Raiders play for title, make 4th straight bowl; Readies for 2019

1/20/2019 9:00:00 AM | Football

By: @MTAthletics

BACK IN 2019

11 Starters (5 on offense and 6 on defense)
Leading Rusher: Chaton Mobley
Leading Receiver: Ty Lee
Leading Scorer: Crews Holt
Leader in All-Purpose Yards: Ty Lee
Leading Tackler: Reed Blankenship
Leader in TFLs: DQ Thomas and Khalil Brooks
Leading Sacker: DQ Thomas

KEY DATES IN 2019 (Subject to change)

Feb. 15: Matt Drills Begin
March 4-8: Spring Break
March 10: Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 12: Spring Practice Begins
April 13: Spring Finale
August 1: Report to Camp
August 31: Season Opener at Michigan (222 more days)

QUICK HITTERS

MT had 17 total student-athletes playing the New Orleans Bowl with a degree in hand.
MT made its school-record fourth straight bowl game and fifth in last six years with its appearance in the New Orleans Bowl.
MT played 14 games in 2018 which equaled the most in school history. In 1984, MT finished 11-3 following three games in the I-AA playoffs.
MT was +7 in turnover margin over its final eight games combined and finised +10 in conference play.
Middle Tennessee's 7-1 C-USA record was its best since joining the league in 2013 and the seven league wins are the most since MT went 7-1 in 2009 (Sun Belt).
Brent Stockstill finished with 26 wins as the QB at MT which ranks as the 4th most in school history and the most in the Rick Stockstill era.
The MT defense finished 2018 with four touchdowns to rank 6th nationally.
WR Ty Lee has hauled in at least one reception in 40 straight games which is the second longest streak in MT history and was the 9th longest current streak in the country in 2018.
In MT's last 27 wins, it has averaged 503.3 yards of total offense and allowed 365.1.
S Wesley Bush led the team with 6 interceptions to finish ranked 3rd nationally.
MT is 33-15 all-time in C-USA play (does not include 2018 title game) and is averaging 193.5 yards rushing per game.
In their last 56 conference games, the Blue Raiders have a mark of 39-17.
Over the last 83 games, the Blue Raiders have come up with 86 interceptions. The team had 15 picks in 2013 by eight different players, 13 in 2014, 17 in 2015, 11 in 2016 but just five in 2017. Team finished with 16 in 2018.
Consecutive Start Leader to end 2018: Carlos Johnson (28).
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have been involved in 23 games that were decided in the final minute of regulation or overtime. The team is 13-10 in those games and have won nine of the last 13.
Rick Stockstill is third on the school's all-time wins list with 87 victories.
In 165 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are +14 in turnover margin.
Middle Tennessee has scored 30 or more points 73 times under Rick Stockstill. The Blue Raiders had 10 games of 30 or more points in 2016 to set a new single-season high under Rick Stockstill. The previous mark was nine in 2009.
Middle Tennessee's 61 points scored against UTM in 2018 went down as the most by the Blue Raiders since scoring 77 in a win over FAU in 2016.
MT has been bowl eligible 10 times in the last 13 years (7 straight years) and has reached a bowl game a school-record four straight years.
The 2018 season was the 104th for Blue Raider football and the 20th at the FBS level.

EAST DIVISION CHAMPS

Middle Tennessee clinched its first-ever C-USA East Division Championship with a 7-1 league record. The Blue Raiders appeared in the C-USA Championship game for the first time in school history where they lost a heartbreaker to UAB, 27-25.

A STOCKSTILL DAY

Dec. 5, 2018 will be remembered in the Stockstill family for many years to come. On this day, Rick Stockstill was named the C-USA Coach of the Year and son Brent Stockstill was tabbed the C-USA MVP. The Stockstill's complete the very rare accomplishment of a father and son winning an FBS conference Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honor in the same season (Jim and Kevin Sweeney of Fresno State won the honors in 1985).

A DEFENSIVE GEM
Middle Tennessee turned in its best all-around game of the season against UAB on Nov. 24, limiting the Blazers offense to its lowest output of the year. In fact, the three points allowed were the fewest for UAB since the Blazers were shut out by Florida, Sept. 10, 2011. The Blue Raiders did not allow a TD, had seven sacks (tied for 3rd best in a game) and limited UAB to just 89 yards of total offense, including minus 1 yard rushing. The -1 rushing yards allowed went down as the third-best mark in school history.

TURNOVERS WERE KEY IN C-USA PLAY

A key to the Blue Raiders' 7-1 C-USA league record was turnover margin. MT finished +10 in the eight games and scored 60 points off those miscues compared to 11 by the opposition. MT forced 13 turnovers in the last five conference games combined compared to five in the first three games.

