Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: A good time for an open week
10/10/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football
Coming right in the middle of the season, this coming weekend’s open date will be crucial to starting the second half strong
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — There wasn't a ton to write home about for the Blue Raiders in Lynchburg, Va. Coming into the week, playing a Liberty team that had lost just two games over the past two seasons was always going to be a tough assignment.
"Give Liberty credit, they've got a good football team," head coach Rick Stockstill said after the 41-13 loss. "I said coming into this week that I thought this was the best team we've played this year, and they proved it."
There were some highlights. Three excellent interceptions from the Middle Tennessee defense kept one of the country's best turnover machines rolling for the Blue Raiders. The actual plays were more impressive than the stats themselves: Gregory Grate jumping a screen and go route and toe tapping like the best wideout to secure the catch, DQ Thomas not biting on the run fake and jumping the pop pass, and Decorian Patterson turning his head around and making a great adjustment to secure the catch and returning it 30 plus yards.
But, Middle Tennessee could only add six points off of those three turnovers. Not enough to keep up with a Liberty offense armed with one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
"He's a great player, he's got great athleticism," Thomas said of Flame quarterback Malik Willis. "He's pretty slippery, he's got good body control, good pocket presence. He's just able to make good plays on the run."
Willis certainly made plays at times, it's hard for a player of his caliber not to get his every once in a while. But Willis' success was only compounded by the fact the Blue Raider offensive line never got going against an active defensive front, with quarterback Chase Cunningham fighting off pressure all afternoon and the run game never getting into a spot where they could get something going.
"They just whipped us," Stockstill said. "We tried to chip, we kept a back in there and tried to help the tackles. It still didn't work. They were tougher than us up front, they dominated us."
A tough game to process right afterwards, Stockstill mentioned that it was hard to pull any positives out of the way they played. But on paper, the team's toughest game of the season is behind them. And with a crucial backstretch of the season ahead of them, the open date next Saturday is a critical opportunity for the Blue Raiders to maximize the rest of their season.
The practices will be tough, as usual, but the gift of extra time will help replenish the depth that has dwindled in various position groups across the roster, and just help those in the game on Saturday get even closer to 100 percent.
"It's going to be big, for everybody playing a lot of snaps especially," Jimmy Marshall, who had seven catches and a touchdown on Saturday, said. "It's a work week, but the rest will definitely be needed."
Stockstill said the coaching staff will use the weekend coming up to go out and recruit, but finding the right balance of continuing to improve and getting the team healthier is critical in the coming days.
"We've had so many guys out these last couple, three weeks, we've got to get healthy," Stockstill said. "You've still got to practice, you've still got to find a way to get better. But priority number one is to get healthy so we can get our guys back out there, because we're really beat up right now."
There are building blocks to find from the Blue Raiders' second half. An offense that was finding its groove through the first six quarters under Chase Cunningham, a defense that continues to get takeaways. It's given Stockstill belief in this team, as well as his safety, Gregory Grate.
"It's a crucial week because I feel like we've got to come together more as a team, do some bonding, and correct our mistakes," Grate said. "Eliminate the penalties, eliminate the big plays, just come together as a whole and play our game.
"Because when we play our game, I feel like nobody can really stop us."
"Give Liberty credit, they've got a good football team," head coach Rick Stockstill said after the 41-13 loss. "I said coming into this week that I thought this was the best team we've played this year, and they proved it."
There were some highlights. Three excellent interceptions from the Middle Tennessee defense kept one of the country's best turnover machines rolling for the Blue Raiders. The actual plays were more impressive than the stats themselves: Gregory Grate jumping a screen and go route and toe tapping like the best wideout to secure the catch, DQ Thomas not biting on the run fake and jumping the pop pass, and Decorian Patterson turning his head around and making a great adjustment to secure the catch and returning it 30 plus yards.
But, Middle Tennessee could only add six points off of those three turnovers. Not enough to keep up with a Liberty offense armed with one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
"He's a great player, he's got great athleticism," Thomas said of Flame quarterback Malik Willis. "He's pretty slippery, he's got good body control, good pocket presence. He's just able to make good plays on the run."
Willis certainly made plays at times, it's hard for a player of his caliber not to get his every once in a while. But Willis' success was only compounded by the fact the Blue Raider offensive line never got going against an active defensive front, with quarterback Chase Cunningham fighting off pressure all afternoon and the run game never getting into a spot where they could get something going.
"They just whipped us," Stockstill said. "We tried to chip, we kept a back in there and tried to help the tackles. It still didn't work. They were tougher than us up front, they dominated us."
A tough game to process right afterwards, Stockstill mentioned that it was hard to pull any positives out of the way they played. But on paper, the team's toughest game of the season is behind them. And with a crucial backstretch of the season ahead of them, the open date next Saturday is a critical opportunity for the Blue Raiders to maximize the rest of their season.
The practices will be tough, as usual, but the gift of extra time will help replenish the depth that has dwindled in various position groups across the roster, and just help those in the game on Saturday get even closer to 100 percent.
"It's going to be big, for everybody playing a lot of snaps especially," Jimmy Marshall, who had seven catches and a touchdown on Saturday, said. "It's a work week, but the rest will definitely be needed."
Stockstill said the coaching staff will use the weekend coming up to go out and recruit, but finding the right balance of continuing to improve and getting the team healthier is critical in the coming days.
"We've had so many guys out these last couple, three weeks, we've got to get healthy," Stockstill said. "You've still got to practice, you've still got to find a way to get better. But priority number one is to get healthy so we can get our guys back out there, because we're really beat up right now."
There are building blocks to find from the Blue Raiders' second half. An offense that was finding its groove through the first six quarters under Chase Cunningham, a defense that continues to get takeaways. It's given Stockstill belief in this team, as well as his safety, Gregory Grate.
"It's a crucial week because I feel like we've got to come together more as a team, do some bonding, and correct our mistakes," Grate said. "Eliminate the penalties, eliminate the big plays, just come together as a whole and play our game.
"Because when we play our game, I feel like nobody can really stop us."
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