Looking ahead to MT and North Texas

DENTON, Texas — Conference USA division title hopes could be on the line Saturday when Middle Tennessee makes the long journey to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas.

Both teams go in at 2-4 overall and 1-1 in C-USA, meaning a second, possibly heart-breaking, league loss is waiting for one of the title hopefuls.

"They have really, really good individual football players as well as a really good football team," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "North Texas has always been a tough place to play. They play really good at home, and that's no different this year … it'll be a tough game Saturday."

Where can you watch or listen?
TV: Stadium (MyTV 30, WNAB-2, Comcast 14, DirecTV 30, AT&T U-Verse 30)
Radio: The Game 102.5/97.5 FM, WGNS 100.5 FM/1450 AM/101.9 FM, WDUC 93.9 FM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app.

Coaches tale of the tape
Rick Stockstill
Record, in conference (C-USA, Sun Belt): 89-82 (14^th year), 66-37
Bowl appearances, record: 8 (2018 New Orleans Bowl), 2-6
Accolades: 6-time coach of the year, 2018 C-USA COY, sixth-longest tenured coach in the country, 3^rd all-time at MT in wins

Seth Littrell
Record, in C-USA: 25-21 (4^th year), 16-10
Bowl appearances as head coach (last), record: 3 (2018 New Mexico Bowl), 0-3
Accolades: First coach in program history to lead Mean Green to three straight bowl games; second-best turnaround in the FBS from the season prior when he took over in 2016; took over at NT when he was 38; captain of Oklahoma's 2000 national championship team as a fullback

Stockstill on Littrell: "Head coach [Seth] Littrell has done a good job there reestablishing that program. He's done a great job. I have a ton of respect for him as a person as well as a coach.

"One, [Littrell]'s a good person. To me, that's where it always starts for a coach. If you're a good person, you'll be a good coach. If you're a good father, a good husband, you'll be a good coach. … Seth is a good person, he's a good man and he's been an excellent football coach."

Series history
The two teams didn't meet on the gridiron until 2001, but since have faced off 15 times in the last 19 years. North Texas started the matchup with five straight wins from 2001-05, but Middle Tennessee has rebounded by winning seven of the last 10 since Stockstill was hired in 2006.

Overall, the Mean Green hold a slim 8-7 advantage all-time, including a 2-1 mark at the new Apogee Stadium, which opened in 2011.

Last meeting
The last time these two teams met was also in Denton, a 30-13 Blue Raiders victory in 2016.

North Texas got out of the gates quickly, scoring a touchdown on a 17-play, 87-yard drive with just over seven minutes left in the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead.

It was pretty much all MT from there, as the Raiders scored the next 23 points, including three field goals from Canon Rooker and two TD passes from Brent Stockstill.

Stockstill had a solid game, throwing for 295 yards — 134 to Richie James — with two TDs and one interception. Running back I'Tavius Mathers was the driving force in the win, though, running for 135 yards and a score.

Defensively, Middle Tennessee held the high-powered North Texas offense to just 5 net yards rushing because of four sacks of Mason Fine, who was making his first-career start. He finished with 303 yards and a TD.

Good defense vs. good offense
Since his first start in the matchup with MT in 2016, Fine has produced one of the best careers for a quarterback in C-USA history, topping NT's career records in just about every passing category.

Despite his pedigree, Fine and his offense have unexpectedly struggled at times this year. Last week against Southern Miss, the senior was forced out of the game in the second half with a left shoulder injury, and his offense managed just seven points in the last two quarters in a 45-27 defeat.

Fine is expected to play against the Blue Raiders, but could be without leading running back Tre Siggers and will definitely miss Rico Bussey, a career 1,900-yard receiver who played in just three games this season before an ACL tear forced him to the sidelines.

"Their offense starts around their quarterback, Mason Fine," Stockstill said. "He's a senior leader and great player … he's done a fantastic job in that time that he's been there."

Middle Tennessee's defense has looked great in its first two C-USA games, especially last week against offensive powerhouse FAU. It'll need that same performance against the Mean Green, and turnovers will be a key. The Blue Raiders have forced eight this season.

"We obviously feel bad about the loss [against FAU]," redshirt senior safety Jovante Moffatt said. "We need more turnovers; that was the main thing that we harped on when we talked yesterday. You can't win a game without causing some turnovers, so that's going to be our biggest key going into this week."

Finding consistent offense
With how good the Raiders' defense looked last week against FAU, its offense looked equally as bad in the second half.

They were shut out over the last two quarters, totaling just 185 yards after a solid 274 in the first half. Quarterback Asher O'Hara was picked off twice in the second half, three total, and MT was called for four costly penalties, eight total.

"We have to stop talking about fixing it and just do it," redshirt junior offensive lineman Will Gilchrist said about finding offensive consistency. "It starts with leadership and the guys up front who lead the offense to be successful, and we just need to get it right."

Middle Tennessee's main offense problem this season has been finding a consistent running back alongside O'Hara.

The QB has done his part. He's thrown for 1,491 yards and 10 TDs and leads the team in rushes (86) and rushing yards (368). He also ranks second in the nation, trailing only Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, with four games of over 200 yards passing and 50 yards rushing. However, the next leading rusher for MT is Chaton Mobley, who has 164 yards this season, 104 of which came against Tennessee State in Week 2.

North Texas could provide some relief for the Raiders' offense.

Last week against Southern Miss, the Mean Green were torched for 421 passing yards and three scores by USM QB Jack Abraham, and they surrendered another 142 yards and three TDs on the ground.

Loss could be debilitating
Whichever team loses this game might be in deep water in its respective division title race.

Only LA Tech in 2016 has won a C-USA division title in the last three seasons with more than one conference loss. At 1-1 going into Saturday, both teams could be playing for their championship lives.

"This is a good football team," Stockstill said. "A lot like us, I think we're better than our record states, and I think they're better than what their record states.

"We've got to make sure we're mentally tough and handle the environment, handle the trip in a professional manner and be ready to play better than we did last week."

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Players Mentioned

Brent Stockstill

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics