Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 23
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Colorado State
PREVIEW: Q&A with Colorado State Beat Writer Kevin Lytle
9/22/2023 10:59:00 AM | Football
The Rams come to Murfreesboro hungry for their first win after taking rival Colorado to the wire
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Like nearly 10 million other college football fans across the country, the Middle Tennessee football team and staff were dialed in to the late-night matchup across the country in Boulder, Colo. last Saturday, as Colorado and Colorado State battled into double overtime in an instant classic.
But while most of America's eyes were trained on the Buffaloes and their head coach, Deion Sanders, the Blue Raiders spent their time focused in on the Rams and their head coach, Jay Norvell, as they prepared to welcome Colorado State to Floyd Stadium the following weekend.
"I think their whole team is better than what it was last year," MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said of the Rams. "More athletic, they've got bigger size."
Middle Tennessee and Colorado State are both acutely aware of the matchup these two teams had last season in Fort Collins, where the Blue Raiders jumped out to a 34-0 lead that allowed MTSU to cruise to a 34-19 victory, the first win of what became a three-game win streak early in the 2022 season for the Blue Raiders. The Rams would go on to win just three games in Norvell's first season at the helm.
It's no surprise, then, that the Rams took advantage of current NCAA rules to remake their roster once again in 2023. After bringing in 52 newcomers for the 2022 season, Colorado State brought in 56 newcomers in 2023, including 26 players from Junior Colleges or other colleges as transfers. Just 19 players remain from the 2021 Colorado State roster, the final team led by former head coach Steve Addazio.
The most notable area of change under Norvell is the offensive line, as just one scholarship lineman remains from Addazio's time with the team. In 2023 alone, the Rams have added 11 new offensive linemen, including eight that have played college football.
"Their skill on offense is a lot better," Stockstill said. "All those receivers are really talented, even their big guy, their tight end is a talented kid. Their running backs, they run hard, and their offensive line is bigger."
Those who watched last Saturday night's game in Boulder or MTSU's game in Ft. Collins a season ago will know No. 14 for the Rams, Tory Horton, who's proven himself to be one of the most explosive receiving threats in college football. The Nevada transfer had nine catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns against the Blue Raiders last season, almost single-handedly dragging the Rams back into the game with his play.
MTSU has made sure to put extra attention on Horton in scout this week, even putting one of their scout team receivers in Horton's No. 14 to make sure his role is highlighted on every rep. Putting a receiver in the No. 14 jersey required a specially made practice jersey this week, given that there's no No. 14 on MTSU's roster due to the jersey retirement of Blue Raider quarterback Teddy Morris.
On defense for the Rams, MTSU gets a break with Colorado State defensive end Mohamed Kamara's first half suspension after an overtime targeting penalty against the Buffaloes.
"When you watch film, one of the first guys you see pop is No. 8, their defensive lineman," quarterback Nicholas Vattiato said of Kamara. "He's super explosive off the ball, super powerful, a really, really good pass rusher. I think their front seven as a whole is very talented and smart."
For Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem, the sting of last year's loss to MTSU is still fresh, providing him and his teammates, he says, with all the motivation they need coming into Murfreesboro this weekend, despite the emotional highs of last Saturday's rivalry game.
"This is a team that came in here last year and beat us pretty good," Anusiem said. "We owe Middle Tennessee the same, if not more of an amount of passion and emotion, than we gave to CU."
And Anusiem is confident that, despite MTSU's two SEC road games to open the year, Colorado State's defense will provide a unique challenge.
"Just getting pressure, playing tight coverage on our side," Anusiem said of the defensive gameplan. "With all due respect, that's probably the best D-Line he's going to see, and it's probably the best DB corps he's going to see as well."
To learn more about the Rams, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton spoke with Kevin Lytle, who covers Colorado State for the Coloradoan. Lytle and Doughton discussed the Year 2 expectations for Jay Norvell, names to know on both sides of the ball and what Lytle thinks will be keys to Saturday's game.
--
1. It was very nearly the statement win Jay Norvell needed in Year 2 on Saturday night in Boulder, when the Rams fell just short in double overtime to Deion Sanders. After a fairly rough Year 1 in Fort Collins, how do you measure Saturday's near result as a sign for the direction of the program under Norvell?
The big question is can CSU bottle what went right in Boulder and carry it week-to-week? The Rams finally found their offensive footing and for most of the game the defense bottled Shedeur Sanders and Co. Right now, there's a feeling of optimism from the overall performance, but that needs to turn into wins.
2. Rick Stockstill spent plenty of time in his Monday morning press conference highlighting the Rams' offensive line, where a plethora of transfers, including several graduate transfers, have provided a spark in Norvell's Air Raid scheme. Who, among the many new and returning options, has stood out as the biggest difference maker in the trenches on offense early in the season?
The lone returner (Jacob Gardner) might be the most important piece. He was moved from center to tackle last season due to injury issues, but he's back in the middle and is key in making sure everything else is running properly. The group was better in Game 2 than Game 1 and has a lot of confidence in becoming a very strong unit.
3. The Rams switched quarterbacks in between their first two games of the season, going with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in Boulder over Clay Millin, who started Colorado State's game against MTSU last year and set the single-season program record with a 72.2 percent completion percentage in 2022. Anyone who stayed up to watch Saturday's game knows Fowler-Nicolosi can play, but what prompted the change at quarterback so soon in the season? And what does Fowler-Nicolosi bring to the offense that's different than Millin?
The offense needed a jump-start and Fowler-Nicolosi brought a swagger and aggressiveness that was missing with Millen, who tended to opt for the checkdown choice. Fowler-Nicolosi did a good job of getting the ball to playmakers in Saturday's game at Colorado and it helped CSU's offense finally look like an Air Raid.
4. Nicholas Vattiato highlighted Mohamed Kamara, who was a one-man wrecking ball on the defensive line against the Buffaloes, in Monday's press conference, but he'll be missed in the first half against MTSU after a late targeting penalty against Colorado. But the Blue Raider quarterback also highlighted a transfer, cornerback Dom Jones, by number as well. What has the North Dakota State product brought to the Colorado State secondary early this season?
Mohamed Kamara might be the best defensive lineman in the Mountain West and was a force at Colorado. He's the leader of a solid, deep defensive line. The cornerback room is led by Chigozie Anusiem and the team needed depth alongside him and that's why they added Jones and Ron Hardge (from Oregon State). Jones is a long, athletic corner and Hardge scored a defensive touchdown last week. Those two have added the depth needed for the secondary to potentially help lead the Rams to a rebound season.
5. Both MTSU and Colorado State started their 2023 campaigns with two Power 5 opponents, with each team starting the year 0-2. In a matchup in Murfreesboro that most expect to be tight wire-to-wire, what do you think will be the keys for Colorado State to avenge last year's loss and return to the Centennial State with the win?
CSU must maintain the energy from last week's rivalry game but clean up the mistakes. I think the Rams need to keep their foot on the gas offensively and have another 300-plus throwing day. The defense will need to force probably a couple turnovers.
But while most of America's eyes were trained on the Buffaloes and their head coach, Deion Sanders, the Blue Raiders spent their time focused in on the Rams and their head coach, Jay Norvell, as they prepared to welcome Colorado State to Floyd Stadium the following weekend.
"I think their whole team is better than what it was last year," MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said of the Rams. "More athletic, they've got bigger size."
Middle Tennessee and Colorado State are both acutely aware of the matchup these two teams had last season in Fort Collins, where the Blue Raiders jumped out to a 34-0 lead that allowed MTSU to cruise to a 34-19 victory, the first win of what became a three-game win streak early in the 2022 season for the Blue Raiders. The Rams would go on to win just three games in Norvell's first season at the helm.
It's no surprise, then, that the Rams took advantage of current NCAA rules to remake their roster once again in 2023. After bringing in 52 newcomers for the 2022 season, Colorado State brought in 56 newcomers in 2023, including 26 players from Junior Colleges or other colleges as transfers. Just 19 players remain from the 2021 Colorado State roster, the final team led by former head coach Steve Addazio.
The most notable area of change under Norvell is the offensive line, as just one scholarship lineman remains from Addazio's time with the team. In 2023 alone, the Rams have added 11 new offensive linemen, including eight that have played college football.
"Their skill on offense is a lot better," Stockstill said. "All those receivers are really talented, even their big guy, their tight end is a talented kid. Their running backs, they run hard, and their offensive line is bigger."
Those who watched last Saturday night's game in Boulder or MTSU's game in Ft. Collins a season ago will know No. 14 for the Rams, Tory Horton, who's proven himself to be one of the most explosive receiving threats in college football. The Nevada transfer had nine catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns against the Blue Raiders last season, almost single-handedly dragging the Rams back into the game with his play.
MTSU has made sure to put extra attention on Horton in scout this week, even putting one of their scout team receivers in Horton's No. 14 to make sure his role is highlighted on every rep. Putting a receiver in the No. 14 jersey required a specially made practice jersey this week, given that there's no No. 14 on MTSU's roster due to the jersey retirement of Blue Raider quarterback Teddy Morris.
