Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: “We’re Bowl Bound Baby”
11/28/2021 6:44:00 PM | Football
Bahamas Bowl Announcement capped off roller coaster of a regular season
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — "Alright! Listen up! Listen."
I assume a lot of Rick Stockstill's team meetings start with something similar. We here in the athletic communications office occasionally, but rarely get to make an appearance, but this Sunday meeting at 1 pm was a special occasion.
Middle Tennessee had announced their acceptance of a bid to the Bahamas Bowl just minutes before. And while the players inside the meeting room at Floyd Stadium likely knew that fact already, the excitement they showed when their head coach let them know they'd be taking on Toledo in a few weeks, and held up the team's "Bowl Bound" t-shirts, couldn't be understated.
"We're Bowl Bound Baby!" Stockstill said to the roars of approval from his players.
I can certainly understand the sentiment from many neutral college football fans that there are "too many" bowls these days. It's never been an issue for me — I never minded having college football to watch nearly every day from a week before Christmas all the way through a week after New Year's Day every season — but it can be a lot to keep track of. And for many teams, it's a paltry consolation prize. C-USA had eight of their teams earn six wins this year, making over half of the conference bowl eligible.
For some folks, those facts devalued the bowl bids, knowing that it used to really be a mark of an extraordinary season to get invited to one. And I get all that, I really do. But for those in that camp, I would implore to spend two seconds just hearing what it means to the players, the coaches, the staff of these programs.
"It means everything, first and last one," wide receiver Jarrin Pierce said of the bowl bid. "I'm just glad we get to do it together again. Me coming from JuCo, I've never played ball out of the states. So now it's just another opportunity to show my family that we're going to the Bahamas and we're going to have fun and get the job done."
Fellow captain CJ Windham will be making his fourth bowl trip of his career if all goes well ahead of kickoff on December 17th in Nassau in Thomas Robinson Stadium.
"Being able to go to another one is nothing short of a blessing," Windham said. "I think about all the times I've been to these bowls, that ball has taken me places that I feel like never would've been without it."
And of course, the head coach, who reached bowl eligibility for the 11th time in his career this season, knows what it's taken this team in particular to get to this point.
"This team has overcome an awful lot to put ourselves in that position," Stockstill said. "Last night's game, what a great testament to our players toughness, their resiliency, their never give up attitude, I'm just happy for those guys, especially our older players, the seniors that they can go out their last year in a bowl game."
The buzz of bowl week never goes away. Dustin Royston spent some time before the meeting chit chatting about his Georgia team during his playing days playing in the Capital One Bowl, and theme park trips that entailed. The experience these guys will be getting is priceless.
And sure, every team in the country strives to be playing on this weekend, championship week. At the FBS level, only 20 teams get that opportunity. MT certainly strives to be one of them, and has been as recently as 2018.
But the reality is that these extra weeks of practice, this one last chance for seniors like Pierce, Windham, Reed Blankenship and DQ Thomas to make impact plays, there's so much pride in just getting a chance to showcase their talent one more time. And that time is a crucial building block for programs looking to take the next step into the spring.
"A lot of people are done, their seasons are over with," Windham said. "Getting that extra time to practice with some of the older guys, practice against the older guys, it means the world to you. You gain so much more knowledge and so much more in those little practice reps that you don't even think about."
Then, of course, there's the perks of the locale of each bowl. With this being the only postseason FBS game overseas, every MT player will have their passport to get into the Bahamas, something Jordan Ferguson points out can be used long after they've left Murfreesboro if they put their mind to it. And that's not even getting into the fun they'll have on the beach during bowl week.
The buzz I felt after the Blue Raiders comeback last night was invigorating, to say the least. I could tell it hadn't worn off on the team this afternoon. And I suspect, even with the players staring down finals week in the near future now that Thanksgiving is over, that the buzz will continue right through kickoff in just 19 days.
And I can't wait to see how this team responds once again to a new environment.
"To enjoy it, to embrace, it makes you want to go again," Ferguson advised his team. "A lot of young guys have come in and never been to a bowl game before, so they don't realize what they're about to get into."
I assume a lot of Rick Stockstill's team meetings start with something similar. We here in the athletic communications office occasionally, but rarely get to make an appearance, but this Sunday meeting at 1 pm was a special occasion.
Middle Tennessee had announced their acceptance of a bid to the Bahamas Bowl just minutes before. And while the players inside the meeting room at Floyd Stadium likely knew that fact already, the excitement they showed when their head coach let them know they'd be taking on Toledo in a few weeks, and held up the team's "Bowl Bound" t-shirts, couldn't be understated.
"We're Bowl Bound Baby!" Stockstill said to the roars of approval from his players.
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) November 28, 2021
I can certainly understand the sentiment from many neutral college football fans that there are "too many" bowls these days. It's never been an issue for me — I never minded having college football to watch nearly every day from a week before Christmas all the way through a week after New Year's Day every season — but it can be a lot to keep track of. And for many teams, it's a paltry consolation prize. C-USA had eight of their teams earn six wins this year, making over half of the conference bowl eligible.
For some folks, those facts devalued the bowl bids, knowing that it used to really be a mark of an extraordinary season to get invited to one. And I get all that, I really do. But for those in that camp, I would implore to spend two seconds just hearing what it means to the players, the coaches, the staff of these programs.
"It means everything, first and last one," wide receiver Jarrin Pierce said of the bowl bid. "I'm just glad we get to do it together again. Me coming from JuCo, I've never played ball out of the states. So now it's just another opportunity to show my family that we're going to the Bahamas and we're going to have fun and get the job done."
Fellow captain CJ Windham will be making his fourth bowl trip of his career if all goes well ahead of kickoff on December 17th in Nassau in Thomas Robinson Stadium.
"Being able to go to another one is nothing short of a blessing," Windham said. "I think about all the times I've been to these bowls, that ball has taken me places that I feel like never would've been without it."
And of course, the head coach, who reached bowl eligibility for the 11th time in his career this season, knows what it's taken this team in particular to get to this point.
"This team has overcome an awful lot to put ourselves in that position," Stockstill said. "Last night's game, what a great testament to our players toughness, their resiliency, their never give up attitude, I'm just happy for those guys, especially our older players, the seniors that they can go out their last year in a bowl game."
The buzz of bowl week never goes away. Dustin Royston spent some time before the meeting chit chatting about his Georgia team during his playing days playing in the Capital One Bowl, and theme park trips that entailed. The experience these guys will be getting is priceless.
And sure, every team in the country strives to be playing on this weekend, championship week. At the FBS level, only 20 teams get that opportunity. MT certainly strives to be one of them, and has been as recently as 2018.
But the reality is that these extra weeks of practice, this one last chance for seniors like Pierce, Windham, Reed Blankenship and DQ Thomas to make impact plays, there's so much pride in just getting a chance to showcase their talent one more time. And that time is a crucial building block for programs looking to take the next step into the spring.
"A lot of people are done, their seasons are over with," Windham said. "Getting that extra time to practice with some of the older guys, practice against the older guys, it means the world to you. You gain so much more knowledge and so much more in those little practice reps that you don't even think about."
Then, of course, there's the perks of the locale of each bowl. With this being the only postseason FBS game overseas, every MT player will have their passport to get into the Bahamas, something Jordan Ferguson points out can be used long after they've left Murfreesboro if they put their mind to it. And that's not even getting into the fun they'll have on the beach during bowl week.
The buzz I felt after the Blue Raiders comeback last night was invigorating, to say the least. I could tell it hadn't worn off on the team this afternoon. And I suspect, even with the players staring down finals week in the near future now that Thanksgiving is over, that the buzz will continue right through kickoff in just 19 days.
And I can't wait to see how this team responds once again to a new environment.
"To enjoy it, to embrace, it makes you want to go again," Ferguson advised his team. "A lot of young guys have come in and never been to a bowl game before, so they don't realize what they're about to get into."
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
DT
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ FootballIntroducing Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach - Anthony Scelfo
Tuesday, January 13
MTSU Football Signing Day Press Conference 12/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Sunday, November 30
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Saturday, November 29
