Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
"We made him uncomfortable” — Relentless Defense sets the tone in season's first win
9/11/2022 7:14:00 AM | Football
MTSU’s nine sacks tied the most in a single game in Blue Raider history
FORT COLLINS, Co. — Late in the fourth quarter, in what proved to be the final gasp from Colorado State, Rams quarterback Clay Millen heaved a prayer downfield on 4th and 8 from CSU's own 33-yard line.
It was an unremarkable play in college football endgames, the classic deep pass down multiple scores in the closing minutes just trying to make something happen, only to get picked off by the opposing team, as Decorian Patterson did when the pass fell short, MTSU's fourth takeaway of the night in what would become a 34-19 victory.
But the TV broadcast cut back to Millen after the interception, then rolled tape on the replay, showing the redshirt freshman in just his second start, evading a blitzing Deidrick Stanley II, then taking a huge hit from Marley Cook as he releases the ball. And then, Millen took his time getting back up from the just the latest in a barrage of pressure brought by the Blue Raider defense, slowly walking off the field.
"I thought we made him uncomfortable," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "I thought our pressure was relentless. Any time you can hit the quarterback and get him on the ground as much as we did tonight, it helps your defense so much. You saw a lot during the second half, they max protected and weren't able to get as many guys out as they would like."
The final stat book of the night shows MTSU getting home on Clay Millen nine times for sacks, tying a program record set in a 24-7 win over Arkansas State on October 20, 2007. But throw in the QB Hurries (5) and the QB hits the MTSU GAs are sure to track when they get back into the office on Sunday, and the impact the Blue Raider defense had on taking control of the game becomes even more obvious than it did to those in Fort Collins or watching at the Boulevard.
"Defense, our biggest thing is setting the tone, momentum plays," said safety Tra Fluellen, whose game opening pick-6 certainly set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. "If we get three or more turnovers, you've got more than an 83 percent chance to win. Anytime we're getting pressure on the quarterback, he's going to be freaking out, losing himself a little bit."
Fluellen was the first beneficiary of that pressure, when a pump faking Millen misfired under pressure from Quindarius Dunnigan, slinging the ball past Tory Horton and right into Fluellen's arms. The Gilmer, Texas native ran it 32 yards untouched for the game's opening score.
Dunnigan led MTSU with 2.5 sacks, including his first ever collegiate sack early in the first quarter, where he sped past the Rams' left tackle for an easy 10-yard loss that played a huge role in stalling out CSU's offense early.
"It lit a fire under me because I felt like I could get another one, and I got another one," Dunnigan said. The Chattanooga native's 2.5 sacks tied him with five other Blue Raiders for sixth most sacks in a single game. "I'm thankful for the D-Line. They're the real deal, working with me the whole summer to perfect my craft. I was able to get better and better."
Dunnigan, who missed all of 2021 with an injury, is just one of many cogs in a defensive front that has plenty of depth to spare. When a team captain, Ja'Kerrius Wyatt, is listed as a backup on the two-deep, there's plenty of rotations that can create chaos up front. Dunnigan observed that such depth means that not only does it not feel like there's a true starter/backup divide in the room, but the different looks and strengths of each player makes it hard for offensive lines to adjust to whatever group is in.
To say nothing of how the depth keeps fatigue low for the big guys up front.
"When the offensive line is tired and we've got fresh guys coming in, it just creates havoc for the quarterback," Dunnigan said.
The chaos gave MTSU's offense short fields all afternoon, helping the Blue Raiders score half of their points off of turnovers on Saturday. An offense that struggled on the road at James Madison last week found its footing with a quick passing game that moved the ball down the field, as well as running back Frank Peasant, who just missed out on 100 yards rushing with some powerful carries that kept the Rams' defense honest.
"From the jump, we had a game plan," wide receiver Izaiah Gathings said. "We felt like we wanted to get the ball out of Chase (Cunningham's) hands quick, eliminate the pressure getting on him. If we got the quick passing and run game going, it'd open the deep game."
Gathings led MTSU with 11 receptions for 92 yards. Cunningham tossed 266 yards on 31-39 passing, adding 24 yards on the ground, none bigger than the 11 he gained on a QB draw on 3rd and 8 on MTSU's final possession that moved the chains, helping leave CSU with little time to move the ball upfield once Kyle Ulbrich pinned the Rams at their own two-yard line.
There's still stuff to clean up heading into the team's first home game next weekend against Tennessee State, particularly in the secondary, where CSU was able to get back into the game in third quarter with three touchdown passes behind the defense, a product of some good halftime adjustments from CSU to bring in extra blockers to give Millen more time.
