Preview: Q&A with The News & Advance’s Bryson Gordon

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee football understands the level they need to play at this weekend in Floyd Stadium, when the reigning CUSA Champion Liberty Flames come to town for a noon kickoff on Saturday in the program's annual Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game.

Head Coach Derek Mason made sure of it this week in the Blue Raiders' (3-6, 2-3 CUSA) preparation, stating that the Flames (6-2, 3-2 CUSA), despite coming to Murfreesboro with back-to-back losses in CUSA play, "know how to win."

"I know the last couple of weeks, they've fallen into this competitive stretch where football becomes really hard," Mason said. "It happens when you have injuries. I know what that looks like having been in it during the early part of the season."

Mason highlighted the wide receiver core for the Flames in particular as an area that Liberty Head Coach Jamey Chadwell has had to battle against injuries in during the Flames' current stretch of play. But Mason also noted that the rest of the offense, from the offensive line to the two stars in the backfield — quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back Quinton Cooley — provide plenty of firepower that MTSU's defense will have to handle on Saturday.

"When you have a running back like Cooley, who can still tote the mail...everything is at your disposal," Mason said. "They've had enough time between their last game and now to look at what they haven't done and fix some of those things. We're going to get some things we haven't seen."

Defensively, Mason is particularly impressed with the defensive front for the Flames. But coming off the program's first win on the road in nearly two years, the Blue Raiders also have some momentum to build on this week.

"We've got to go out and play good football, we've got to be productive," Mason said. "We know they are, but we've got to be able to match that production. Offense, defense and special teams."

To learn more about Liberty's season, GoBlueRaiders.com staff writer Sam Doughton reached out to Bryson Gordon, who covers the Flames for The News & Advance, Lynchburg's local newspaper. Gordon discussed problems that have arisen in Liberty's two-game losing streak, Kaidon Salter's dual threat ability, standouts on the defensive side for the Flames and what he thinks will be keys for Liberty to get back on track.

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1. I think even the most skeptical CUSA fans are a bit shocked to be talking about a Liberty team on a two-game losing streak after the dominance they showed a season ago. From your perspective in the press box, what do you think have been the biggest issues the team's faced in losses to Kennesaw State and Jax State the past two weeks?

I think the biggest issue for Liberty in the two losses has mainly been poor execution and discipline at the most inconvenient times. The Flames have gotten off to similar starts in recent weeks (forced punt on defense, quick score on offense), yet haven't found ways to sustain that. It's been evident on key plays in the fourth quarters of those games. Against Kennesaw, they turned a key 3rd and 1 near the red zone into a 4th and 11 after a pair of false start penalties. Against Jax State, confusion on whether they were snapping the ball on a 4th-and-1 attempt in a similar spot resulted in a troubled snap and a 4th-down stop by Jax State. Head coach Jamey Chadwell said it on his radio show this week – the Flames' margin for error has narrowed since last year, and they aren't cleaning up the margins on those important plays to stay perfect.

2. Kaidon Salter is as dual threat as a quarterback comes but has seen some vulnerability with his arm in recent weeks, completing just 53 percent of his passes the last three games with two INTs. What does the offense need to do to get his passing game back on track for the Flames?

A lot of the issues for Salter in recent games have come down to injuries at the receiver position. The loss of CJ Daniels to LSU in the transfer portal left the team without a clear-cut No. 1 option. While Treon Sibley has filled that role this year, he missed the Jax State loss, as did Tyson Mobley and Reese Smith, all three of their top pass catchers entering that contest. Salter struggled with getting his timing down with some new transfers (Elijah Canion, Donte Lee and JuJu Gray) as the Flames had to move down the depth chart, but he's also not without fault. Chadwell mentioned that he's missed some throws that he typically made last season, and whether that's on timing or him navigating pieces of a new offensive line, he hasn't quite been the same. Interestingly enough, though, Salter's running production has increased in recent weeks. Perhaps that might open up the pass game for him.

3. Quinton Cooley is one of two backs averaging over 100 yards per game in Conference USA but is merely one of three options in the Liberty rushing attack, including Salter and Billy Lucas. What's made the Flames' running game successful this season? How would you describe Cooley's and Lucas' running styles as backs?

It feels as if this season that the option game hasn't been a weapon as much as it was a season ago, but it feels like there's been an uptick there with running back Vaughn Blue in the last game or so, and Chadwell said they're getting him more involved. On Cooley and Lucas, forget thunder and lightning. They're more like thunder and thunder. Cooley is known for rolling over defenses like a bowling ball. But Lucas' ability to step in for him has been vital in helping manage Cooley's workload some nights. When Cooley went down earlier this season against UTEP, Lucas had a career-game with 104 yards and three touchdowns. When the passing game hasn't been steady, it's been the run game that's picked up the slack – whether that's Cooley, Lucas, Blue or Salter.

4. Derek Mason was sure to highlight the defensive front for the Flames in his weekly press conference, particularly the play of TJ Bush, who leads the team with 5.5 sacks. What makes Bush a threat up front for the Flames and who else is maybe flying a bit more under the radar on the defense that's impressed you this season?

Bush got freshman All-American honors a season ago, and there was no secret he was expected to take a leap this season. He's certainly lived up to it, and the unit has been as advertised, also, with the solid play of CJ Bazile at the joker position. One thing coaches harped on with Bush in the preseason was his ability to pick up on offensive tendencies; Chadwell raved about how smart he is and combining that with his high motor makes him a potential all-league defensive player. For under the radar guys, I'll switch it up and go to the secondary with Dexter Ricks, who has stepped up in a big way at corner. The sophomore's got two picks, a forced fumble and a recovery on the season so far, and with the likelihood of Nicholas Vattiato throwing the ball all over the field, he's someone I'm sure Liberty is counting on to have a big game for its success.

5. Despite the losing streak, Liberty is still a multi-score favorite in Floyd Stadium this weekend. What do you think will be the keys for the Flames to right the ship and leave Murfreesboro with a win?

The Flames have been notorious for slow starts this season, except for their last two games, where they got good starting drives on each side of the ball, but failed to maintain that over the half. The first quarter has been the biggest issue all season, where they are a minus-13 scoring differential. It's been marginally better the last two games, where they are even in the opening 15 minutes. With a return to Saturday games and a couple of extra days off, I will be looking to see if Liberty can continue its progression in getting out of the gates faster. If the Flames do, it would allow them to turn to the run game that helped them edge out the win over the Blue Raiders a season ago rather than have to be overly concerned with having everything go right in the passing game. If they allow Vattiato to get going early, it could turn into yet another tough game for the Flames.

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Players Mentioned

Nicholas Vattiato

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics