Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: Lessons Learned
9/4/2022 5:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — This week started off so strongly for MTSU football.
When the 53-man roster cuts for the NFL hit our newswires, there was great news for Blue Raiders across the league. Reed Blankenship, as an undrafted free agent, had made the Eagles' roster. Robert Jones was on the Dolphins'. Richie James made the team with the New York Football Giants, Darius Harris broke camp with the Chiefs.
Even among those who were cut, like DQ Thomas with the Jets and Chandler Brewer with the Rams, were brought back as practice squad members. Throw in stars Kevin Byard (Titans) and Charvarius Ward (49ers), it was one of the best days for MTSU in the NFL in some time.
Of course, two of those players, rookies Blankenship and Thomas, left behind gaping holes in the MTSU defense that were exposed on Saturday night, where a 44-7 drubbing put a halt to almost any momentum the Blue Raiders had coming out of fall camp.
That is the tricky part about fall camp, why preseason coverage is, in my opinion, one of the toughest parts of a college sportswriter's job. Sure, the day-to-day schedule is far easier than it is in season, with far fewer late nights in press boxes and offices around the country. But the observations we get from our own eyes and from the players and coaches we talk to? It's like throwing darts blindfolded at times.
Is an offense's development from one week to the next the product of their own improvement, or something the defense has not fixed? Is a defensive unit's dominance the product of being one of the best in the conference, or merely the fact their own team's opposing unit not being up to par?
Once the games start, there's no guesswork at all, particularly after the first month. And Saturday night against James Madison exposed that the 2022 MTSU football team still has so much to work on.
Nothing worked on offense, in large part because the offensive line struggled with pass protection for Chase Cunningham to make something happen or for the receivers to take advantage of the press coverage, nor could they generate enough push or gaps for the team's running backs to break off any gain of note.
Defensively, the Blue Raiders were fine early, thanks in large part to a defensive line that was able to get a push and disrupt. But as the offense put together three-and-outs, even the defensive line started to tire (and the Dukes kept more guys in to block), giving JMU both a good push to establish the run.
As for the back-seven, where DQ Thomas and Reed Blankenship will be missed the most, well, the less said is probably for the better. The miscommunication within this group was evident and allowed for JMU to get pretty much whatever they wanted downfield, given enough time. But it's a long season, and I expect this group to get it fixed.
And look, no one is knocking James Madison with any of this. They were one of the best at the FCS level for decades, and I suspect they'll soon become, if they're not already, one of the best teams in their new conference in due time. A lot of what went wrong for the Blue Raiders was because of what the Dukes did right.
Colorado State, coming off a blowout loss on the road to Michigan, presents a chance to get back on the right foot this week. And post-game, Rick Stockstill and two of his captains, Jordan Ferguson and Chase Cunningham, said all of the right things.
"We can't hold our heads down," Ferguson said. "We've got to watch video, take constructive criticism and go to work tomorrow."
But the fall camp questions have been answered in Harrisonburg, with almost none of them answered in the Blue Raiders' favor. They'll have Labor Day weekend and another week of practice to get as many of them fixed as possible before heading 5,003 feet above sea level in Fort Collins, Co.
When the 53-man roster cuts for the NFL hit our newswires, there was great news for Blue Raiders across the league. Reed Blankenship, as an undrafted free agent, had made the Eagles' roster. Robert Jones was on the Dolphins'. Richie James made the team with the New York Football Giants, Darius Harris broke camp with the Chiefs.
Even among those who were cut, like DQ Thomas with the Jets and Chandler Brewer with the Rams, were brought back as practice squad members. Throw in stars Kevin Byard (Titans) and Charvarius Ward (49ers), it was one of the best days for MTSU in the NFL in some time.
Of course, two of those players, rookies Blankenship and Thomas, left behind gaping holes in the MTSU defense that were exposed on Saturday night, where a 44-7 drubbing put a halt to almost any momentum the Blue Raiders had coming out of fall camp.
That is the tricky part about fall camp, why preseason coverage is, in my opinion, one of the toughest parts of a college sportswriter's job. Sure, the day-to-day schedule is far easier than it is in season, with far fewer late nights in press boxes and offices around the country. But the observations we get from our own eyes and from the players and coaches we talk to? It's like throwing darts blindfolded at times.
Is an offense's development from one week to the next the product of their own improvement, or something the defense has not fixed? Is a defensive unit's dominance the product of being one of the best in the conference, or merely the fact their own team's opposing unit not being up to par?
Once the games start, there's no guesswork at all, particularly after the first month. And Saturday night against James Madison exposed that the 2022 MTSU football team still has so much to work on.
Nothing worked on offense, in large part because the offensive line struggled with pass protection for Chase Cunningham to make something happen or for the receivers to take advantage of the press coverage, nor could they generate enough push or gaps for the team's running backs to break off any gain of note.
Defensively, the Blue Raiders were fine early, thanks in large part to a defensive line that was able to get a push and disrupt. But as the offense put together three-and-outs, even the defensive line started to tire (and the Dukes kept more guys in to block), giving JMU both a good push to establish the run.
As for the back-seven, where DQ Thomas and Reed Blankenship will be missed the most, well, the less said is probably for the better. The miscommunication within this group was evident and allowed for JMU to get pretty much whatever they wanted downfield, given enough time. But it's a long season, and I expect this group to get it fixed.
And look, no one is knocking James Madison with any of this. They were one of the best at the FCS level for decades, and I suspect they'll soon become, if they're not already, one of the best teams in their new conference in due time. A lot of what went wrong for the Blue Raiders was because of what the Dukes did right.
Colorado State, coming off a blowout loss on the road to Michigan, presents a chance to get back on the right foot this week. And post-game, Rick Stockstill and two of his captains, Jordan Ferguson and Chase Cunningham, said all of the right things.
"We can't hold our heads down," Ferguson said. "We've got to watch video, take constructive criticism and go to work tomorrow."
But the fall camp questions have been answered in Harrisonburg, with almost none of them answered in the Blue Raiders' favor. They'll have Labor Day weekend and another week of practice to get as many of them fixed as possible before heading 5,003 feet above sea level in Fort Collins, Co.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
OL
/ Football
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - October 8th
Thursday, October 09
MTSU Football vs. Missouri State post-game press conference – 10/8/25
Thursday, October 09
MTSU Football vs. Missouri State post-game press conference – 10/8/25
Wednesday, October 08
Raider Report Game 6 - MTSU vs. Missouri State University
Tuesday, October 07
