Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“The guys just stayed hungry” - A closer look at MT’s six takeaways against Marshall
10/6/2021 5:00:00 PM | Football
Eight Blue Raiders combined to give MT its most takeaways since 2015 on Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — As the Blue Raider offense piled up the points on Saturday night, the defense stayed hungry.
With the rain only sporadic in the first half, it only took Middle Tennessee halfway through the second quarter to put three touchdowns on the board, riding a hot running game to set up tight window passes and a 21-7 lead.
The stops were there for MT, but the defense felt that with the rain coming, they could do a lot more.
"If you go watch the film, we have several tackles where they go for the strip, they don't get it," cornerbacks coach Kenneth Gilstrap said. "The guys just stayed hungry."
And as the rain began to fall, the hits began to find the ball. First was Reed Blankenship, finding Rasheen Ali on toward the Marshall sideline, jarring the ball out for Jurriente Davis, setting up a deep ball to Jaylin Lane for a 28-7 lead. Then the very next drive, Gregory Grate got in on the action, stripping the ball from Sheldon Evans to stop the Herd in their tracks again.
And when MT went into halftime up 28-14, as, to quote radio host Dick Palmer, the rain came down "not only in sheets...it's so hard it's coming down in blankets and quilts also," the takeaways kept coming, to tune of six total, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions, the most turnovers forced by a Blue Raider defense since Middle Tennessee turned Charlotte over seven times in a 73-14 win in Murfreesboro.
"I think those guys were tired of losing," Gilstrap said of his defense. "You'll never see anyone get complacent on the sideline, they knew the type of team that Marshall was, they knew how explosive they were."
Some of the turnovers came off execution, like Jordan Ferguson's strip of Ali recovered by DQ Thomas, a play after Brad Anderson was popped and the ball came loose. A momentum swinging stop, head coach Rick Stockstill said.
"That was critical," Stockstill said. "How the defense responded to a sudden change was impressive."
The response kept coming under pressure. Facing a driving Marshall offense in the red zone, the Herd turned to yet another back, Knowledge McDaniel, after the carrying struggles of the first two. It was a simple run out of the shotgun, but Cody Smith got in position, read his keys and just hit.
The ball came out for the fourth time on the evening, rolled right into the arms of Reed Blankenship, who took it 90-yards for another house call.
"When the weather changes like that, you know you're going to have a big opportunity on defense," Blankenship said. "We had guys flying to the ball."
The strips of the ball, honed in an offseason and fall camp program designed to work on their turnover technique, and aided by an advance scout that the Marshall running backs liked to run with the ball outside their chest, helped keep the party going. But often it was the strength of the hits themselves that helped the ball pop out in the rain.
"When you see someone running with that ball, you go attack the ball, and that's what we did tonight," Davis said. "We came out with effort. Everybody was focused and locked in. Reading their keys, doing their job. And at the end of the day, the results show."
And that's not even touching how the defensive backs hopped on fun. Jalen Jackson's third quarter pick was his first career interception, a textbook high point catch on an overthrow from quarterback Grant Wells.
"We were in cover 3, and all week, we've been just trying to stay on top of all the routes," Jackson said. "So I was just being disciplined and just stayed on top of the play. It was just a free lunch."
And then there was Deidrick Stanley II, a special teamer most of this season, called upon to play some nickel corner down the stretch as Marshall's no huddle offense got in a rhythm. Praised by both Davis and Blankenship for his hard work on and off the field, his film study and field awareness helped set a big play.
"Two drives before that, they were giving us a switch concept: the two (receiver) was going out on a wheel, and the one (receiver) was coming back in," Stanley said. "I knew they wanted to come back to it. And on that drive, the quarterback was about to throw (that route), but he ended up getting sacked."
Stanley knew the route was open though, so he bided his time, waiting for the right read to jump the route. And when Marshall went back to it one last time when Stanley was on the field in the nickel package, it gave the freshman his first career interception.
"I just sat there and made a play on the ball," Stanley smiled.
The six takeaways have catapulted MT up the NCAA leaderboards in turnovers gained and in turnover margin, where the Blue Raiders sit inside the top five in both categories. For Gilstrap, it's a culmination of all of the things his group has worked on in practice, and an affirmation of the team's process.
"It makes you proud as a coach," Gilstrap said. "Especially because they're doing things that we work on. We work on those high points, we throw deep balls before each practice. We work on reading the quarterback's shoulders in cover 3. It lets you know that your teaching progression is right."
