Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 17
6 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
vs
Tennessee State
Preview: Q&A with Tennessee State Beat Writer Mike Organ
9/16/2022 10:25:00 AM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Wide receiver coach Shane Tucker never got the chance to take the field as a Blue Raider against Tennessee State when he was a player under Rick Stockstill.
The Tigers, who MTSU has played 20 times since the teams' first meeting in 1973, had not played the Blue Raiders since 1998 in what would be MTSU's last season in the Ohio Valley Conference, where the Tigers still compete at the FCS level today, when Tucker was a student athlete from 2013-2017. But, thanks to a 2019 home for MTSU and another scheduled for this year, Tucker joined Rick Stockstill's staff just in time to get a chance to be a part of the rivalry.
"I'm fired up about it," Tucker said. "It's going to be a fun atmosphere, they're right up the road. It'll be a good game, those guys, they fly to the ball."
Jordan Ferguson expressed similar sentiments, having missed the 2019 contest due to a season-ending injury his junior year. The veteran defensive end said the familiarity between the players and fans on both teams made the atmosphere special last time, and he hopes that will carry over for his final home opener as a Blue Raider this Saturday.
"It's an exciting moment," Ferguson said. "It's exciting to play a team that's so close. The crowd's going to be ready to go."
The TSU-MTSU game has also been one that, historically, has been closely contested, with the Blue Raiders holding just an 11-9 advantage all-time against the Tigers. MTSU lost six of the first seven games in the series, but the arrival of Boots Donnelly to MTSU, particularly after TSU football joined the OVC in 1988, gave Middle Tennessee its first run, winning six straight from 1987-1992. In all, MTSU has won 10 of the last 13 contests in the rivalry, including the 2019 game at Floyd Stadium.
In 2022, TSU comes to Murfreesboro after about as tough a stretch as a team can have at the FCS level, losing a close game on the road to perennial power Eastern Washington, 36-29, to open the season and then falling to Deion Sanders' reloaded Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic, 16-3. The fact the Tigers played so close in each game has MTSU not overlooking TSU ahead of Saturday.
"Their players are really well coached and it's a good team," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "They're very athletic, they can run."
MTSU will look to build off a dominant win on the road over Colorado State, where the Blue Raider defense allowed –10 rushing yards, the second lowest mark in program history for opponent rushing yards.
To get a closer look at TSU, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton reached out to the Tennessean's Mike Organ, who covers the Tigers as one of his many beats for the Nashville paper.
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1. The hiring of Eddie George ahead of the 2021 fall season has given Tennessee State a lot of buzz over the past two years, along with some decent results on the field. How have you seen the first-time head coach adjust to the new role across the past two seasons?
Eddie's confidence has grown a great deal since he stepped into this role. He surrounded himself with a lot of veteran coaches like Jeff Fisher, Hue Jackson and several others and gradually developed his own philosophy based on much of what they shared. One of the good things about Eddie having never coached before is that he doesn't give you a lot of coach speak. That's refreshing and also very telling. He's pretty open and honest about his strengths and weaknesses and when he says he's personally improved in a particular area, you can take him at his word.
2. The TSU Offense has experienced similar highs and lows to MTSU's to start the season, looking super efficient one game (29 points at Eastern Washington and completely lost the other (3 points against Jackson State). What does TSU need to correct this week in practice to get the offense rolling again?
It's a new offense and is indeed experiencing some growing pains. Maybe I should say it's an offense similar to last year being executed a much faster pace. The run game, which obviously is very important to George, has looked very good in spots and so has the passing game. The run and the pass, however, have not yet clicked at the same time. When and if that happens, the unit has shown it has plenty of firepower.
3. Rick Stockstill described the TSU defense under DC Brandon Fisher as having an "NFL Flavor" given their multiple front looks. What about that unit made them so tough to attack for Jackson State last week, with the Tigers managing just 16 points?
Fisher put together a brilliant game plan that never allowed Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, to get comfortable. Fisher brought pressure from several different places and got his secondary in much better coverages than the week before at Eastern Washington. The defense also held up much better. Six starters went down in the first game."
4. Both Rick Stockstill and Jordan Ferguson highlighted the talented transfers Eddie George has brought into the program the past couple of season, particularly quarterback Draylen Ellis (Austin Peay) and wide receiver Zach Dobson (MTSU). Who are some other names Blue Raider fans should know ahead of Saturday's game?
Ellis is still settling in but could be the best quarterback TSU has had in more than a decade. Dobson has been Ellis' favorite target so far and provided some huge plays. On defense there are three players to keep an eye on – safety Gleson Sprewell from Houston, linebacker K'Vaughan Pope from Ohio State and cornerback Jashon Watkins from Memphis. Sprewell is tied for the team lead on solo tackles, Pope has proven to be a big-time playmaker and Watkins unseated several more experienced players to become the stater.
5. Both programs seem to be expecting this game to be a close one given the passion on each side. What do you see as the keys for TSU to pull off their first victory of the season?
"TSU has yet to play a complete game. The offense looked great in the first game and was horrendous in the second. The defense fell apart in the first game and was outstanding in the second. If both units play as well as they already have in spurts TSU could is capable of giving MTSU a scare and possibly pulling off the upset."
The Tigers, who MTSU has played 20 times since the teams' first meeting in 1973, had not played the Blue Raiders since 1998 in what would be MTSU's last season in the Ohio Valley Conference, where the Tigers still compete at the FCS level today, when Tucker was a student athlete from 2013-2017. But, thanks to a 2019 home for MTSU and another scheduled for this year, Tucker joined Rick Stockstill's staff just in time to get a chance to be a part of the rivalry.
"I'm fired up about it," Tucker said. "It's going to be a fun atmosphere, they're right up the road. It'll be a good game, those guys, they fly to the ball."
Jordan Ferguson expressed similar sentiments, having missed the 2019 contest due to a season-ending injury his junior year. The veteran defensive end said the familiarity between the players and fans on both teams made the atmosphere special last time, and he hopes that will carry over for his final home opener as a Blue Raider this Saturday.
"It's an exciting moment," Ferguson said. "It's exciting to play a team that's so close. The crowd's going to be ready to go."
The TSU-MTSU game has also been one that, historically, has been closely contested, with the Blue Raiders holding just an 11-9 advantage all-time against the Tigers. MTSU lost six of the first seven games in the series, but the arrival of Boots Donnelly to MTSU, particularly after TSU football joined the OVC in 1988, gave Middle Tennessee its first run, winning six straight from 1987-1992. In all, MTSU has won 10 of the last 13 contests in the rivalry, including the 2019 game at Floyd Stadium.
In 2022, TSU comes to Murfreesboro after about as tough a stretch as a team can have at the FCS level, losing a close game on the road to perennial power Eastern Washington, 36-29, to open the season and then falling to Deion Sanders' reloaded Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic, 16-3. The fact the Tigers played so close in each game has MTSU not overlooking TSU ahead of Saturday.
"Their players are really well coached and it's a good team," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "They're very athletic, they can run."
MTSU will look to build off a dominant win on the road over Colorado State, where the Blue Raider defense allowed –10 rushing yards, the second lowest mark in program history for opponent rushing yards.
To get a closer look at TSU, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton reached out to the Tennessean's Mike Organ, who covers the Tigers as one of his many beats for the Nashville paper.
---
1. The hiring of Eddie George ahead of the 2021 fall season has given Tennessee State a lot of buzz over the past two years, along with some decent results on the field. How have you seen the first-time head coach adjust to the new role across the past two seasons?
Eddie's confidence has grown a great deal since he stepped into this role. He surrounded himself with a lot of veteran coaches like Jeff Fisher, Hue Jackson and several others and gradually developed his own philosophy based on much of what they shared. One of the good things about Eddie having never coached before is that he doesn't give you a lot of coach speak. That's refreshing and also very telling. He's pretty open and honest about his strengths and weaknesses and when he says he's personally improved in a particular area, you can take him at his word.
2. The TSU Offense has experienced similar highs and lows to MTSU's to start the season, looking super efficient one game (29 points at Eastern Washington and completely lost the other (3 points against Jackson State). What does TSU need to correct this week in practice to get the offense rolling again?
It's a new offense and is indeed experiencing some growing pains. Maybe I should say it's an offense similar to last year being executed a much faster pace. The run game, which obviously is very important to George, has looked very good in spots and so has the passing game. The run and the pass, however, have not yet clicked at the same time. When and if that happens, the unit has shown it has plenty of firepower.
3. Rick Stockstill described the TSU defense under DC Brandon Fisher as having an "NFL Flavor" given their multiple front looks. What about that unit made them so tough to attack for Jackson State last week, with the Tigers managing just 16 points?
Fisher put together a brilliant game plan that never allowed Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, to get comfortable. Fisher brought pressure from several different places and got his secondary in much better coverages than the week before at Eastern Washington. The defense also held up much better. Six starters went down in the first game."
4. Both Rick Stockstill and Jordan Ferguson highlighted the talented transfers Eddie George has brought into the program the past couple of season, particularly quarterback Draylen Ellis (Austin Peay) and wide receiver Zach Dobson (MTSU). Who are some other names Blue Raider fans should know ahead of Saturday's game?
Ellis is still settling in but could be the best quarterback TSU has had in more than a decade. Dobson has been Ellis' favorite target so far and provided some huge plays. On defense there are three players to keep an eye on – safety Gleson Sprewell from Houston, linebacker K'Vaughan Pope from Ohio State and cornerback Jashon Watkins from Memphis. Sprewell is tied for the team lead on solo tackles, Pope has proven to be a big-time playmaker and Watkins unseated several more experienced players to become the stater.
5. Both programs seem to be expecting this game to be a close one given the passion on each side. What do you see as the keys for TSU to pull off their first victory of the season?
"TSU has yet to play a complete game. The offense looked great in the first game and was horrendous in the second. The defense fell apart in the first game and was outstanding in the second. If both units play as well as they already have in spurts TSU could is capable of giving MTSU a scare and possibly pulling off the upset."
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