Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: Consistently inconsistent Blue Raiders let one get away against Colorado State
9/24/2023 2:27:00 PM | Football
Saturday night’s loss leaves much to correct on a short week before CUSA play starts
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — On some level, breaking down Middle Tennessee football's 31-23 loss to Colorado State feels simple.
It was a game between two evenly matched teams that came down, as it should, to just a handful of plays. On a night where both teams took a risk in high leverage situations, there were a handful of plays that carried a degree of risk that all went one team's way.
"Do the little things and understand how every play, you never know what play is going to make the difference in the game," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "It may be the first play of the game, it may be the last play of the game. You've got to play that play with exhaustion, you've got to play until you ain't got anything left in the tank and you find a way to do it again on the next play."
A fourth down conversion for a touchdown on a fake field goal for Colorado State was very nearly blown up by a hyper-aware Parker Hughes, but Giles Pooler was just able to get the pass off through the tackle to a wide-open Dallin Holker for the score.
The Blue Raiders had a fourth down chance of their own, a decision to roll the dice with a run-heavy package featuring DJ Riles and two extra offensive linemen in formation, but Frank Peasant fell inches short on the run to the short side of the field.
On the Blue Raiders' next drive, following a go-ahead touchdown from Colorado State, MTSU brought out some trickery of their own, setting up a reverse lateral, only to have the Rams read the play perfectly after getting penetration and blasting Kellen Stewart as the ball was lateraled, with the fumble falling softly to the turf for an easy scoop-and-score.
Three plays, three gambles and a swing of, at least, 14 points on their execution.
But the reality of Saturday's loss was far more complicated than the true mantra of football being a game of inches, where one team came out on top just a little more often than the other.
It was, almost implausibly, yet another game with a laundry list of positives for the Blue Raiders that were cancelled out by an equally long laundry list of negatives.
"At times, we did a lot of good things tonight, both sides of the ball," Stockstill said. "We're just so inconsistent right now. We've got to play with more consistency. We've got to play better, we've got to coach better."
The first half showcased the Blue Raiders' renewed rushing attack, as Nicholas Vattiato, Frank Peasant and Jaiden Credle all put together strong, explosive gains. But after racking up 101 yards on the ground in the game's first 30 minutes, MTSU finished the night with just 151 yards on the ground.
"Everything we were doing in the first half was working, so we're obviously going to stick to it," wide receiver Holden Willis said. "Defense makes adjustments, we've just got to keep doing our job and we failed to do that."
On defense, strong blitzing forced several QB hurries in the first half, holding the Rams to just three-for-eight on third down. In the second half, CSU adjusted and found a rhythm, going five-for-seven on third down in the final 30 minutes of the game, including a 47-yard gain on third-and-six and a 17-yard gain on third-and-eight.
"They were getting the ball out quick," linebacker Sam Brumfield said. "I saw a lot of out routes. So it was really just them throwing a lot dinks (and us) just turning and chasing to the ball."
And in an ironically consistent theme for all four games this season, offensive penalties continued to stall out drives, particularly in the first half. Of MTSU's 65 penalty yards, 50 of them came from the offensive line, three on holding calls, one on a false start and one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that set CSU up with the ball on their own 43 on the ensuing kickoff, a drive that ultimately led to the fake field goal touchdown.
"A lot of the times, offense comes to the sideline and we sit there for ten minutes, real time, because the defense is out there," Willis said. "And then we get out there and we're not locked in."
What was particularly frustrating beyond the penalties for the offense, quarterback Nicholas Vattiato noted, were the chances squandered during a six-consecutive-punt sequence in the second half, where the Blue Raider defense was setting the offense up with excellent field position.
"We let go of a lot of opportunities that the defense gave us in terms of field position. Before the touchdown that ended the first half, we were getting the ball minus-45, plus-49, and we didn't get any points out of it."
In all four of MTSU's non-conference games this season, you could see the high ceiling of what the Blue Raiders could be. A two-headed rushing attack of running backs and Vattiato working in tandem in the first half against Murray State. The blitz heavy defensive scheme working to perfection to stunt Missouri's offense. Explosive downfield throws that found holes in the Colorado State secondary. And even a drive or two against the Crimson Tide, on both sides of the ball, showed MTSU's moxie.
But you also got to see the floor in all four games. The throws over the top finding their targets against the Crimson Tide. The Racers galloping for 200+ yards rushing. The Tigers overwhelming the offensive line with pressure to stop the Blue Raiders in their tracks. And on Saturday, the Rams finding ways to get MTSU off the field while keeping themselves on it.
The formula to win, then, is similarly deceptively simple. Find a way to hit that ceiling you've already shown, without succumbing to the floor that looms below.
But with a short week before the start of Conference USA play on Thursday against a fierce rival, the quest to find that consistency is all the more urgent.