HARRIS, RANDOLPH SET RECORD

LB Darius Harris and CB Darryl Randolph both played in their 53rd career games in the New Orleans Bowl to set a new school record. The duo broke the previous mark of 52 held by Canon Rooker and Mike Caldwell.

STOCKSTILL PASSES MARIOTTA

Brent Stockstill's TD pass against App State ran his career total to 106. He's just the third player in C-USA history to record 100 TD passes and the 25th in NCAA FBS history. Overall, his 106 TDs ranks 20th all-time in NCAA FBS history as he surpassed Oregon's Marcus Mariotta.

STOCKSTILL LEFT C-USA MARK

QB Brent Stockstill owns every MT passing record while also leaving his mark in the C-USA career record book. Stockstill ranks in the top 10 all-time in C-USA in passing yards, passing attempts, passing completions, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and 300-yard games.

Category                           C-USA Rank                         Stat
TD Passes                                 3rd                                  106
Completions                            3rd                                1055
300-Yard Games                    4th                                   19
Attempts                                   5th                                1,610
Passing Yards                          5th                               12,495
Completion %                          8th                                 65.5

LEE JOINED ELITE 2000-200-20 CLUB

Junior Ty Lee, who led the team with 71 receptions, is now a member of the 2,000-yard, 200-catch, 20-TD club. With seven receptions at Kentucky, Lee became just the third player in MT history to have at least 2,000 receiving yards, 200 receptions and 20 TD grabs. He joins former stars Richie James and Kendall Newson. Lee now has 2,537 career yards to rank 5th all-time and needs 53 more to take over 4th. His 213 receptions ranks 3rd and his 21 TDs are currently tied for 3rd and just two back of all-time leader Richie James (23).

ON TARGET IN 2018

Senior signal-caller Brent Stockstill enjoyed his best year in terms of accuracy in 2018. Stockstill ranked 3rd nationally at 70.3 percent which went down as the third-most accurate season in Blue Raider history (behind Wes Counts' 72.6 percent in 2001 and Clint Marks' 70.4 in 2004) and tied for the fifth best in C-USA history. Prior to 2018, Stockstill's best season in terms of completion percentage came in 2015 (66.7 %).

BROOKS LEAVING HIS MARK

Junior linebacker Khalil Brooks has been a disruptive force his entire career and his sack and TFL numbers back that up. Entering his senior season in 2019, Brooks ranks in the top five all-time at MT in both categories. He has 14.5 sacks to rank fifth and needs just one more to take over fourth, while also ranking fifth in TFLs with 33.5. One more TFL will put him in fourth.

THOMAS HAS BIG SOPHOMORE YEAR

DQ Thomas turned in a big sophomore year by ranking tied for third on the team with 70 tackles while sharing the team lead in TFLs with 14.5. Thomas also led the team in sacks with 8.0 which went down as the third most ever in a season at MT.

HOLT TIES RECORD

Sophomore Crews Holt, in his first year as the primary field goal kicker, connected on 18 of 24 three-pointers and scored 94 points. The 18 makes equals the school record set by Alan Gendreau in 2009. His 94 points went down as the third most in a single-season by a kicker and was ninth overall.

BUSH ENJOYS BIG FINAL SEASON

Senior Wesley Bush enjoyed a career year by leading the Blue Raiders and ranking third nationally with six interceptions. Bush, who could not play in the bowl game due to an injury, returned two of his picks for touchdowns which equaled the MT single-season record, and his 147 return yards were the third most in Blue Raider history. His six picks also tied for the third most in a season at MT.

A GAME TO REMEMBER

Sophomore Reed Blankenship put together one of the best defensive games in the history of Blue Raider football against ODU. Blankenship recorded a career-high 17 tackles, including a personal-best 3.0 TFLs, a sack, and a record-setting interception. At the end of the first half, Blankenship picked off a Blake LaRussa pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. It matched the longest return in MT and C-USA history and was ESPN's No. 2 ranked play of the day.

STOCKSTILL 4th IN 300-YD GAMES

QB Brent Stockstill recorded his 19th career 300-yard passing game and his fifth of the season when he tallied 330 yards against App St. in the New Orleans Bowl game. Stockstill ended his career ranked 4th all-time in C-USA history.

DEFENSE TIES RECORD

Against ODU, the Blue Raider defense picked off three passes and two were returned for touchdowns. The two touchdowns equaled the school record set in 2013 against Southern Miss. The three picks were returned a total of 137 yards which went down as the second most ever recorded in a game by MT.

10 TIMES IN 13 YEARS

In 13 years under Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee has reached bowl eligibility 10 times and nine of the last 10 years. The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible under Rick Stockstill in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The 10 bowl eligible years during the 13-year span is more than any FBS team in Tennessee and equals the most of any program in C-USA.

