Preview: Q&A with Bleed Tech Blue’s Ben Carlisle

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Heading into Middle Tennessee football's first midweek game in the month of October, there's a slew of storylines one could sift through. The midweek schedule adjustment, the program's focus on fundamentals during their open week last week, the potential return of several key players that missed games in September due to injury.

But the most compelling, at least from a narrative perspective, might be offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder going up against his "dear friend" on the LA Tech sideline, defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson. He's one of two coaches (cornerbacks coach Keelon Brookins) to have been on staff at Northern Iowa in 2023, the same staff where MTSU head coach Derek Mason plucked Reeder and tight ends coach Joe Ganz from for his first staff in Murfreesboro.

The good relationship between the two coordinators might have an effect on the field when the Blue Raiders kickoff against the Bulldogs in Ruston, La. on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network and the Blue Raider Network, but both Reeder and Mason, as well as LA Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie, downplayed the potential scouting advantage this week for either program.

"They have a knowledge of the offense and what we want to do," Reeder acknowledged. "Ultimately, I want to do what our players do best. We have to allow our quarterback to be comfortable and throw the patterns that he likes the best. We may make it look maybe slightly different to the defense."

Mason said that the open week prior to the matchup gave the staff, including Reeder, time to self-scout, allowing him a better chance to break tendencies that Johnson might be able to read this week than any week prior.

"I think a lot of that stuff goes by the wayside because I think you look at yourself, see what your tendencies are," Mason said. "And whatever tendencies you may have had during that time, what you may have put on tape, now is the time to be the best tendency breaker you can be...Does Bodie have a go-to call in the red zone? It's up to Bodie to change the demeanor of what he does based on what he knows about himself."

Johnson has gotten off to a strong start in his time in Ruston, holding opponents to just 21.75 points per game through LA Tech's first four contests, over 11 points better per game than the Bulldogs were a season ago. That's been coupled, however, with a LA Tech offense averaging under 19 points per game, a pace that led to Cumbie stripping himself of offensive playcalling duties this week, passing the callsheet over to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Nathan Young. Mason, who's looking to lead MTSU to their first ever win in Ruston in five tries on Thursday, is planning for his staff to adapt as the game goes and they see the differences from the film.

"I'm sure it'll look different on first and second down a little bit with your O-Line coach calling plays," Mason said. "Then on third down, it'll probably come back to Coach Cumbie. For us, our game planning has gone ahead as normal. We're not going to change what we do; we're just going to adapt and adjust as the game shows up."

To learn more about the Bulldogs, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton reached out to Ben Carlisle, who covers the program for Bleed Tech Blue, the LA Tech Rivals affiliate. The pair chatted about Year 3 of the Cumbie era in Ruston, injury woes at QB for the Bulldogs, a hot start for the LA Tech defense and keys for the game this week.

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1) Through four games in his third season in Ruston, it seems Sonny Cumbie has not quite done enough to quell calls for his head from the LA Tech fan base. After entering the season as one of the coaches with the hottest seats in Conference USA, what do you think he needs to do in the seven CUSA games ahead to keep his head set leading the Bulldogs?

I think it's pretty simple at this point. Louisiana Tech is off to a 1-3 start against a pretty soft schedule, and the Bulldogs haven't defeated an FBS program in over 365 days. Cumbie needs to win 5 of his last 8 games overall to get to a bowl game. I think that's the expectation of the program this season.

2) Cumbie announced last week that he'd no longer be calling offensive plays for the Bulldogs, moving responsibilities over to Co-OC and offensive line coach Nathan Young. What are you anticipating the effect of that change to be on the LA Tech offense, given the slow start to the year the Bulldogs have had on that side of the ball?

That's a really good question. In reference to the slow starts, the earliest Tech has scored in a game this season was on its 3rd offensive possession, and that's been just once. As far as the changes that Young will make, I'm not really sure. It's hard to truly overhaul an offensive philosophy mid-year, so I'm sure the hope is that just a different rhythm to calling plays can provide a spark. Tech really needs for its run game to have a pulse with redshirt freshman Evan Bullock now handling the quarterback duties.

3) One other reason for that slow start offensively might be the rotation of signal callers the Bulldogs have employed so far (in large part due to injury). With it looking like Evan Bullock and Jack Turner will both be available this week coming off the bye, what is each quarterback's best trait and who would you personally give the nod at QB1 if the decision was yours to make?

I think at this point I'd go with Bullock. I know we are still relatively early on in the season, but Turner really struggled making reads and completing passes at a high rate which is why he was ultimately replaced. Bullock did a nice job in his first start at FIU, and the hope is that he'll continue to progress within the offense and become more potent in terms of points put on the scoreboard.

4) From afar, it appears that LA Tech bringing in Jeremiah Johnson from Northern Iowa at defensive coordinator this offseason has paid dividends so far in 2024. How would you describe Johnson's defensive style? Is there a particular position group on the defensive side that's stepped up for Johnson this season?

Johnson has done a tremendous job. He'll utilize a 3-3-5 scheme that does a great job at stopping the run. Opponents are barely eclipsing 100 yards rushing per game, and they are forcing QBs to beat them through the air. To this point, outside of a 24-point second half at NC State, QBs have been unable to do so. The linebacker unit headlined by Kolbe Fields and Zach Zimos is the strength of the defense and will continue to be going forward.

5) Ruston always seems to be a tough place to play for MTSU, but both teams will be looking to start the real meat of the schedule off the bye with a win. What do you think will be the biggest key for the Bulldogs to defend their home turf and end Thursday night with a win?

Tech has to win the turnover battle. The Bulldogs are -10 in turnover differential through 4 games, and that's just not a great recipe for victory. Bullock protected the ball nicely in his first start, but there's no doubt that Derek Mason and MTSU are going to come after him more on Thursday night.

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