Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, September 24
Charlotte, NC
5:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Charlotte
Preview — Q&A with Charlotte Beat Writer Hunter Bailey
9/23/2021 4:30:00 PM | Football
The Charlotte Observer’s 49er scribe breaks down MT’s C-USA opponent
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The message from head coach Rick Stockstill to the Blue Raider offense was clear after last week's loss to UTSA.
"We've got to play a heck of a lot better up front this week than we did last week," Stockstill said. "Or it's gonna be the same result."
That box score from Saturday does not lie. Despite three takeaways from the Blue Raider defense keeping Middle Tennessee in the game most of the evening, the Blue Raider offense could not get things going against the Roadrunners, being held to just eight yards on the ground, completing less than 50 percent of its passes while giving up five sacks on the offensive line.
But the good news is that it's another week. And the Charlotte 49ers might have some holes on the defensive side of the ball that might help the slow start the MT running game has gotten off to this season. In last week's 20-9 loss at Georgia State, the 49ers gave up 298 yards on the ground at a rate of 6.1 yards a carry. In the air, Charlotte will present more of a challenge for Chase Cunningham, who takes over at starting quarterback after Bailey Hockman's departure from the program. The 49ers are a bit more stout defending the pass, thanks in part to their press man coverage, wideout Izaiah Gathings said.
"I like winning off the line with the release," Gathings said of beating press man coverage. "And after that, it's just winning at the top of your route. I feel like the most important part is winning at the line of scrimmage. If you win at the line of scrimmage, I feel like you're going to go do your job after that."
When the 49ers have the ball, quarterback Chris Reynolds is entering his fourth year as starting signal caller, and helps lead a balanced RPO attack when things are humming. The dual-threat QB has accounted for seven touchdowns in the young season, with his best performance in the team's season opening win over Duke, throwing for 324 yards and three scores while adding another touchdown on the ground.
Defensive line coach Dustin Royston highlighted the 49ers offensive line as where that success starts.
"Two years I thought they were one of, if not the best offensive line that we went against in conference since I've been here in 2017," Royston said. "They're still really good up front. Their quarterback is a really good player. They have a really good scheme. You've got to see a lot, and we've got to keep our eyes on our keys and do our job, not try to do too much because it takes all 11. We've got to fly to the ball."
Still, the 49ers moved the ball slowly last week against the Panthers, getting held to just 3.0 yards a carry and only throwing for 158 yards through the air. Entering conference play, the Blue Raider defense will look to build upon its strong first halfs from each game in September, and put together a full 60 minutes despite the uniqueness of head coach Will Healy's scheme in Charlotte.
"They're going to do a lot of stuff we've never seen before," cornerback Quincy Riley said. "But really, it's all about what we do."
Ahead of Friday night's kickoff at 5:30 p.m. CDT on CBSSN, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton exchanged emails with Charlotte Observer beat writer Hunter Bailey to get a closer look at the Charlotte 49ers.
1) Charlotte took their first loss of the season last week in a tough game on the road at Georgia State. But with the strong start to the season with wins over Duke and Gardner-Webb, what are the expectations for the 49er program entering year three for Will Healy?
Charlotte has struggled on the road under Healy (3-8) but has excelled at home going 8-2 over their last ten games. This team was riding high after the Duke victory in Week 1 but had a bit of a reality check in Atlanta last weekend.
Expectations coming into the season were high, and beating Duke shot them through the roof. A winning season, a bowl victory and a focal point of getting the fans involved seem to be the top three. Charlotte played two home games last season and didn't have their home-opener until October 24th. To play three games at home in the month of September is favorable, although they have plenty of road tests coming.
After a 2-4 season with nine cancellations, just having full weeks of practice and playing games as scheduled has been a much-needed relief from 2020.
2) Expanding on Will Healy and the program, it seems like the fan attendance got a boost when Healy took the 2019 team to their first-ever bowl game. Now coming out of a pandemic season in 2020, what's the game day environment like in Jerry Richardson Stadium? What can visiting Blue Raider fans expect on Friday night?
Fan attendance jumped about 5% in Healy's first year and has increased over the first two games in 2021, given they were both in-state foes. While the stadium only seats 15,000, there is always great energy, especially on a Friday night with 75-degree weather.
