Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Football back to work for homecoming rivalry against WKU
10/10/2022 4:57:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf
Facing an explosive passing attack from the Hilltoppers that averages over 40 points a game, Stockstill's message to his defense after two tough weekends in losses to UTSA and UAB was simple.
"We've got to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us," Stockstill said. "We've got to do a better job of getting their skill guys down."
MTSU's defensive metrics, both advanced and conventional, have plummeted since the start of conference play, with explosive plays from the Roadrunners and Blazers putting the Blue Raiders on their back foot early the past two weeks, leading to a more limited offensive playbook down the stretch in each game. WKU, who has four different receivers with a catch of at least 47-yards this year, will certainly be looking to continue that trend on Saturday.
Like the Blue Raiders, however, the Hilltoppers are licking their wounds from two straight losses, a 34-27 loss at home to Troy and a 31-28 loss to UTSA in the Alamodome, which gave MTSU plenty of tape to see what the Trojans and Roadrunners did well to contain the offensive firepower under new quarterback Austin Reed, who's already tossed 19 touchdowns through six games after transferring in from Division II power West Florida.
"The big thing was they kept the ball in front of them," Stockstill said of Troy and UTSA. "When you score a lot of points, a lot of the time it's the result of explosive plays. Western Kentucky had a handful, but for the most part Troy and San Antonio did a good job of keeping the ball in front of them. That's the one thing, the obvious thing, that stood out."
Saturday's contest will also serve as MTSU's homecoming game for the 2022 season and will lead into the Blue Raider's open date the week following. The 2:30 p.m. kickoff will be carried by ESPN+ as well as the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Colton Sheets back as honorary captain for WKU game
In what's been an amazing annual tradition over the past several years for MTSU football, three-time cancer survivor Colton Sheets will join the Blue Raiders on the field as an honorary captain against Western Kentucky. It'll be the ninth time Sheets has been named honorary captain.
My predecessor as MTSU's staff writer, Josh Vardaman, wrote a great feature on Sheets' journey battling Leukemia in 2017, which you can check out here: https://goblueraiders.com/news/2017/10/19/football-colton-sheets-back-as-mt-honorary-captain
Check out some of the highlights from Sheets past times as captain below!
We had a special guest at practice today.
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) September 30, 2021
Colton Sheets is a three-time cancer survivor and is now five and a half years post transplant.
He continues to be an inspiration for us. Colton will serve as an honorary captain on Saturday for the eighth time. #BlueRaiders | #EATT pic.twitter.com/3MS6ERH5p4
Check out a little behind-the-scenes of Colton Sheets' visit with the Blue Raiders today. pic.twitter.com/4lUdkdRuOi
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) September 27, 2018
#TBT @MT_FB's Blackout game last season, Colton Sheets served as our honorary captain. He returns this week and will serve in the same post he did last season. Check back soon to hear how Sheets is doing! #BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/49LJjjTboH
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) September 27, 2018
We had a very special guest back with us today at practice!
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) October 3, 2019
Colton Sheets is at practice today and will be our honorary captain this Saturday as we take on Marshall at 2:30 PM. #BlueRaiders | #MT | #EATT pic.twitter.com/mfbfp87VXs
Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony this Friday!
In case you missed it last week, this week is the annual Hall of Fame weekend for the Blue Raiders Sports Hall of Fame, where the Class of 2022 will be inducted on the lawn of the Emmett and Rose Kennon Sports Hall of Fame at 6:30 p.m. Parking will be available in the Greenland Dr. parking lot for those who wish to attend the public ceremony.
And then on Saturday, keep an eye out for the Class of 2022, listed below, at this weekend's homecoming parade!
- Leslie (Clark) Vance (Volleyball, 2006-09)
- Krystle Horton (Women's Basketball, 2003-07)
- Kevin Kanaskie (Men's Basketball, 2006-09)
- Sandy (McMillan) Neal (Women's Tennis, 1973-76)
- Bryan Peck (Baseball, 1999-2000)
- Don Thomas (Football, 1985-88)
Basketball Season Tickets are on sale this week!
Make sure you take the chance to grab your 2022-23 season tickets for both Blue Raider and Lady Raider basketball this season in the Murphy Center! 2021-22 Season Ticket holders should've received an email from the ticket office last week with their renewal offer, while new season ticket holders will get the chance to purchase their package this Wednesday.
Men's Basketball season tickets for the Murphy Center's 50th anniversary are just $175, while Women's Basketball season tickets are $125!
