due to injury, and the Blue Raiders showed their excitement to have their signal caller back.
The offense had a 200-yard passer and 100-yard rusher and receiver for the first time that season, leading to a 35-21 win.
After trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter, Middle Tennessee rattled off 28 straight points to lead 28-7 at halftime, highlighted by a pair of rushing touchdowns from Tavares Thomas. He had a career day, rushing for a personal-best 195 yards with the two TDs.
Two of Stockstill's three scoring passes made up the other scores in the run, the last of which came in 63-yard fashion to Ty Lee, who had six catches for 121 yards and a TD. Stockstill accounted for 255 yards through the air with three scores.
Different 49ers this time around
As evidenced by the series history, the teams weren't very even the first three times they played. That may not be the case on Saturday.
"[Charlotte coach] Brad Lambert has done a really, really good job there in building that program," Rick Stockstill said. "You can see they've gotten a little bit better each year, and this year, I feel like it's the best team that he's had."
Charlotte has come out of nowhere after a 1-11 record last year to surprise most of Conference USA this season at 3-3 and 2-1 in C-USA play. It's the 49ers' best start to a season since moving up to FBS in 2015.
The reason for Charlotte's rise has been because of two main points: its defense and rushing attack.
Changes at defensive and offensive coordinator have emphasized both a stouter rushing defense and commitment to the run on offense.
Charlotte boasts the third-ranked total defense in C-USA and leads the league in rushing yards allowed at 92.7 per game. On the flip side, junior running back Benny LeMay is second in the league in rushing per game (89.2 yards).
Middle Tennessee's offense has struggled rushing the ball with its running backs this season, with no back topping 130 yards total through six games. Its defense also has had a tough time wrangling opposing backs at times, allowing over 200 yards rushing in three games.
It'll be imperative for the Blue Raiders to win the ground game on both sides of the ball on Saturday.
Keeping possession
With Charlotte's aforementioned strong defense and offensive running prowess comes an ability for the 49ers to do two key things: dominate time of possession and third down.
Army is the only other team in the country better than Charlotte at possessing the football. The 49ers average over two minutes more per game than the next closest C-USA team, controlling possession for almost 37 minutes per contest.
"They're limiting the opportunities that you get as an offense," Rick Stockstill said. "Their running game has amped up their time of possession and is keeping their defense off the field."
Having the football that long every game is due in part because Charlotte is really good on third down. It ranks second in the league in both conversion percentage (46.2) and total conversions (42).
Both TOP and third down defense are things Middle Tennessee has struggled with this season. The Blue Raiders rank dead last in C-USA in both categories, possessing the ball for only 28:16 on average and allowing opponents to move the chains 52 percent of the time on third down.
Blue Raiders could be shorthanded
The road loss to FIU brought more than just scoreboard heartache.
Middle Tennessee lost Brent Stockstill at the beginning of the second quarter to a leg injury, then running back/wideout Brad Anderson, who leads the team with 454 all-purpose yards, went down with a significant leg injury.
Stockstill's status is still uncertain for Saturday's contest, while Anderson's season is likely finished.
To make things worse, the Blue Raider defense will be without redshirt senior safety Jovante Moffatt, who was disqualified in the third quarter against FIU due to a targeting penalty. He'll miss the first half Saturday, and Wesley Bush and Kylan Stribling will likely rotate in his spot.
Sophomore Asher O'Hara subbed in for Stockstill for the remainder of the matchup with FIU, orchestrating three scoring drives and finishing with 114 yards passing and 85 rushing, leading the team. He'll get the start if Stockstill isn't ready to go.
Two of the O'Hara-led scoring drives ended with rushing touchdowns by Tavares Thomas. The 245-pound senior has scored six TDs in the last three games combined, and the Blue Raiders will need that to continue if Stockstill and Anderson will both be out.
Junior wide receiver Ty Lee will also have to continue his good stretch of games to make up for the loss of Anderson's big-play ability in the passing game. Lee has led the Raiders in receiving yards the last two games but hasn't gotten into the end zone this season.
New Charlotte QB
Middle Tennessee isn't alone in having injury woes. They've bitten Charlotte, too.
Redshirt freshman starting quarterback Chris Reynolds was injured in the 49ers most recent win against WKU, and surgery this week will force him to miss the remainder of the season.
Evan Shirreffs, a redshirt junior, replaced Reynolds against the Hilltoppers and was 5-of-7 passing for 118 yards and a TD. He'll likely get the start, but redshirt senior Hasaan Klugh, the 49ers' starter the last two seasons, could also see playing time. He threw for 1,529 yards and rushed for another 532 in 2017 with 19 total (10 passing) touchdowns.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
The 49ers (3-3, 2-1) may have their best team in the program's short history, and their talent coupled with some Raider personnel questions have created a mountain of a task for MT (3-3, 2-1).
"I told our team [Sunday], this is the best Charlotte team we've played since they came to the conference," head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "I hope everyone comes out and supports this team. We need a big crowd … there'd be nothing better than to see this stadium full and energized."
Middle Tennessee's homecoming festivities will last all day, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: ESPN3, ESPN3.com
Radio: 102.5 FM, 89.5 FM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, 1450 AM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app.
Series history
Charlotte has only fielded a football team since 2013, and it's been an FBS and Conference USA member since 2015.