Middle Tennessee fans can expect Waka Flaka blasting through the speakers around the stadium before every kickoff and the 49ers' sideline to be electric throughout. Always dancing. The student section - which has been jammed full for both home games - is right behind the opponent's bench with the band closer to the corner of the end zone. Will Healy will be running up the sideline the entire night. He'll probably be the guy in the big visor.
3) Chris Reynolds earned a lot of praise from Rick Stockstill and Reed Blankenship in this week's press conference, and he's certainly been at the center of Charlotte's growth as a program the past couple of seasons. What are some of his best traits as a quarterback that opposing defenses will have to counter?
Chris is the heart and soul of the 49ers. In terms of traits, Chris has great awareness in the pocket and can move the chains with his legs. His ability to extend plays has played a role in the offensive success over the past few seasons and now that he's back to full health, he is pulling the ball down more and more. He isn't necessarily the biggest or fastest guy on the field, but he did add 10 pounds in the off-season to help protect his shoulder.
The offense is RPO-centric and is operating with far less pre-snap motion compared to 2020. With a much improved offensive line, Reynolds has more time to push the ball to the intermediate parts of the field. He hasn't been very accurate on 20+ yard passes through three games, but with the speed on the perimeter, I imagine that will develop through the year.
4) The 49ers' defense has had a good start to the 2021 season, but really struggled against the run last week. Stockstill mentioned the defense features a lot of transfers starting compared to when MT took on Charlotte in 2019. Who are some of the impact players on that side of the ball, and what do you think is the biggest strength and weakness of the defense as a whole?
There are quite a few transfers at every level. Starting with the defensive line, Kofi Wardlow (Notre Dame) and Jalar Holley (Miami) have stood out. Holley was just activated last week and is seeing increased reps in the rotation at practice. At linebacker, a pair of Troy transfers Justin Whisenhunt and Tyler Murray have solidified starting roles, with the latter being the leader of the defense. Murray is a great open-field tackler and is playing in more of the nickel role with more pass coverage responsibility. He led the team with 48 tackles and two interceptions in the six-game 2020 season.
Nearly the entire secondary is an FBS transfer. The season-ending injury to Safety Davondre "Tank" Robinson (ECU) has been tough, but Solomon Rogers and Matt Martinez are stepping in. Geovante Howard (Purdue) was tabbed as a lockdown corner to start the season but has battled a nagging ankle injury since the season opener. Jon Alexander (Kansas State) has been the playmaker for the defense. According to PFF, he has finished in the top two on the defense in tackle rating in every game this season, along with recording a forced fumble and an interception in the loss to Georgia State. At Tuesday's practice - while against the scout team - he recorded three interceptions. Watch for No. 1 on Friday night.
Moving to strengths and weaknesses, the strength has been pass coverage, even with giving up two deep-ball touchdowns last week. The pass rush is much improved, already surpassing their total of 5 sacks from last season through three games. The main weakness is indeed the run defense. The 4-2-5 scheme is complex for the defensive line with so many different fits and gap responsibilities. Senior DE Markees Watts has emerged as the vocal leader and is looking to surpass Alex Highsmith (Pittsburgh Steelers) in career sacks with 20 before the end of his career. I think the personnel is there, but the run defense has been an issue since Healy took over in 2019.
5) Friday will be Charlotte's conference opener, while MT will look to get back on the right foot against its first divisional opponent. Taking a look at Middle Tennessee's season so far, what do you think will be the key areas Charlotte focuses on this week in practice to give them the best chance to start C-USA play with a win?
Middle Tennessee's offense hasn't been very explosive, although they've played two great defenses in the past two weeks in Virginia Tech and UTSA. Charlotte has focused on stripping the ball quite a bit as well as third-down scenarios with both the first-team offense and defense. I think this game will be determined in the trenches, and whether Charlotte can effectively stop the run or if MT can get it on track. The 49ers gave up 164 yards on the ground against Gardner-Webb, the smallest allowed total of the season. MT has run for 162 yards through three games, so this will be very telling for both programs.
Healy said that even with the quarterback situation changing with Hockman's departure, Charlotte was preparing for Cunningham beforehand so it didn't change their preparation. For Charlotte, starting C-USA play with a win is key, especially following with multiple weeks on the road starting against Illinois next Saturday.