With the rain only sporadic in the first half, it only took Middle Tennessee halfway through the second quarter to put three touchdowns on the board, riding a hot running game to set up tight window passes and a 21-7 lead.
The stops were there for MT, but the defense felt that with the rain coming, they could do a lot more.
"If you go watch the film, we have several tackles where they go for the strip, they don't get it," cornerbacks coach Kenneth Gilstrap said. "The guys just stayed hungry."
And as the rain began to fall, the hits began to find the ball. First was Reed Blankenship, finding Rasheen Ali on toward the Marshall sideline, jarring the ball out for Jurriente Davis, setting up a deep ball to Jaylin Lane for a 28-7 lead. Then the very next drive, Gregory Grate got in on the action, stripping the ball from Sheldon Evans to stop the Herd in their tracks again.
And when MT went into halftime up 28-14, as, to quote radio host Dick Palmer, the rain came down "not only in sheets...it's so hard it's coming down in blankets and quilts also," the takeaways kept coming, to tune of six total, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions, the most turnovers forced by a Blue Raider defense since Middle Tennessee turned Charlotte over seven times in a 73-14 win in Murfreesboro.
"I think those guys were tired of losing," Gilstrap said of his defense. "You'll never see anyone get complacent on the sideline, they knew the type of team that Marshall was, they knew how explosive they were."
Some of the turnovers came off execution, like Jordan Ferguson's strip of Ali recovered by DQ Thomas, a play after Brad Anderson was popped and the ball came loose. A momentum swinging stop, head coach Rick Stockstill said.
"That was critical," Stockstill said. "How the defense responded to a sudden change was impressive."
The response kept coming under pressure. Facing a driving Marshall offense in the red zone, the Herd turned to yet another back, Knowledge McDaniel, after the carrying struggles of the first two. It was a simple run out of the shotgun, but Cody Smith got in position, read his keys and just hit.
The ball came out for the fourth time on the evening, rolled right into the arms of Reed Blankenship, who took it 90-yards for another house call.
.@reedus99_reed goes 91 yards to the crib after Cody Smith punches the ball out. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/y5uPWvncjP
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) October 3, 2021
"When the weather changes like that, you know you're going to have a big opportunity on defense," Blankenship said. "We had guys flying to the ball."
The strips of the ball, honed in an offseason and fall camp program designed to work on their turnover technique, and aided by an advance scout that the Marshall running backs liked to run with the ball outside their chest, helped keep the party going. But often it was the strength of the hits themselves that helped the ball pop out in the rain.
"When you see someone running with that ball, you go attack the ball, and that's what we did tonight," Davis said. "We came out with effort. Everybody was focused and locked in. Reading their keys, doing their job. And at the end of the day, the results show."
And that's not even touching how the defensive backs hopped on fun. Jalen Jackson's third quarter pick was his first career interception, a textbook high point catch on an overthrow from quarterback Grant Wells.
Throwing it 🔙 to late in the third when @icyjalen got his first career interception. 👏 pic.twitter.com/TgUCPuu33M
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) October 3, 2021
"We were in cover 3, and all week, we've been just trying to stay on top of all the routes," Jackson said. "So I was just being disciplined and just stayed on top of the play. It was just a free lunch."
And then there was Deidrick Stanley II, a special teamer most of this season, called upon to play some nickel corner down the stretch as Marshall's no huddle offense got in a rhythm. Praised by both Davis and Blankenship for his hard work on and off the field, his film study and field awareness helped set a big play.
"Two drives before that, they were giving us a switch concept: the two (receiver) was going out on a wheel, and the one (receiver) was coming back in," Stanley said. "I knew they wanted to come back to it. And on that drive, the quarterback was about to throw (that route), but he ended up getting sacked."
Stanley knew the route was open though, so he bided his time, waiting for the right read to jump the route. And when Marshall went back to it one last time when Stanley was on the field in the nickel package, it gave the freshman his first career interception.
Great time for your first career interception, @greatnezzD! 👏 pic.twitter.com/WloR8zy4vl
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) October 3, 2021
"I just sat there and made a play on the ball," Stanley smiled.
The six takeaways have catapulted MT up the NCAA leaderboards in turnovers gained and in turnover margin, where the Blue Raiders sit inside the top five in both categories. For Gilstrap, it's a culmination of all of the things his group has worked on in practice, and an affirmation of the team's process.
"It makes you proud as a coach," Gilstrap said. "Especially because they're doing things that we work on. We work on those high points, we throw deep balls before each practice. We work on reading the quarterback's shoulders in cover 3. It lets you know that your teaching progression is right."
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