Storylines to watch heading into camp

7/30/2019 5:04:00 PM | Football

By: Josh Vardaman

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's 2019 Blue Raiders football team will report for the first day of fall camp on Friday, Aug. 2.

Over the month of August, head coach Rick Stockstill and his staff will attempt to find answers to a few question marks with the season opener at Michigan looming on Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Here are some of the key storylines to keep in mind as fall camp opens:

Who's at QB?
The biggest question surrounding the 2019 Blue Raiders is who'll take the reins left by Brent Stockstill at quarterback.

Asher O'Hara and Chase Cunningham are the in-house candidates for the job, while incoming junior college transfer Randall Johnson will provide plenty of competition.

O'Hara, a redshirt sophomore, played in a substitution role for Middle Tennessee a season ago, relieving a hurt Brent Stockstill for a half against FIU when the southpaw hurt an ankle. O'Hara ended with a team-high 85 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 9 of 20 passing for 114 yards in that game.

Cunningham, also a redshirt sophomore, played in four games in late-game duty in 2018.

Johnson, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, comes to Murfreesboro from California. He was named the Golden Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 and earned first team all-conference honors for Reedley College. As a sophomore, he completed 200 of 319 passes for 2,832 yards and 28 touchdowns (eight interceptions), and also led his team with 797 rushing yards and 14 scores.

"We want to make sure we give whoever our quarterback is the best opportunity to be successful," Rick Stockstill said. "Guys have to elevate their game around them … because we have guys there who really haven't played much Division I football."

No matter who wins the starting job Week 1, his fellow Blue Raiders will do their best to make sure he feels comfortable in the pocket.

"We want him as comfortable as he can be," redshirt senior running back Terelle West said. "We've been preaching that all summer … we want to get our communication down pat."

Defense could be driver
Middle Tennessee's offense has been the catalyst to one of the best seven-year stretches in school history, averaging nearly 31 points per game over that span.

If the Blue Raiders continue their run of success and reach a bowl game for the fifth straight season in 2019, their defense, not offense, might be the reason why.

MT has improved both seasons defensively since coordinator Scott Shafer was hired in 2017, and in 2018 was ranked sixth nationally in defensive touchdowns, 16^th in interceptions, 40^th in sacks, 29^th in red zone defense and 20^th in turnovers gained.

"We did a great job last year of protecting the ball and creating turnovers, and that's the No. 1 thing; I talk about that more than anything," Stockstill said. "It's got to be a tenacious attitude and a violent desire to get to the ball."

Most of the strength of the Blue Raiders' 2018 defense returns this season, and if they continue their upward trajectory in Shafer's third year, the unit could be special. Look for them to be dominant at times in camp.

"We just have to keep running to the ball," redshirt senior safety Jovante Moffatt said. "It's really as simple as that – running to the ball and being energetic."

Dynamic duo back at safety
While the Blue Raiders are searching for a quarterback to run their offense, the signal callers on the back end of their defense are back and finally healthy.

Preseason all-conference nominee junior Reed Blankenship will combine with redshirt senior Jovante Moffatt to provide MT with one of the best safety tandems in C-USA.

The two have led the team in tackles the last two seasons, but injuries have been a concern for both. Moffatt only played in four games before redshirting a season ago to heal ailing shoulders, and Blankenship missed all of one game and all but one snap of another in 2018, then was sidelined for most of spring practice this year because of a knee injury.

Both are coming into camp healthy.

"We have huge goals going into this season," Blankenship said.

Abundance of new talent
Middle Tennessee has some experience coming back at some key positions, but newcomers might grab some of the headlines in camp.

Randall Johnson will understandably command attention because of the quarterback battle, but elsewhere, fellow junior college transfers Robert Jones (OL) and Jayy McDonald (RB) will likely turn heads offensively. Defensively, former Maryland linebacker Brett Shepherd and a handful of promising freshmen should impress, including Quindarius Dunnigan, Darius "Juju" Williams and several cornerbacks.

Stockstill bullish on OL
At Conference USA Media Days, Stockstill mentioned how excited he was to watch the offensive line work this fall, and he reiterated those comments at Monday's season-opening press conference.

After losing some key members from last year's line, the Blue Raiders better hope they're as good as their coach thinks.

Four-year starter Chandler Brewer and three-year starters Carlos Johnson and Robert Behanan exhausted their eligibility last season, meaning three big holes will have to be filled. Look for returners Will Gilchrist, Angelo Owens, Marcus Greer and Matt Martin to compete for those spots with a bunch of talented newcomers, led by junior college transfer Robert Jones (6-foot-5, 332 pounds).

Returning starters Josh Fannin and Amir Luckett will be relied upon for both leadership and consistency.

"We have great leadership up there," Stockstill said. "They continued to get better this summer, and I'm anxious to see our improvement this week.

"If we can stay healthy, I think we have a chance to be special up there."

Talent at the skilled positions
While replacing some key positions offensively and defensively, the Blue Raiders will benefit from an abundance of quality skill position players.

Offensively, the wide receiver corps, led by senior Ty Lee (NCAA's current active leader in career receptions), is talented and deep. The stable of running backs is also dynamic, featuring 2018 leading rusher Chaton Mobley, a redshirt senior in West and junior college transfer Jayy McDonald.

Middle Tennessee's strength on defense is likely in its backfield, where the already-mentioned Blankenship and Moffatt lead a cast of returners at safety. New starters at cornerback are needed, but Shafer and Stockstill have experienced guys to choose from, and don't be surprised if a newcomer makes a push. The Blue Raiders have five talented freshmen corners.

"We've got guys who've played a bunch of snaps at the skilled positions," Stockstill said. "They need to step up now and play to the form that we expect them to."

New coach
Former Middle Tennessee cornerback Kenneth Gilstrap returned to the program in March as cornerbacks coach. The 30-game starter from 2009-2013 also served as a graduate assistant for the Blue Raiders from 2015-2016 before making stops at Arkansas-Monticello and Florida A&M.

Key dates
Some key dates to keep in mind over the next few weeks include:
• Aug 10: First scrimmage
• Aug. 17: Second scrimmage
• Aug. 21: Annual Beanie Bowl
• Aug. 24: Fan Night starting at 7 p.m.
• Aug. 26: First Game Week begins
• Aug. 26: First day of classes

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.