"We've got to play a heck of a lot better up front this week than we did last week," Stockstill said. "Or it's gonna be the same result."
That box score from Saturday does not lie. Despite three takeaways from the Blue Raider defense keeping Middle Tennessee in the game most of the evening, the Blue Raider offense could not get things going against the Roadrunners, being held to just eight yards on the ground, completing less than 50 percent of its passes while giving up five sacks on the offensive line.
But the good news is that it's another week. And the Charlotte 49ers might have some holes on the defensive side of the ball that might help the slow start the MT running game has gotten off to this season. In last week's 20-9 loss at Georgia State, the 49ers gave up 298 yards on the ground at a rate of 6.1 yards a carry. In the air, Charlotte will present more of a challenge for Chase Cunningham, who takes over at starting quarterback after Bailey Hockman's departure from the program. The 49ers are a bit more stout defending the pass, thanks in part to their press man coverage, wideout Izaiah Gathings said.
"I like winning off the line with the release," Gathings said of beating press man coverage. "And after that, it's just winning at the top of your route. I feel like the most important part is winning at the line of scrimmage. If you win at the line of scrimmage, I feel like you're going to go do your job after that."
When the 49ers have the ball, quarterback Chris Reynolds is entering his fourth year as starting signal caller, and helps lead a balanced RPO attack when things are humming. The dual-threat QB has accounted for seven touchdowns in the young season, with his best performance in the team's season opening win over Duke, throwing for 324 yards and three scores while adding another touchdown on the ground.
Defensive line coach Dustin Royston highlighted the 49ers offensive line as where that success starts.
"Two years I thought they were one of, if not the best offensive line that we went against in conference since I've been here in 2017," Royston said. "They're still really good up front. Their quarterback is a really good player. They have a really good scheme. You've got to see a lot, and we've got to keep our eyes on our keys and do our job, not try to do too much because it takes all 11. We've got to fly to the ball."
Still, the 49ers moved the ball slowly last week against the Panthers, getting held to just 3.0 yards a carry and only throwing for 158 yards through the air. Entering conference play, the Blue Raider defense will look to build upon its strong first halfs from each game in September, and put together a full 60 minutes despite the uniqueness of head coach Will Healy's scheme in Charlotte.
"They're going to do a lot of stuff we've never seen before," cornerback Quincy Riley said. "But really, it's all about what we do."
Ahead of Friday night's kickoff at 5:30 p.m. CDT on CBSSN, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton exchanged emails with Charlotte Observer beat writer Hunter Bailey to get a closer look at the Charlotte 49ers.
1) Charlotte took their first loss of the season last week in a tough game on the road at Georgia State. But with the strong start to the season with wins over Duke and Gardner-Webb, what are the expectations for the 49er program entering year three for Will Healy?
Charlotte has struggled on the road under Healy (3-8) but has excelled at home going 8-2 over their last ten games. This team was riding high after the Duke victory in Week 1 but had a bit of a reality check in Atlanta last weekend.
Expectations coming into the season were high, and beating Duke shot them through the roof. A winning season, a bowl victory and a focal point of getting the fans involved seem to be the top three. Charlotte played two home games last season and didn't have their home-opener until October 24th. To play three games at home in the month of September is favorable, although they have plenty of road tests coming.
After a 2-4 season with nine cancellations, just having full weeks of practice and playing games as scheduled has been a much-needed relief from 2020.
2) Expanding on Will Healy and the program, it seems like the fan attendance got a boost when Healy took the 2019 team to their first-ever bowl game. Now coming out of a pandemic season in 2020, what's the game day environment like in Jerry Richardson Stadium? What can visiting Blue Raider fans expect on Friday night?
Fan attendance jumped about 5% in Healy's first year and has increased over the first two games in 2021, given they were both in-state foes. While the stadium only seats 15,000, there is always great energy, especially on a Friday night with 75-degree weather.
Middle Tennessee fans can expect Waka Flaka blasting through the speakers around the stadium before every kickoff and the 49ers' sideline to be electric throughout. Always dancing. The student section - which has been jammed full for both home games - is right behind the opponent's bench with the band closer to the corner of the end zone. Will Healy will be running up the sideline the entire night. He'll probably be the guy in the big visor.
