Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN – Swapped Numbers just one part of MTSU staying serious while having fun ahead of Hawai’i Bowl
12/18/2022 4:47:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — I've never been more confused in my time at Middle Tennessee than I was this week walking out to the football practice field ahead of the Hawai'i Bowl and seeing a 5-foot-7 receiver wearing a No. 2 jersey hauling in a pass from Chase Cunningham.
Two parts of that sentence, Cunningham throwing to wideout wearing No. 2 and throwing to a wide receiver that's 5-foot-7, those shouldn't have shocked me, given how active Izaiah Gathings (No. 2) and DJ England-Chisolm (5-foot-7) have been in the Blue Raider offense this year. But the two facts combining bamboozled me.
It turns out, as cornerback Teldrick Ross (wearing No. 5, who he thinks is Bud Tolbert's practice jersey, but he's really not sure, "There's three people on defense with five on! I didn't even know we had that many fives.") told me, I wasn't the only one getting confused.
"(The coaches will) tell me to go in, but I'll have somebody else's number on," Ross said. "Then they'd be like, 'hold on!'"
I quickly found out that the best way to figure out who was who out there was to stare at the back of everyone's helmet, where the number stickers hadn't changed, then try to keep up with MTSU's bowl tradition of the player's swapping numbers with each other during their final practices in Murfreesboro ahead of heading out for their bowl game.
No one was quite sure when it started, but it was fair enough that coaches and players alike recognized it as a tradition. One that made the equipment staff a little scatterbrained at times, particularly when player's laundry clips had all sorts of different numbers at the end of the day, but overall, one that kept folks loose and having fun while getting ready to play San Diego State on Christmas Eve.
"It's kind of a bowl tradition, we want to keep the tradition going, have a little fun out here," Ross said, explaining the team's mindset. "It's serious, but you've got to have fun with it, because we've earned it."
The Blue Raiders have earned much more than just the right to swap jerseys with their teammates as serious preparations were underway this past week, with the plane ride to Honolulu, Hawai'i now set for tomorrow morning, starting the team's week in the Aloha State that will create the memories of a lifetime for these players.
Beyond just being on the islands, a tropical getaway for the second year in a row at MTSU, there's so many opportunities for the Blue Raiders to enjoy Hawai'ian culture, to learn about the island and our country's history at Pearl Harbor, and to support children at the local Shriners Hospital.
I'm lucky enough I'll get the chance to share some of those highlights with you later this week. But for now, I wanted to know one thing: What in the world were they going to do on the nine-hour plane ride from Tennessee to Hawai'i?
Teldrick Ross was practical: "My plan is to take two melatonins before I get on the plane to get as much sleep as I can, so that way, if I can cut the plane ride down to only like four or five and half hours, I'll take it."
Jaylin Lane was also looking to cut the flight in chunks: "I'm going to find the longest movie I can find to knock out at least three, three and half hours. Then, a little nap, and after that, we've got two hours left and we're pretty much there."
Rick Stockstill? A veteran of these trips, got plenty to watch already downloaded: "They'll show a couple of movies on the plane. I downloaded some stuff. Some Vietnam War stuff, some Civil War stuff, some World War stuff, I like the history, so it'll give me a chance to watch a little bit of that."
The Blue Raiders are certainly having fun. But they're also locking in on the San Diego State Aztecs, with particularly emphasis on their rushing offense, their multiple pressure looks on defense and the excellent-in-all-facets special teams. Because amidst all the fun to be had, the Blue Raiders still have a goal in front of them.
"We're just having fun, but at the same time, we're keeping that serious mindset," Ross said. "Because we want to be the first team in MT history to win two bowl games back-to-back."
Two parts of that sentence, Cunningham throwing to wideout wearing No. 2 and throwing to a wide receiver that's 5-foot-7, those shouldn't have shocked me, given how active Izaiah Gathings (No. 2) and DJ England-Chisolm (5-foot-7) have been in the Blue Raider offense this year. But the two facts combining bamboozled me.
It turns out, as cornerback Teldrick Ross (wearing No. 5, who he thinks is Bud Tolbert's practice jersey, but he's really not sure, "There's three people on defense with five on! I didn't even know we had that many fives.") told me, I wasn't the only one getting confused.
"(The coaches will) tell me to go in, but I'll have somebody else's number on," Ross said. "Then they'd be like, 'hold on!'"
I quickly found out that the best way to figure out who was who out there was to stare at the back of everyone's helmet, where the number stickers hadn't changed, then try to keep up with MTSU's bowl tradition of the player's swapping numbers with each other during their final practices in Murfreesboro ahead of heading out for their bowl game.
No one was quite sure when it started, but it was fair enough that coaches and players alike recognized it as a tradition. One that made the equipment staff a little scatterbrained at times, particularly when player's laundry clips had all sorts of different numbers at the end of the day, but overall, one that kept folks loose and having fun while getting ready to play San Diego State on Christmas Eve.
"It's kind of a bowl tradition, we want to keep the tradition going, have a little fun out here," Ross said, explaining the team's mindset. "It's serious, but you've got to have fun with it, because we've earned it."
The Blue Raiders have earned much more than just the right to swap jerseys with their teammates as serious preparations were underway this past week, with the plane ride to Honolulu, Hawai'i now set for tomorrow morning, starting the team's week in the Aloha State that will create the memories of a lifetime for these players.
Beyond just being on the islands, a tropical getaway for the second year in a row at MTSU, there's so many opportunities for the Blue Raiders to enjoy Hawai'ian culture, to learn about the island and our country's history at Pearl Harbor, and to support children at the local Shriners Hospital.
I'm lucky enough I'll get the chance to share some of those highlights with you later this week. But for now, I wanted to know one thing: What in the world were they going to do on the nine-hour plane ride from Tennessee to Hawai'i?
Teldrick Ross was practical: "My plan is to take two melatonins before I get on the plane to get as much sleep as I can, so that way, if I can cut the plane ride down to only like four or five and half hours, I'll take it."
Jaylin Lane was also looking to cut the flight in chunks: "I'm going to find the longest movie I can find to knock out at least three, three and half hours. Then, a little nap, and after that, we've got two hours left and we're pretty much there."
Rick Stockstill? A veteran of these trips, got plenty to watch already downloaded: "They'll show a couple of movies on the plane. I downloaded some stuff. Some Vietnam War stuff, some Civil War stuff, some World War stuff, I like the history, so it'll give me a chance to watch a little bit of that."
The Blue Raiders are certainly having fun. But they're also locking in on the San Diego State Aztecs, with particularly emphasis on their rushing offense, their multiple pressure looks on defense and the excellent-in-all-facets special teams. Because amidst all the fun to be had, the Blue Raiders still have a goal in front of them.
"We're just having fun, but at the same time, we're keeping that serious mindset," Ross said. "Because we want to be the first team in MT history to win two bowl games back-to-back."
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