The upstart program has understandably had issues competing with most teams in the league as it builds a recruiting base, and its matchup with Middle Tennessee has been no different. The Blue Raiders hold a 3-0 record all-time, outscoring the 49ers 146-66.
The last time the teams met in Murfreesboro, in 2015, MT left with a 73-14 win after accumulating 659 total yards of offense.
Last meeting
Needing a victory in its 10th game to pull within a win of bowl eligibility, Middle Tennessee traveled to Charlotte in 2017 with its offense finally finding its stride.
Quarterback Brent Stockstill made his second straight start after missing six games due to injury, and the Blue Raiders showed their excitement to have their signal caller back.
The offense had a 200-yard passer and 100-yard rusher and receiver for the first time that season, leading to a 35-21 win.
After trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter, Middle Tennessee rattled off 28 straight points to lead 28-7 at halftime, highlighted by a pair of rushing touchdowns from Tavares Thomas. He had a career day, rushing for a personal-best 195 yards with the two TDs.
Two of Stockstill's three scoring passes made up the other scores in the run, the last of which came in 63-yard fashion to Ty Lee, who had six catches for 121 yards and a TD. Stockstill accounted for 255 yards through the air with three scores.
Different 49ers this time around
As evidenced by the series history, the teams weren't very even the first three times they played. That may not be the case on Saturday.
"[Charlotte coach] Brad Lambert has done a really, really good job there in building that program," Rick Stockstill said. "You can see they've gotten a little bit better each year, and this year, I feel like it's the best team that he's had."
Charlotte has come out of nowhere after a 1-11 record last year to surprise most of Conference USA this season at 3-3 and 2-1 in C-USA play. It's the 49ers' best start to a season since moving up to FBS in 2015.
The reason for Charlotte's rise has been because of two main points: its defense and rushing attack.
Changes at defensive and offensive coordinator have emphasized both a stouter rushing defense and commitment to the run on offense.
Charlotte boasts the third-ranked total defense in C-USA and leads the league in rushing yards allowed at 92.7 per game. On the flip side, junior running back Benny LeMay is second in the league in rushing per game (89.2 yards).
Middle Tennessee's offense has struggled rushing the ball with its running backs this season, with no back topping 130 yards total through six games. Its defense also has had a tough time wrangling opposing backs at times, allowing over 200 yards rushing in three games.
It'll be imperative for the Blue Raiders to win the ground game on both sides of the ball on Saturday.
Keeping possession
With Charlotte's aforementioned strong defense and offensive running prowess comes an ability for the 49ers to do two key things: dominate time of possession and third down.
Army is the only other team in the country better than Charlotte at possessing the football. The 49ers average over two minutes more per game than the next closest C-USA team, controlling possession for almost 37 minutes per contest.
"They're limiting the opportunities that you get as an offense," Rick Stockstill said. "Their running game has amped up their time of possession and is keeping their defense off the field."
Having the football that long every game is due in part because Charlotte is really good on third down. It ranks second in the league in both conversion percentage (46.2) and total conversions (42).
Both TOP and third down defense are things Middle Tennessee has struggled with this season. The Blue Raiders rank dead last in C-USA in both categories, possessing the ball for only 28:16 on average and allowing opponents to move the chains 52 percent of the time on third down.
Blue Raiders could be shorthanded
The road loss to FIU brought more than just scoreboard heartache.
Middle Tennessee lost Brent Stockstill at the beginning of the second quarter to a leg injury, then running back/wideout Brad Anderson, who leads the team with 454 all-purpose yards, went down with a significant leg injury.
Stockstill's status is still uncertain for Saturday's contest, while Anderson's season is likely finished.
To make things worse, the Blue Raider defense will be without redshirt senior safety Jovante Moffatt, who was disqualified in the third quarter against FIU due to a targeting penalty. He'll miss the first half Saturday, and Wesley Bush and Kylan Stribling will likely rotate in his spot.
Sophomore Asher O'Hara subbed in for Stockstill for the remainder of the matchup with FIU, orchestrating three scoring drives and finishing with 114 yards passing and 85 rushing, leading the team. He'll get the start if Stockstill isn't ready to go.
Two of the O'Hara-led scoring drives ended with rushing touchdowns by Tavares Thomas. The 245-pound senior has scored six TDs in the last three games combined, and the Blue Raiders will need that to continue if Stockstill and Anderson will both be out.
Junior wide receiver Ty Lee will also have to continue his good stretch of games to make up for the loss of Anderson's big-play ability in the passing game. Lee has led the Raiders in receiving yards the last two games but hasn't gotten into the end zone this season.
New Charlotte QB
Middle Tennessee isn't alone in having injury woes. They've bitten Charlotte, too.
Redshirt freshman starting quarterback Chris Reynolds was injured in the 49ers most recent win against WKU, and surgery this week will force him to miss the remainder of the season.
Evan Shirreffs, a redshirt junior, replaced Reynolds against the Hilltoppers and was 5-of-7 passing for 118 yards and a TD. He'll likely get the start, but redshirt senior Hasaan Klugh, the 49ers' starter the last two seasons, could also see playing time. He threw for 1,529 yards and rushed for another 532 in 2017 with 19 total (10 passing) touchdowns.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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