3) Chris Reynolds earned a lot of praise from Rick Stockstill and Reed Blankenship in this week's press conference, and he's certainly been at the center of Charlotte's growth as a program the past couple of seasons. What are some of his best traits as a quarterback that opposing defenses will have to counter?
Chris is the heart and soul of the 49ers. In terms of traits, Chris has great awareness in the pocket and can move the chains with his legs. His ability to extend plays has played a role in the offensive success over the past few seasons and now that he's back to full health, he is pulling the ball down more and more. He isn't necessarily the biggest or fastest guy on the field, but he did add 10 pounds in the off-season to help protect his shoulder.
The offense is RPO-centric and is operating with far less pre-snap motion compared to 2020. With a much improved offensive line, Reynolds has more time to push the ball to the intermediate parts of the field. He hasn't been very accurate on 20+ yard passes through three games, but with the speed on the perimeter, I imagine that will develop through the year.
4) The 49ers' defense has had a good start to the 2021 season, but really struggled against the run last week. Stockstill mentioned the defense features a lot of transfers starting compared to when MT took on Charlotte in 2019. Who are some of the impact players on that side of the ball, and what do you think is the biggest strength and weakness of the defense as a whole?
There are quite a few transfers at every level. Starting with the defensive line, Kofi Wardlow (Notre Dame) and Jalar Holley (Miami) have stood out. Holley was just activated last week and is seeing increased reps in the rotation at practice. At linebacker, a pair of Troy transfers Justin Whisenhunt and Tyler Murray have solidified starting roles, with the latter being the leader of the defense. Murray is a great open-field tackler and is playing in more of the nickel role with more pass coverage responsibility. He led the team with 48 tackles and two interceptions in the six-game 2020 season.
Nearly the entire secondary is an FBS transfer. The season-ending injury to Safety Davondre "Tank" Robinson (ECU) has been tough, but Solomon Rogers and Matt Martinez are stepping in. Geovante Howard (Purdue) was tabbed as a lockdown corner to start the season but has battled a nagging ankle injury since the season opener. Jon Alexander (Kansas State) has been the playmaker for the defense. According to PFF, he has finished in the top two on the defense in tackle rating in every game this season, along with recording a forced fumble and an interception in the loss to Georgia State. At Tuesday's practice - while against the scout team - he recorded three interceptions. Watch for No. 1 on Friday night.
Moving to strengths and weaknesses, the strength has been pass coverage, even with giving up two deep-ball touchdowns last week. The pass rush is much improved, already surpassing their total of 5 sacks from last season through three games. The main weakness is indeed the run defense. The 4-2-5 scheme is complex for the defensive line with so many different fits and gap responsibilities. Senior DE Markees Watts has emerged as the vocal leader and is looking to surpass Alex Highsmith (Pittsburgh Steelers) in career sacks with 20 before the end of his career. I think the personnel is there, but the run defense has been an issue since Healy took over in 2019.
5) Friday will be Charlotte's conference opener, while MT will look to get back on the right foot against its first divisional opponent. Taking a look at Middle Tennessee's season so far, what do you think will be the key areas Charlotte focuses on this week in practice to give them the best chance to start C-USA play with a win?
Middle Tennessee's offense hasn't been very explosive, although they've played two great defenses in the past two weeks in Virginia Tech and UTSA. Charlotte has focused on stripping the ball quite a bit as well as third-down scenarios with both the first-team offense and defense. I think this game will be determined in the trenches, and whether Charlotte can effectively stop the run or if MT can get it on track. The 49ers gave up 164 yards on the ground against Gardner-Webb, the smallest allowed total of the season. MT has run for 162 yards through three games, so this will be very telling for both programs.
Healy said that even with the quarterback situation changing with Hockman's departure, Charlotte was preparing for Cunningham beforehand so it didn't change their preparation. For Charlotte, starting C-USA play with a win is key, especially following with multiple weeks on the road starting against Illinois next Saturday.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ FootballDerek Mason LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille Week 5 (Video)
Monday, September 22
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/22/25
Monday, September 22
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - September 20th
Sunday, September 21
MTSU Football vs Marshall post-game conference - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
