Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT set to take on nationally ranked Marshall
11/13/2020 3:00:00 PM | Football
HUNTINGTON, W.V. — Middle Tennessee will be up against a lot when it travels to Marshall Saturday to take on the ranked Thundering Herd, the Raiders' first game since Oct. 24.
The Blue Raiders (2-5, 2-3) will look for their first-ever win over a ranked team as they meet the No. 16 Herd (6-0, 3-0) on an emotional day for Marshall.
"This will be our first game in three weeks when we play, which will be a little unique," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "It's a great opportunity for us to go up there and play a really good football team."
Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: CBSSN
Radio: The Game 102.5/97.5 FM, WGNS 100.5 FM/1450 AM/101.9 FM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app; go to CUSA.TV/RaiderVision for the audio stream
Coaches tale of the tape
Rick Stockstill
Record, in conference (C-USA, Sun Belt): 93-91 (15th year), 70-44
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, third all-time at MT in wins
Doc Holliday
Record, at Marshall (C-USA): 84-51, same (54-29)
Bowl appearances as head coach, record: 7, 6-1 (2019 Gasparilla Bowl)
Accolades: Marshall's all-time leader in victories over FBS opponents; most bowl wins as a head coach in program history; won program's first C-USA title in 2014, finished 13-1 and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches poll, No. 23 in the Associated Press media poll; 2014 C-USA Coach of the Year; won C-USA East Division in 2013
Series history
Marshall leads the all-time series 5-4, but since both teams have been in the FBS and members of Conference USA, the Blue Raiders hold a 4-3 advantage.
The first two meetings in the series came in the Division II-AA Playoffs in 1992 and 1994, two Marshall victories.
Middle Tennessee is the only team in Conference USA with a winning record over the Thundering Herd since 2013. The Blue Raiders have won two in a row in the series, including a 34-24 victory in 2018, their first win ever at Marshall.
Last meeting
Middle Tennessee made it back-to-back wins over Marshall with a 24-13 victory in Murfreesboro last year.
The Blue Raiders got it done defensively, forcing four turnovers and holding the Thundering Herd scoreless in the second half. Safety Jovante Moffatt was the catalyst, recording a team-high 14 tackles and picking off two passes.
Asher O'Hara did most of the damage offensively for the Raiders in the win. The first-year starting quarterback had 261 yards passing and 76 yards rushing with two total (one passing) touchdowns.
Well-rested Raiders
There's plenty on paper going against Middle Tennessee in this matchup, but the Blue Raiders have one advantage: they're rested.
After a scheduled bye week following a Nov. 24 game at Rice, MT was given a second straight week off when its home game against Charlotte was canceled in essentially the 11th hour last Friday.
The Blue Raiders didn't really get any more time to prepare for Marshall, since they were practicing all week for Charlotte, but the extra week off to put their feet up and watch college football was much appreciated.
"We didn't spend any extra time working on Marshall during the open date," Stockstill said. "It is what it is. … Our guys should be rested, and we'll be ready to play Saturday against a tough football team."
Tough place to play
While there won't be a packed house at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Marshall always plays well at home and sports one of the best home winning percentages in the nation.
The Thundering Herd have won 82.8% of their games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium since it opened in 1991, good for fourth in the country for teams at their current home venues.
"It's hard to get there, and they always play good at home," Stockstill said. "A lot of times you get inclement weather there … and they're always a good football team."
Marshall will also play with plenty of emotion Saturday, the 50th anniversary of the tragic plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970, that killed 36 members of the football team, nine members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters and five members of the air crew.
"I know there's going to be a lot of emotion there," Stockstill said. "This game is special to a lot of people there on this date."
Need sound offense
Middle Tennessee has to play mistake-free football if it wants to be in contention to win at a tough venue against a team that's playing with high emotions. That means its offense has to keep on its upward trajectory against one of the best defenses in the country.
The Blue Raiders have looked better seemingly every week offensively, punctuated by a good performance against Rice when redshirt junior quarterback Asher O'Hara had his best game of the season through the air.
O'Hara finished with 333 passing yards against the Owls, throwing two touchdowns, rushing for two more and committing zero turnovers.
He'll find tough sledding against Marshall's defense, which has been the best in C-USA this season and one of the best in the nation. The Thundering Herd rank third in the country in total defense (252.5 yards per game allowed) and second in scoring defense (9.5 points per game).
"As a defense, they're super disciplined and sound," O'Hara said. "We just have to not thinking about them as much and just try to play a perfect game on offense."
Turnovers may be key
Not turning the ball over will be key for Middle Tennessee's offense, and likewise, forcing turnovers defensively would also play a big role.
As evidenced by last season's win over Marshall when the Blue Raiders forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, mistakes are killers for any offense. Luckily for the Thundering Herd, they've done a good job of keeping the ball this season with only five turnovers in six games.
A big reason why Marshall has been good at keeping hold of the ball is its stout running game, led by redshirt junior Brenden Knox. He's rushed for 112.3 yards per game, second in C-USA, and his nine rushing scores are also second in the league. The Herd also keep redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells upright, only surrendering five sacks so far this season.
Middle Tennessee has forced 11 turnovers this season, and it'll lean on playing smart and creating chances for miscues Saturday to hold the talented Marshall offense down.
"We have to put them into positions they haven't been in this season," senior linebacker DQ Thomas said. "Getting stops on first down will put them in third and long and let us do what we do, rush the passer."
The Blue Raiders (2-5, 2-3) will look for their first-ever win over a ranked team as they meet the No. 16 Herd (6-0, 3-0) on an emotional day for Marshall.
"This will be our first game in three weeks when we play, which will be a little unique," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "It's a great opportunity for us to go up there and play a really good football team."
Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
Where can you watch or listen?
TV: CBSSN
Radio: The Game 102.5/97.5 FM, WGNS 100.5 FM/1450 AM/101.9 FM
Search 'Middle Tennessee' on the TuneIn app; go to CUSA.TV/RaiderVision for the audio stream
Coaches tale of the tape
Rick Stockstill
Record, in conference (C-USA, Sun Belt): 93-91 (15th year), 70-44
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, third all-time at MT in wins
Doc Holliday
Record, at Marshall (C-USA): 84-51, same (54-29)
Bowl appearances as head coach, record: 7, 6-1 (2019 Gasparilla Bowl)
Accolades: Marshall's all-time leader in victories over FBS opponents; most bowl wins as a head coach in program history; won program's first C-USA title in 2014, finished 13-1 and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches poll, No. 23 in the Associated Press media poll; 2014 C-USA Coach of the Year; won C-USA East Division in 2013
Series history
Marshall leads the all-time series 5-4, but since both teams have been in the FBS and members of Conference USA, the Blue Raiders hold a 4-3 advantage.
The first two meetings in the series came in the Division II-AA Playoffs in 1992 and 1994, two Marshall victories.
Middle Tennessee is the only team in Conference USA with a winning record over the Thundering Herd since 2013. The Blue Raiders have won two in a row in the series, including a 34-24 victory in 2018, their first win ever at Marshall.
Last meeting
Middle Tennessee made it back-to-back wins over Marshall with a 24-13 victory in Murfreesboro last year.
The Blue Raiders got it done defensively, forcing four turnovers and holding the Thundering Herd scoreless in the second half. Safety Jovante Moffatt was the catalyst, recording a team-high 14 tackles and picking off two passes.
Asher O'Hara did most of the damage offensively for the Raiders in the win. The first-year starting quarterback had 261 yards passing and 76 yards rushing with two total (one passing) touchdowns.
Well-rested Raiders
There's plenty on paper going against Middle Tennessee in this matchup, but the Blue Raiders have one advantage: they're rested.
After a scheduled bye week following a Nov. 24 game at Rice, MT was given a second straight week off when its home game against Charlotte was canceled in essentially the 11th hour last Friday.
The Blue Raiders didn't really get any more time to prepare for Marshall, since they were practicing all week for Charlotte, but the extra week off to put their feet up and watch college football was much appreciated.
"We didn't spend any extra time working on Marshall during the open date," Stockstill said. "It is what it is. … Our guys should be rested, and we'll be ready to play Saturday against a tough football team."
Tough place to play
While there won't be a packed house at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Marshall always plays well at home and sports one of the best home winning percentages in the nation.
The Thundering Herd have won 82.8% of their games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium since it opened in 1991, good for fourth in the country for teams at their current home venues.
"It's hard to get there, and they always play good at home," Stockstill said. "A lot of times you get inclement weather there … and they're always a good football team."
Marshall will also play with plenty of emotion Saturday, the 50th anniversary of the tragic plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970, that killed 36 members of the football team, nine members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters and five members of the air crew.
"I know there's going to be a lot of emotion there," Stockstill said. "This game is special to a lot of people there on this date."
Need sound offense
Middle Tennessee has to play mistake-free football if it wants to be in contention to win at a tough venue against a team that's playing with high emotions. That means its offense has to keep on its upward trajectory against one of the best defenses in the country.
The Blue Raiders have looked better seemingly every week offensively, punctuated by a good performance against Rice when redshirt junior quarterback Asher O'Hara had his best game of the season through the air.
O'Hara finished with 333 passing yards against the Owls, throwing two touchdowns, rushing for two more and committing zero turnovers.
He'll find tough sledding against Marshall's defense, which has been the best in C-USA this season and one of the best in the nation. The Thundering Herd rank third in the country in total defense (252.5 yards per game allowed) and second in scoring defense (9.5 points per game).
"As a defense, they're super disciplined and sound," O'Hara said. "We just have to not thinking about them as much and just try to play a perfect game on offense."
Turnovers may be key
Not turning the ball over will be key for Middle Tennessee's offense, and likewise, forcing turnovers defensively would also play a big role.
As evidenced by last season's win over Marshall when the Blue Raiders forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, mistakes are killers for any offense. Luckily for the Thundering Herd, they've done a good job of keeping the ball this season with only five turnovers in six games.
A big reason why Marshall has been good at keeping hold of the ball is its stout running game, led by redshirt junior Brenden Knox. He's rushed for 112.3 yards per game, second in C-USA, and his nine rushing scores are also second in the league. The Herd also keep redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells upright, only surrendering five sacks so far this season.
Middle Tennessee has forced 11 turnovers this season, and it'll lean on playing smart and creating chances for miscues Saturday to hold the talented Marshall offense down.
"We have to put them into positions they haven't been in this season," senior linebacker DQ Thomas said. "Getting stops on first down will put them in third and long and let us do what we do, rush the passer."
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