Taylor Edlin Named C-USA Golfer of the Week
Both men's and women's golf, particularly during the fall, do not have schedules that make it easy for them to make the notebook, often playing on Monday-Wednesday. So, when I get the chance, I always want to highlight those student-athletes shining brightly when it occurs.
With that in mind, last Wednesday, Taylor Edline was named the Blenders Eyewear Conference USA Women's Golf Player of the Week by the conference office after firing off 13 birdies at Old Dominion's Evie Odom Invitational. It was the most birdies by any MTSU women's golf player this season.
MTSU SAAC Committee set for 2022-23
One of the more "inside baseball" aspects of college athletic departments I've learned about since diving headfirst into Athletic Communications office work as a professional is the work of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, more commonly known by its acronym SAAC. A bedrock of every well-run athletic department, the SAAC at each NCAA school offers firsthand student-athlete feedback to administrators on the various rules, regulations and policies that affect their day-to-day experience on campus.
MTSU's 2022-23 SAAC recently met for their first meeting and includes a representative from each of MTSU's athletic programs, who were nominated for the committee either by their coaching staffs or the staff at the Student-Athlete Enrichment Center. Congratulations to all the Blue Raiders working to make their voices heard!
- Women's Basketball: Jalynn Gregory
- Men's Basketball: Justin Bufford
- Softball: Claire Woods
- Volleyball: Kayla Henley
- Men's Tennis: Francisco Rocha
- Women's Tennis: Noelle Mauro
- Men's Golf: Michael Barnard
- Women's Golf: Taylor Edlin
- Soccer: Alex Goffi
- Football: Chase Cunningham
- Women's Track and Field: Akera Benton
- Men's Track and Field: Brian Rono
- Baseball: DJ Wright
Spotted online: Matt Insell's Twitter
One of the best Blue Raider follows you can find on twitter is Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach Matt Insell (who you can find at @minsell). Not only can you find the usual coaching motivation speeches, quotes and videos that can give your day a pick-me-up at the right time, you can also find some behind-the-scenes look into the Lady Raider basketball program.
Like the fact that 6-foot-6 center Anastasiia Boldyreva is shooting post shots over a 6-foot-11 practice player this year.
Nothing like having a 6'11 guy to guard our post players everyday. 6'6 vs 6'11 in this video #BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/IiVcMOazkE
— Matt Insell (@minsell) October 6, 2022
But my favorite genre of Matt Insell tweets is when he posts his tiktoks to twitter, such as a practice mix tape set to Eric Church's "Record Year," or Jalynn Gregory taking a charge in the post set to, well, the "Charge!" fanfare.
Working towards a #RecordYear #BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/zXtJWMigAF
— Matt Insell (@minsell) October 6, 2022
Nothing like taking a #Charge #BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/dzwVxtAiht
— Matt Insell (@minsell) October 6, 2022
National Coaches Day Roundup
Nothing gets an athletic communications office more excited than a national day that is easily applicable to athletics, and last week's #NationalCoachesDay certainly fit the bill!
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to our fearless leaders!#BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/1VcYBNN9Lz
— MT Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) October 6, 2022
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to the best in the game!#BlueRaiders@coachmcentire72 | @NoPayneNoGain10 pic.twitter.com/Vl5IFTazNR
— MT Men's Golf (@MT_MGolf) October 6, 2022
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to the best in the business!#BlueRaiders | #StickTogether pic.twitter.com/T09jinOPYd
— MT Basketball (@MT_MBB) October 6, 2022
We want to wish a very happy #NationalCoachesDay to our outstanding staff!! 😁#BlueRaiders | #MT#MiddleTennesseeSoccer #ncaasoccer #womenssoccer pic.twitter.com/PLpuqM6Zbn
— MT Soccer (@MT_Soccer) October 6, 2022
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to this talented group! Each member of our staff brings a high level of commitment, passion and knowledge to the court every day. We are thankful for them! #BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/rDKC24OvJC
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) October 6, 2022
We would like to wish a happy #NationalCoachesDay to our very own!! #BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/sGFnH0B0r2
— MT Men's Tennis (@MT_MensTennis) October 6, 2022
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to our coaches!!#BlueRaiders pic.twitter.com/c8WjrRoGSy
— MT Women's Tennis (@MT_WomensTennis) October 6, 2022
Happy #NationalCoachesDay to our fantastic trio of coaches!! Thanks for you guys' outstanding leadership each day! pic.twitter.com/eyd4n9y6dZ
— MT Softball (@MT_Softball) October 6, 2022
Players Mentioned