On defense for the Rams, MTSU gets a break with Colorado State defensive end Mohamed Kamara's first half suspension after an overtime targeting penalty against the Buffaloes.
"When you watch film, one of the first guys you see pop is No. 8, their defensive lineman," quarterback Nicholas Vattiato said of Kamara. "He's super explosive off the ball, super powerful, a really, really good pass rusher. I think their front seven as a whole is very talented and smart."
For Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem, the sting of last year's loss to MTSU is still fresh, providing him and his teammates, he says, with all the motivation they need coming into Murfreesboro this weekend, despite the emotional highs of last Saturday's rivalry game.
"This is a team that came in here last year and beat us pretty good," Anusiem said. "We owe Middle Tennessee the same, if not more of an amount of passion and emotion, than we gave to CU."
And Anusiem is confident that, despite MTSU's two SEC road games to open the year, Colorado State's defense will provide a unique challenge.
"Just getting pressure, playing tight coverage on our side," Anusiem said of the defensive gameplan. "With all due respect, that's probably the best D-Line he's going to see, and it's probably the best DB corps he's going to see as well."
To learn more about the Rams, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton spoke with Kevin Lytle, who covers Colorado State for the Coloradoan. Lytle and Doughton discussed the Year 2 expectations for Jay Norvell, names to know on both sides of the ball and what Lytle thinks will be keys to Saturday's game.
--
1. It was very nearly the statement win Jay Norvell needed in Year 2 on Saturday night in Boulder, when the Rams fell just short in double overtime to Deion Sanders. After a fairly rough Year 1 in Fort Collins, how do you measure Saturday's near result as a sign for the direction of the program under Norvell?
The big question is can CSU bottle what went right in Boulder and carry it week-to-week? The Rams finally found their offensive footing and for most of the game the defense bottled Shedeur Sanders and Co. Right now, there's a feeling of optimism from the overall performance, but that needs to turn into wins.
2. Rick Stockstill spent plenty of time in his Monday morning press conference highlighting the Rams' offensive line, where a plethora of transfers, including several graduate transfers, have provided a spark in Norvell's Air Raid scheme. Who, among the many new and returning options, has stood out as the biggest difference maker in the trenches on offense early in the season?
The lone returner (Jacob Gardner) might be the most important piece. He was moved from center to tackle last season due to injury issues, but he's back in the middle and is key in making sure everything else is running properly. The group was better in Game 2 than Game 1 and has a lot of confidence in becoming a very strong unit.
3. The Rams switched quarterbacks in between their first two games of the season, going with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in Boulder over Clay Millin, who started Colorado State's game against MTSU last year and set the single-season program record with a 72.2 percent completion percentage in 2022. Anyone who stayed up to watch Saturday's game knows Fowler-Nicolosi can play, but what prompted the change at quarterback so soon in the season? And what does Fowler-Nicolosi bring to the offense that's different than Millin?
The offense needed a jump-start and Fowler-Nicolosi brought a swagger and aggressiveness that was missing with Millen, who tended to opt for the checkdown choice. Fowler-Nicolosi did a good job of getting the ball to playmakers in Saturday's game at Colorado and it helped CSU's offense finally look like an Air Raid.
4. Nicholas Vattiato highlighted Mohamed Kamara, who was a one-man wrecking ball on the defensive line against the Buffaloes, in Monday's press conference, but he'll be missed in the first half against MTSU after a late targeting penalty against Colorado. But the Blue Raider quarterback also highlighted a transfer, cornerback Dom Jones, by number as well. What has the North Dakota State product brought to the Colorado State secondary early this season?
Mohamed Kamara might be the best defensive lineman in the Mountain West and was a force at Colorado. He's the leader of a solid, deep defensive line. The cornerback room is led by Chigozie Anusiem and the team needed depth alongside him and that's why they added Jones and Ron Hardge (from Oregon State). Jones is a long, athletic corner and Hardge scored a defensive touchdown last week. Those two have added the depth needed for the secondary to potentially help lead the Rams to a rebound season.
5. Both MTSU and Colorado State started their 2023 campaigns with two Power 5 opponents, with each team starting the year 0-2. In a matchup in Murfreesboro that most expect to be tight wire-to-wire, what do you think will be the keys for Colorado State to avenge last year's loss and return to the Centennial State with the win?
CSU must maintain the energy from last week's rivalry game but clean up the mistakes. I think the Rams need to keep their foot on the gas offensively and have another 300-plus throwing day. The defense will need to force probably a couple turnovers.
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