WEST BREAKS OUT

Getting just his third career start and first of the season at ODU, RB Terelle West broke loose for his second career 100-yard rushing game. West had 120 yards on just 13 carries to record the Blue Raiders' first 100-yard game of the season. West also had a 71-yard TD run which equaled the sixth longest run in the Rick Stockstill era.

WINNING TURNOVER BATTLE

Winning the turnover battle is critical in collecting victories in football. Under Rick Stockstill, MT has a mark of 56-15 when winning the turnover battle and is 48-7 during bowl eligible years (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). Over the last 88 games (since 2012), MT is 31-4 when winning the turnover battle.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

The Blue Raiders went 29-for-32 inside the red zone in eight conference games to lead the league.
MT finished with 3,650 passing yards in 2018 which is the third most in school history. It is also just the sixth time in school history for a 3,000-yard season but the fourth year in a row.
MT had 29 TD passes in 2018 which ranks as the third most in a season and the 336 completions were the second most.
In the eight wins during 2018, MT averaged 37.0 points and 411.4 yards of offense.
The Blue Raiders ranked 4th nationally in completion percentage at 69.0 in 2018.
In conference play, MT outscored the opposition in the third quarter 59-17 in 2018.
MT's 144 yards of total offense against Charlotte were its fewest in a win in its FBS era (since 1999).
MT rushed for a season-high 246 yards against WKU on Nov. 2.
Backup QB Asher O'Hara came in for injured Brent Stockstill at FIU and led the team with 85 rushing yards to go with 114 yards through the air. O'Hara led TD drives on his first two possessions.
WR Patrick Smith equaled the school record with three TD grabs against UTM.
MT has registered over 5,000 yards of total offense in a season nine times in its history, and seven of those have come under Rick Stockstill, including the last four years in a row.
MT has gone over the 500-yard mark of total offense in a game 11 times under Tony Franklin. The Blue Raiders did it twice in 2017 with the most recent coming against ODU (586).
Over the last 32 home games, MT is averaging 37.8 points a contest (1,211 total points).
In six years of C-USA action, MT has rushed for 9,291 yards in 48 league games. That averages out to 193.6 yards a game.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

DEFENSIVE SCORES

Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raider defense has scored 31 defensive touchdowns, and 26 have come since 2009. Of the 31 scores, 21 have been interceptions and 10 have come by way of fumble returns. The Raiders had just two defensive scores in 2016, only two in 2017 but have four in 2018.

18 TIMES FOR DEFENSE UNDER SHAFER

Middle Tennessee's defense has held the opposition to under 400 yards of total offense in 18 of 27 games under Scott Shafer. MT did it nine times in 2017 and nine times in 2018. The Raiders only had four such games in 2016 prior to Shafer's arrival. FAU, UAB, WKU, Georgia, ODU, Ark. St. and App State are the only teams to go over 400 yards.

MORE DEFENSIVE TIDBITS

MT had 36.0 sacks in 2018 which equals the second most in a season was just three shy of setting a new school record. MT had 11 different players with at least one sack.
MT ranked 29th nationally in red zone defense and second in C-USA at .771 percent.
MT ranked 16th nationally in interceptions with 16.
MT had just four interceptions on the season entering the Charlotte contest then promptly responded with 12 over its last eight games.
MT notched a season-high seven sacks in its win over UAB on Nov. 24, 2018 which equaled the third most in school history. It also went down as the most since 2013 when the Raiders also had seven against Southern Miss.
After a rocky first half against defending C-USA champ FAU, the Blue Raider defense held the Owls to just 125 total yards in the second half and allowed dynamic back Devin Singletary 39 yards rushing.
In his first career game, freshman Gregory Grate picked off a pass against UTM and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. It went down as the third longest in MT history and tied for the 15th longest in C-USA history.
In his first collegiate start, Grate led MT with a personal-best nine tackles at Georgia.
LB DQ Thomas had a career night in the win over UTM by registering six solo stops to go with 2.0 sacks, 3.0 TFLs, a pass breakup and a hurry. Thomas led the team with 8.0 sacks which ranks as the third most in a single season at MT.
MT held UAB in 2018 to -1 total rushing yards in week 12 which went down as the third fewest ever allowed in a single game by the Blue Raiders.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

Punter Matt Bonadies enjoyed a solid senior season. He averaged a career-high 41.3 yards a boot (ranked 62nd nationally) and placed 24 of his 55 kicks inside the 20-yard line.
PK Crews Holt hit a career-best five FGs in the win over WKU. The five makes equaled the school record held by Matt Crews in 1990 and his 17 points also matched Crews' school mark for points by a kicker.
Holt also hit four field goals in the C-USA Championship game against UAB in 2018.
PK Crews Holt hit 18 field goals in 2018 to equal the school record.
Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have blocked 41 kicks in 165 games (22 FGs, 15 punts, 4 PATs). MT has at least one blocked kick each year under Stockstill.