Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Football looks to apply lessons learned heading into Oxford this week
9/2/2024 4:51:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Soccer, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, BRAA, Track & Field/Cross Country
Soccer scores six at home, Men’s Cross Country goes 1-2 in Memphis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Just under 36 hours after his first win as a Blue Raider, Head Football Coach Derek Mason had long moved on from enjoying his team's late-night heroics over Tennessee Tech on Saturday. On Monday morning, he and his staff had already seen the tape and begun to implement the corrections needed.
Sunday's practice featured corrections on special teams, Mason said, noting that his team did a lot really well, but some things could be improved. And with a game against No. 6 Ole Miss on tap this Saturday at 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network, the work had to continue on the players' off day on the Labor Day holiday.
"As I look at how we came out of this past weekend, a lot to learn about our football team," Mason said. "We learned a lot, we've got a little bit of work to do in preparation for what we have to see heading down (to Ole Miss)."
Coming off a 76-0 shellacking of FCS foe Furman on Saturday, the Rebels are rolling early in the 2024 season with both a high-powered Lane Kiffin offense and an extremely athletic, aggressive defense that had 16 tackles for loss against the Paladins. And after MTSU needed a late touchdown to sneak past their own FCS opponent this past weekend, Mason was candid about what the tape showed about both teams heading into this weekend.
"What your tape is who you are," Mason said. "What deficiencies you put on tape, that's where teams attack you. Obviously, Ole Miss didn't have very many deficiencies. We showed some. For us, they're going to work on them. We're going to work on us. We know and understand that we've got to be proactive and say, 'Hey, this is probably going to show up.'"
The work on improving that tape is clearly underway, if you're to believe Mason's players who were a part of Monday's press conference. Defensive lineman Damonte Smith said the defense spent Sunday focusing on playing together, minimizing mistakes as a unit. Wide receiver Omari Kelly noted that the wideout room focused on straining through blocks on running plays, as well as attention to detail in their route running.
Whatever further points of emphasis will be made this week in practice, those practicing in Floyd Stadium or parking in Greenland Drive early in the morning this week will likely have a common soundtrack: the Ole Miss fight song, "Forward Rebels," which Mason says will be blasting at practice to prepare the team for the environment at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
"Any player in college football wants to go to a place where it's packed, people are excited about the game of football," Mason said. "I've always tried to pretend that they're rooting for me."
What Happened in the 'Boro: Soccer routes Bellarmine in wet Sunday Shootout
MTSU Football was not the only Blue Raider Athletics program affected by the wet conditions in Murfreesboro over the weekend, as the MTSU Soccer program battled through nearly three hours of total weather delays to blast past Bellarmine 6-2 at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium.
This was a fun contest for those who stuck it out through the nasty weather, with plenty of goals to enjoy in both the first and second half. Manon Lebargy led the way for the Blue Raiders with a pair of goals, one of which came at the penalty spot. Six of Middle Tennessee's eleven shots on goal found the back of the net on Sunday.
On the Road: Kiptoo and Kiplagat go 1-2 at Memphis Twilight Classic
Middle Tennessee Cross Country posted solid performances at their first meet of the season over the weekend, with the men's team finishing third and the women's team fourth and the annual Memphis Twilight Classic. The highlight of the weekend, however, was the 1-2 finish in the men's race from Brian Kiptoo and Allan Kiplagat, who dominated the four-mile race.
Kiptoo took first by just over 12 seconds from Kiplagat, finishing the course in 19:28.72. Both the men's and women's teams were picked first in CUSA this fall in last week's release of the conference's poll of CUSA coaches.
Thoughts from Assistant Coach Alex Kline on the meet: "On the women's side, it was nice to see our newcomers get out on the course and compete for the first time. Both of our returners improved from this meet last year, especially Hailee Gorham, so lots to be proud of across the board. We know we'll only improve as we continue to train and get our full team together on the course.
"On the men's side, I'm extremely proud of how Brian and Allan executed the race plan to go 1-2. Carmelo Cannizaro's last mile was terrific and that's got to give him a lot of confidence to start the season. It was nice to see the guys all work together and hopefully that continues throughout the season."
At Home This Weekend: MTSU Volleyball hosts Blue Raider Bash
Blue Raider volleyball returns to Alumni Memorial Gymnasium this weekend and is our only team in action at home this weekend. The Blue Raiders will play in four games of their non-conference tournament, the Blue Raider Bash, with plenty of volleyball action at the AMG all weekend long.
The fun starts bright and early on Friday with a 10 a.m. first serve against Lehigh. The first 50 MTSU students to attend Friday morning's match will receive breakfast in the form of MTSU Chocolate Milk and Donut Country Donuts! The Blue Raiders will also face SEMO in the night match that evening, scheduled for 7 p.m.
Saturday is Family Day and Special Olympics Day, with a Game Day poster giveaway for fans for that night's match against Austin Peay at 6 p.m. Sunday is the Blue Raider Kids Club giveaway, with Blue Raider Volleyball stickers available for all fans at that day's match against Arkansas State at 2 p.m.
Video of the Week: Come on, you know what it's going to be
Sunday's practice featured corrections on special teams, Mason said, noting that his team did a lot really well, but some things could be improved. And with a game against No. 6 Ole Miss on tap this Saturday at 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network, the work had to continue on the players' off day on the Labor Day holiday.
