Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders finally reach game week
8/26/2019 6:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After months of preparation, the first game week of 2019 is finally here for Middle Tennessee.
The Blue Raiders are starting their 105th football season — 21st at the FBS level — with a road contest at No. 7 Michigan, widely regarded as a national title contender.
"It's an exciting time of the year," 14-year head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "We have a huge challenge in front of us playing Michigan … they have great players and the history and tradition speaks for itself."
Saturday's matchup will be the first ever between the Blue Raiders and Wolverines, meaning it'll be the first time MT has taken the field in front of a projected 100,000 fans at Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House."
While it'll be their first time in Ann Arbor, it's not the first time Stockstill's bunch has played on the road in front of that many ravenous fans. The Raiders took on Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2015 with 98,568 in attendance, and last year's matchup at Georgia produced a crowd of 92,746.
"We've been in front of 70, 80, 90, 100,000 before," Stockstill said. "We're not going to walk in there in awe or anything of this team. Once the game starts, the field is 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide."
Middle Tennessee's players better keep their focus on the Wolverines, not the stands.
Michigan returns 13 starters (eight offense, five defense) and has 12 players on watch lists for major national awards, most in the Big Ten. Fourteen returners were also named All-Big Ten last season, including eight on the offensive side and six defensive.
Last year's UM defense finished second nationally in total defense, and though it lost a few key pieces to the NFL Draft, defensive coordinator Don Brown has consistently produced top-10 units the past several seasons. Its offense might catch up this year, with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis promising to speed the team's tempo up to better utilize Patterson and the collection of talent around him.
"[Gattis] is a really good coach … and he's coming into a program who has a lot of good players," Stockstill said. "We'll study a little of what Alabama did and more so focus on Michigan's players coming back from last year.
"They're fast, big, ginormous on both sides of the ball and really talented. It comes down to us having to do our job fundamentally."
On Middle Tennessee's roster, several position battles have carried over to the first game week, including starting quarterback.
"We haven't made any final decisions yet," Stockstill said. "We don't have to do any of that stuff until Saturday … but I like our team. I like where we're at."
The task is tall for the Blue Raiders, but don't expect them to travel to Michigan just for the experience.
As has become Stockstill's calling card over the past few seasons with his team having to face multiple Power 5 conference teams every year, he again reiterated his team's unwillingness to lay down and accept defeat without putting up a fight.
"It's an opportunity for our guys to go out there and compete, and that's what we do," Stockstill said. "We're going to go in there, roll up our sleeves and compete for 60 minutes.
"I thought we had a really good, productive camp, and I like the attitude and focus of our team. I'm excited to get it started."
Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on the Big Ten Network.
The Blue Raiders are starting their 105th football season — 21st at the FBS level — with a road contest at No. 7 Michigan, widely regarded as a national title contender.
"It's an exciting time of the year," 14-year head coach Rick Stockstill said at Monday's weekly press conference. "We have a huge challenge in front of us playing Michigan … they have great players and the history and tradition speaks for itself."
Saturday's matchup will be the first ever between the Blue Raiders and Wolverines, meaning it'll be the first time MT has taken the field in front of a projected 100,000 fans at Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House."
While it'll be their first time in Ann Arbor, it's not the first time Stockstill's bunch has played on the road in front of that many ravenous fans. The Raiders took on Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2015 with 98,568 in attendance, and last year's matchup at Georgia produced a crowd of 92,746.
"We've been in front of 70, 80, 90, 100,000 before," Stockstill said. "We're not going to walk in there in awe or anything of this team. Once the game starts, the field is 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide."
Middle Tennessee's players better keep their focus on the Wolverines, not the stands.
Michigan returns 13 starters (eight offense, five defense) and has 12 players on watch lists for major national awards, most in the Big Ten. Fourteen returners were also named All-Big Ten last season, including eight on the offensive side and six defensive.
Last year's UM defense finished second nationally in total defense, and though it lost a few key pieces to the NFL Draft, defensive coordinator Don Brown has consistently produced top-10 units the past several seasons. Its offense might catch up this year, with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis promising to speed the team's tempo up to better utilize Patterson and the collection of talent around him.
"[Gattis] is a really good coach … and he's coming into a program who has a lot of good players," Stockstill said. "We'll study a little of what Alabama did and more so focus on Michigan's players coming back from last year.
"They're fast, big, ginormous on both sides of the ball and really talented. It comes down to us having to do our job fundamentally."
On Middle Tennessee's roster, several position battles have carried over to the first game week, including starting quarterback.
"We haven't made any final decisions yet," Stockstill said. "We don't have to do any of that stuff until Saturday … but I like our team. I like where we're at."
The task is tall for the Blue Raiders, but don't expect them to travel to Michigan just for the experience.
As has become Stockstill's calling card over the past few seasons with his team having to face multiple Power 5 conference teams every year, he again reiterated his team's unwillingness to lay down and accept defeat without putting up a fight.
"It's an opportunity for our guys to go out there and compete, and that's what we do," Stockstill said. "We're going to go in there, roll up our sleeves and compete for 60 minutes.
"I thought we had a really good, productive camp, and I like the attitude and focus of our team. I'm excited to get it started."
Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on the Big Ten Network.
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