"It's a quick turnaround," Vattiato said. "The best thing for us to do is we come in ready to work tomorrow. We look at what did wrong tonight, which we already know is penalties and turnovers. It's been the story of our first four games. But knowing it's a short week, we've got to get ready for Western."
It was a game between two evenly matched teams that came down, as it should, to just a handful of plays. On a night where both teams took a risk in high leverage situations, there were a handful of plays that carried a degree of risk that all went one team's way.
"Do the little things and understand how every play, you never know what play is going to make the difference in the game," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "It may be the first play of the game, it may be the last play of the game. You've got to play that play with exhaustion, you've got to play until you ain't got anything left in the tank and you find a way to do it again on the next play."
A fourth down conversion for a touchdown on a fake field goal for Colorado State was very nearly blown up by a hyper-aware Parker Hughes, but Giles Pooler was just able to get the pass off through the tackle to a wide-open Dallin Holker for the score.
The Blue Raiders had a fourth down chance of their own, a decision to roll the dice with a run-heavy package featuring DJ Riles and two extra offensive linemen in formation, but Frank Peasant fell inches short on the run to the short side of the field.
On the Blue Raiders' next drive, following a go-ahead touchdown from Colorado State, MTSU brought out some trickery of their own, setting up a reverse lateral, only to have the Rams read the play perfectly after getting penetration and blasting Kellen Stewart as the ball was lateraled, with the fumble falling softly to the turf for an easy scoop-and-score.
Three plays, three gambles and a swing of, at least, 14 points on their execution.
But the reality of Saturday's loss was far more complicated than the true mantra of football being a game of inches, where one team came out on top just a little more often than the other.
It was, almost implausibly, yet another game with a laundry list of positives for the Blue Raiders that were cancelled out by an equally long laundry list of negatives.
"At times, we did a lot of good things tonight, both sides of the ball," Stockstill said. "We're just so inconsistent right now. We've got to play with more consistency. We've got to play better, we've got to coach better."
The first half showcased the Blue Raiders' renewed rushing attack, as Nicholas Vattiato, Frank Peasant and Jaiden Credle all put together strong, explosive gains. But after racking up 101 yards on the ground in the game's first 30 minutes, MTSU finished the night with just 151 yards on the ground.
"Everything we were doing in the first half was working, so we're obviously going to stick to it," wide receiver Holden Willis said. "Defense makes adjustments, we've just got to keep doing our job and we failed to do that."
On defense, strong blitzing forced several QB hurries in the first half, holding the Rams to just three-for-eight on third down. In the second half, CSU adjusted and found a rhythm, going five-for-seven on third down in the final 30 minutes of the game, including a 47-yard gain on third-and-six and a 17-yard gain on third-and-eight.
"They were getting the ball out quick," linebacker Sam Brumfield said. "I saw a lot of out routes. So it was really just them throwing a lot dinks (and us) just turning and chasing to the ball."
And in an ironically consistent theme for all four games this season, offensive penalties continued to stall out drives, particularly in the first half. Of MTSU's 65 penalty yards, 50 of them came from the offensive line, three on holding calls, one on a false start and one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that set CSU up with the ball on their own 43 on the ensuing kickoff, a drive that ultimately led to the fake field goal touchdown.
"A lot of the times, offense comes to the sideline and we sit there for ten minutes, real time, because the defense is out there," Willis said. "And then we get out there and we're not locked in."
What was particularly frustrating beyond the penalties for the offense, quarterback Nicholas Vattiato noted, were the chances squandered during a six-consecutive-punt sequence in the second half, where the Blue Raider defense was setting the offense up with excellent field position.
"We let go of a lot of opportunities that the defense gave us in terms of field position. Before the touchdown that ended the first half, we were getting the ball minus-45, plus-49, and we didn't get any points out of it."
In all four of MTSU's non-conference games this season, you could see the high ceiling of what the Blue Raiders could be. A two-headed rushing attack of running backs and Vattiato working in tandem in the first half against Murray State. The blitz heavy defensive scheme working to perfection to stunt Missouri's offense. Explosive downfield throws that found holes in the Colorado State secondary. And even a drive or two against the Crimson Tide, on both sides of the ball, showed MTSU's moxie.
But you also got to see the floor in all four games. The throws over the top finding their targets against the Crimson Tide. The Racers galloping for 200+ yards rushing. The Tigers overwhelming the offensive line with pressure to stop the Blue Raiders in their tracks. And on Saturday, the Rams finding ways to get MTSU off the field while keeping themselves on it.
The formula to win, then, is similarly deceptively simple. Find a way to hit that ceiling you've already shown, without succumbing to the floor that looms below.
But with a short week before the start of Conference USA play on Thursday against a fierce rival, the quest to find that consistency is all the more urgent.
"It's a quick turnaround," Vattiato said. "The best thing for us to do is we come in ready to work tomorrow. We look at what did wrong tonight, which we already know is penalties and turnovers. It's been the story of our first four games. But knowing it's a short week, we've got to get ready for Western."
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