Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Revenge on MT's mind as it prepares for Troy again
11/16/2020 5:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Coming off a loss to No. 16 Marshall, Middle Tennessee is set to travel this week to take on Troy for the second time this season.
While the Blue Raiders (2-6) are itching to avenge a 47-14 Week 2 loss at the hands of the Trojans (4-3), some uncertainty surrounds the game. Troy had to postpone its conference tilt Saturday against No. 15 Coastal Carolina due to too many players being out because of a mixture of COVID-19 and injuries.
"It's a little bit unusual playing a team for the second time in a season," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "They were off last week, but they got after us good the second game of the year. … You have an opportunity that you don't often get in the same season to avenge that."
Troy controlled both sides of the ball against Middle Tennessee in Week 2, but the Blue Raiders have shown improvement since.
Stockstill said they'll look at quite a bit from the first meeting to try and find things that worked consistently. Two key areas of emphasis he's hoping to see a turnaround from are running the ball offensively and limiting big plays defensively. The Raiders only had 87 rushing yards and a 3.1-yard average per attempt in Week 2, while the Trojans had six passing plays of at least 15 yards and 11 runs of 10 or more yards.
"We'll watch every game and put a lot of emphasis on our game to see where they had success against us," Stockstill said. "They'll look at it the same way. They're going to feel confident about the success they had against us, and whatever they didn't like, they'll probably kick that out."
Led by redshirt junior quarterback Asher O'Hara, the Blue Raiders have gotten better this season offensively, though they still aren't running the ball as effectively as they'd like outside of O'Hara. He leads the team with 515 rushing yards, with redshirt junior running back Chaton Mobley second with 309.
O'Hara was pulled in the second quarter when Troy visited Murfreesboro earlier this season. If he's going to get some redemption, he'd do well to look senior receiver Jarrin Pierce's way early and often. The California native has 55 catches for 541 yards and three TDs this season, all team highs, and he caught a career-high 11 balls against Troy in Week 2 for 81 yards. He's also going into the game with momentum after racking up nine receptions for 90 yards and a score against Marshall.
"I always have [Pierce in mind]," O'Hara said. "He's a super solid receiver and is always going to make the play for me. … When I see him on the field, I know I can trust him. I'll definitely be getting him the ball."
Middle Tennessee's defense may not see the same quarterback it did in the first meeting. Starter Gunnar Watson threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns against the Blue Raiders in Week 2, but he's been out the last couple of games due to an upper body injury.
Jacob Free subbed in for Watson against Georgia State Oct. 24 and has thrown for 316.3 yards per game with four touchdowns and four interceptions over the last three outings.
"I'm not sure if [Watson] will be the starter against us this week," Stockstill said. "Their offense hasn't changed any because of that. … They still have great skill players around the quarterbacks."
It's extremely rare in college football nowadays to have two teams not in the same conference play twice in one season.
The Blue Raiders are expecting a fight in this unique matchup as they look for a bit of payback.
"It's an opportunity that you don't always get," Stockstill said. "We're looking forward to going down there and playing a good football team."
While the Blue Raiders (2-6) are itching to avenge a 47-14 Week 2 loss at the hands of the Trojans (4-3), some uncertainty surrounds the game. Troy had to postpone its conference tilt Saturday against No. 15 Coastal Carolina due to too many players being out because of a mixture of COVID-19 and injuries.
"It's a little bit unusual playing a team for the second time in a season," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "They were off last week, but they got after us good the second game of the year. … You have an opportunity that you don't often get in the same season to avenge that."
Troy controlled both sides of the ball against Middle Tennessee in Week 2, but the Blue Raiders have shown improvement since.
Stockstill said they'll look at quite a bit from the first meeting to try and find things that worked consistently. Two key areas of emphasis he's hoping to see a turnaround from are running the ball offensively and limiting big plays defensively. The Raiders only had 87 rushing yards and a 3.1-yard average per attempt in Week 2, while the Trojans had six passing plays of at least 15 yards and 11 runs of 10 or more yards.
"We'll watch every game and put a lot of emphasis on our game to see where they had success against us," Stockstill said. "They'll look at it the same way. They're going to feel confident about the success they had against us, and whatever they didn't like, they'll probably kick that out."
Led by redshirt junior quarterback Asher O'Hara, the Blue Raiders have gotten better this season offensively, though they still aren't running the ball as effectively as they'd like outside of O'Hara. He leads the team with 515 rushing yards, with redshirt junior running back Chaton Mobley second with 309.
O'Hara was pulled in the second quarter when Troy visited Murfreesboro earlier this season. If he's going to get some redemption, he'd do well to look senior receiver Jarrin Pierce's way early and often. The California native has 55 catches for 541 yards and three TDs this season, all team highs, and he caught a career-high 11 balls against Troy in Week 2 for 81 yards. He's also going into the game with momentum after racking up nine receptions for 90 yards and a score against Marshall.
"I always have [Pierce in mind]," O'Hara said. "He's a super solid receiver and is always going to make the play for me. … When I see him on the field, I know I can trust him. I'll definitely be getting him the ball."
Middle Tennessee's defense may not see the same quarterback it did in the first meeting. Starter Gunnar Watson threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns against the Blue Raiders in Week 2, but he's been out the last couple of games due to an upper body injury.
Jacob Free subbed in for Watson against Georgia State Oct. 24 and has thrown for 316.3 yards per game with four touchdowns and four interceptions over the last three outings.
"I'm not sure if [Watson] will be the starter against us this week," Stockstill said. "Their offense hasn't changed any because of that. … They still have great skill players around the quarterbacks."
It's extremely rare in college football nowadays to have two teams not in the same conference play twice in one season.
The Blue Raiders are expecting a fight in this unique matchup as they look for a bit of payback.
"It's an opportunity that you don't always get," Stockstill said. "We're looking forward to going down there and playing a good football team."
Players Mentioned
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