But if execution like that leads to the kind of havoc that Blue Raider fans saw on Saturday afternoon? They'll be plenty to cheer about in Floyd Stadium this fall.
"We've got to knuckle up, we can't let off the gas," Fluellen said. "We just gotta keep up our momentum."
It was an unremarkable play in college football endgames, the classic deep pass down multiple scores in the closing minutes just trying to make something happen, only to get picked off by the opposing team, as Decorian Patterson did when the pass fell short, MTSU's fourth takeaway of the night in what would become a 34-19 victory.
But the TV broadcast cut back to Millen after the interception, then rolled tape on the replay, showing the redshirt freshman in just his second start, evading a blitzing Deidrick Stanley II, then taking a huge hit from Marley Cook as he releases the ball. And then, Millen took his time getting back up from the just the latest in a barrage of pressure brought by the Blue Raider defense, slowly walking off the field.
"I thought we made him uncomfortable," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "I thought our pressure was relentless. Any time you can hit the quarterback and get him on the ground as much as we did tonight, it helps your defense so much. You saw a lot during the second half, they max protected and weren't able to get as many guys out as they would like."
The final stat book of the night shows MTSU getting home on Clay Millen nine times for sacks, tying a program record set in a 24-7 win over Arkansas State on October 20, 2007. But throw in the QB Hurries (5) and the QB hits the MTSU GAs are sure to track when they get back into the office on Sunday, and the impact the Blue Raider defense had on taking control of the game becomes even more obvious than it did to those in Fort Collins or watching at the Boulevard.
"Defense, our biggest thing is setting the tone, momentum plays," said safety Tra Fluellen, whose game opening pick-6 certainly set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. "If we get three or more turnovers, you've got more than an 83 percent chance to win. Anytime we're getting pressure on the quarterback, he's going to be freaking out, losing himself a little bit."
Fluellen was the first beneficiary of that pressure, when a pump faking Millen misfired under pressure from Quindarius Dunnigan, slinging the ball past Tory Horton and right into Fluellen's arms. The Gilmer, Texas native ran it 32 yards untouched for the game's opening score.
Dunnigan led MTSU with 2.5 sacks, including his first ever collegiate sack early in the first quarter, where he sped past the Rams' left tackle for an easy 10-yard loss that played a huge role in stalling out CSU's offense early.
"It lit a fire under me because I felt like I could get another one, and I got another one," Dunnigan said. The Chattanooga native's 2.5 sacks tied him with five other Blue Raiders for sixth most sacks in a single game. "I'm thankful for the D-Line. They're the real deal, working with me the whole summer to perfect my craft. I was able to get better and better."
Dunnigan, who missed all of 2021 with an injury, is just one of many cogs in a defensive front that has plenty of depth to spare. When a team captain, Ja'Kerrius Wyatt, is listed as a backup on the two-deep, there's plenty of rotations that can create chaos up front. Dunnigan observed that such depth means that not only does it not feel like there's a true starter/backup divide in the room, but the different looks and strengths of each player makes it hard for offensive lines to adjust to whatever group is in.
To say nothing of how the depth keeps fatigue low for the big guys up front.
"When the offensive line is tired and we've got fresh guys coming in, it just creates havoc for the quarterback," Dunnigan said.
The chaos gave MTSU's offense short fields all afternoon, helping the Blue Raiders score half of their points off of turnovers on Saturday. An offense that struggled on the road at James Madison last week found its footing with a quick passing game that moved the ball down the field, as well as running back Frank Peasant, who just missed out on 100 yards rushing with some powerful carries that kept the Rams' defense honest.
"From the jump, we had a game plan," wide receiver Izaiah Gathings said. "We felt like we wanted to get the ball out of Chase (Cunningham's) hands quick, eliminate the pressure getting on him. If we got the quick passing and run game going, it'd open the deep game."
Gathings led MTSU with 11 receptions for 92 yards. Cunningham tossed 266 yards on 31-39 passing, adding 24 yards on the ground, none bigger than the 11 he gained on a QB draw on 3rd and 8 on MTSU's final possession that moved the chains, helping leave CSU with little time to move the ball upfield once Kyle Ulbrich pinned the Rams at their own two-yard line.
There's still stuff to clean up heading into the team's first home game next weekend against Tennessee State, particularly in the secondary, where CSU was able to get back into the game in third quarter with three touchdown passes behind the defense, a product of some good halftime adjustments from CSU to bring in extra blockers to give Millen more time.
But if execution like that leads to the kind of havoc that Blue Raider fans saw on Saturday afternoon? They'll be plenty to cheer about in Floyd Stadium this fall.
"We've got to knuckle up, we can't let off the gas," Fluellen said. "We just gotta keep up our momentum."
Players Mentioned
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