"As I look at how we came out of this past weekend, a lot to learn about our football team," Mason said. "We learned a lot, we've got a little bit of work to do in preparation for what we have to see heading down (to Ole Miss)."
Coming off a 76-0 shellacking of FCS foe Furman on Saturday, the Rebels are rolling early in the 2024 season with both a high-powered Lane Kiffin offense and an extremely athletic, aggressive defense that had 16 tackles for loss against the Paladins. And after MTSU needed a late touchdown to sneak past their own FCS opponent this past weekend, Mason was candid about what the tape showed about both teams heading into this weekend.
"What your tape is who you are," Mason said. "What deficiencies you put on tape, that's where teams attack you. Obviously, Ole Miss didn't have very many deficiencies. We showed some. For us, they're going to work on them. We're going to work on us. We know and understand that we've got to be proactive and say, 'Hey, this is probably going to show up.'"
The work on improving that tape is clearly underway, if you're to believe Mason's players who were a part of Monday's press conference. Defensive lineman Damonte Smith said the defense spent Sunday focusing on playing together, minimizing mistakes as a unit. Wide receiver Omari Kelly noted that the wideout room focused on straining through blocks on running plays, as well as attention to detail in their route running.
Whatever further points of emphasis will be made this week in practice, those practicing in Floyd Stadium or parking in Greenland Drive early in the morning this week will likely have a common soundtrack: the Ole Miss fight song, "Forward Rebels," which Mason says will be blasting at practice to prepare the team for the environment at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
"Any player in college football wants to go to a place where it's packed, people are excited about the game of football," Mason said. "I've always tried to pretend that they're rooting for me."
What Happened in the 'Boro: Soccer routes Bellarmine in wet Sunday Shootout
MTSU Football was not the only Blue Raider Athletics program affected by the wet conditions in Murfreesboro over the weekend, as the MTSU Soccer program battled through nearly three hours of total weather delays to blast past Bellarmine 6-2 at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium.
This was a fun contest for those who stuck it out through the nasty weather, with plenty of goals to enjoy in both the first and second half. Manon Lebargy led the way for the Blue Raiders with a pair of goals, one of which came at the penalty spot. Six of Middle Tennessee's eleven shots on goal found the back of the net on Sunday.
Always nice to win on home turf 😤#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/fUKVHTF09m
— Middle Tennessee Soccer (@MT_Soccer) September 2, 2024
On the Road: Kiptoo and Kiplagat go 1-2 at Memphis Twilight Classic
Middle Tennessee Cross Country posted solid performances at their first meet of the season over the weekend, with the men's team finishing third and the women's team fourth and the annual Memphis Twilight Classic. The highlight of the weekend, however, was the 1-2 finish in the men's race from Brian Kiptoo and Allan Kiplagat, who dominated the four-mile race.
Kiptoo took first by just over 12 seconds from Kiplagat, finishing the course in 19:28.72. Both the men's and women's teams were picked first in CUSA this fall in last week's release of the conference's poll of CUSA coaches.
𝙉𝙐𝙈𝘽𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙉𝙀
— Middle Tennessee XC/Track & Field (@MT_TrackField) August 29, 2024
Both Men's and Women's Cross Country teams have been voted as the Conference USA preseason favorite!
More details -> https://t.co/IVNJ4K1bWw#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/hPK5BA4vJj
Thoughts from Assistant Coach Alex Kline on the meet: "On the women's side, it was nice to see our newcomers get out on the course and compete for the first time. Both of our returners improved from this meet last year, especially Hailee Gorham, so lots to be proud of across the board. We know we'll only improve as we continue to train and get our full team together on the course.
"On the men's side, I'm extremely proud of how Brian and Allan executed the race plan to go 1-2. Carmelo Cannizaro's last mile was terrific and that's got to give him a lot of confidence to start the season. It was nice to see the guys all work together and hopefully that continues throughout the season."
The Blue Raiders grab 3rd and 4th place in Memphis!
— Middle Tennessee XC/Track & Field (@MT_TrackField) September 1, 2024
They will be back in action in ✌️ weeks in Huntsville, Ala. for the Southern Showcase!#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/4Rz4yyxnEg
At Home This Weekend: MTSU Volleyball hosts Blue Raider Bash
Blue Raider volleyball returns to Alumni Memorial Gymnasium this weekend and is our only team in action at home this weekend. The Blue Raiders will play in four games of their non-conference tournament, the Blue Raider Bash, with plenty of volleyball action at the AMG all weekend long.
The fun starts bright and early on Friday with a 10 a.m. first serve against Lehigh. The first 50 MTSU students to attend Friday morning's match will receive breakfast in the form of MTSU Chocolate Milk and Donut Country Donuts! The Blue Raiders will also face SEMO in the night match that evening, scheduled for 7 p.m.
Saturday is Family Day and Special Olympics Day, with a Game Day poster giveaway for fans for that night's match against Austin Peay at 6 p.m. Sunday is the Blue Raider Kids Club giveaway, with Blue Raider Volleyball stickers available for all fans at that day's match against Arkansas State at 2 p.m.
Video of the Week: Come on, you know what it's going to be
✅ Secured the dub
— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) September 1, 2024
📺 Full broadcast highlights: https://t.co/bV4AoFYURR#BoroBuiltMiddleMade pic.twitter.com/9jbWOfRGJD
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
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/ Football
Distance
/ Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
M
/ Women's Soccer
DL
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