WKU Football: Middle Tennessee State Preseason Preview
With the kickoff of football season less than two weeks away, we’ll continue to bring you our preseason look at each of WKU’s regular season opponents between now and the start of the season. Today we continue the series with the 100 Miles of Hate as the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State travel to Bowling Green for a Friday night clash.
Date & Time
November 17 2017, 7 p.m.
Location
Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium
Series
Middle Tennessee State leads 34–31–1
Last Meeting
Last season, WKU traveled down to Murfreesboro, reeling from a 3–3 start to their season. MTSU entered the game riding a 4–1 start to the season. What transpired was an instant classic; after a slow first quarter where both teams combined for just six points, the high-powered offenses of both teams exploded in the second quarter combining for 34 points and a 20–20 halftime score.
Both teams continued to match scores in the second half and Skyler Simcox drilled an 18-yard field goal to force overtime with fiveseconds left in regulation. Both teams quickly scored rushing touchdowns in the first overtime, then MTSU followed up with a six play 25-yard scoring drive to push the lead to 43–37 in the second overtime. The Blue Raiders weren’t able to convert Canon Rooker’s extra point thanks to a Deon Yelder block. WKU then methodically tied the game on a six-play drive of their own capped off by an Ace Wales one-yard touchdown run. Skylar Simcox then snuck the extra point through, allowing WKU to escape Murfreesboro with a 44–43 double overtime win.
TV/Radio
TV — CBS Sports Network
Radio — Hilltopper IMG Sports Network
2016 Season
MTSU’s 2016 season was kind of a microcosm of their program; the Blue Raiders were good enough to win the conference but didn’t capitalize despite some impressive wins. The Blue Raiders started off 6–2 with great wins over Louisiana Tech and Missouri. Their season turned when star quarterback Brent Stockstill got injured in a loss to UTSA.
MTSU followed that performance off with a loss to a bad Marshall team and too-close-for-comfort wins against mediocre Charlotte and FAU teams. Stockstill returned for their bowl game against Hawaii, in Hawaii, but the Blue Raiders got embarrassed in a 17-point loss against a team they were seven-point favorites against. The Blue Raiders finished their season a very Rick Stockstill-esque 8–5 (5–3) and in third place in the C-USA East.
Returning Starters
12 (six on offense, six on defense)
Relevant Preview Articles
Bill Connelly’s SB Nation Middle Tennessee State Preview
Now comes another challenge: taking the next step. It has been elusive. MTSU went 8–5 in 2013 but sank to 6–6 in 2014. The Blue Raiders started 6–2 last fall but lost their QB to injury and finished losing three of five. Only once in their FBS existence have they topped eight wins, and that was back in the Sun Belt days.
Is this the year? MTSU returns an outstanding, accurate quarterback in Brent Stockstill and one of the best receivers in the country in Richie James. Continuity is strong in the speed positions (though minimal in the trenches), the Blue Raiders have a couple of early upset opportunities, and defensive improvement could make for about a 7–1 record in conference play.
S&P+ projections are conservative because of the defense, but if you’re an MTSU fan, you’re thinking now is the time for a statement.
Pete Fiutak’s College Football News Middle Tennessee State Preview
But now, Stockstill has to get Middle Tennessee to rise above the crowd in the better of the two Conference USA divisions and actually win the thing.
The offense will bomb away with as much balance and production as any in the country — it’ll average 40 points a game again. But the defense melted down way too often in the second half of the season, the offense had a few key power outages at the wrong time, and losses to WKU and Marshall killed the conference title hopes.
Losing to a bad Hawaii team 52–35 in the bowl game didn’t help.
So yes, longevity and consistency in the head coaching situation has been great, and five straight seasons with six wins or more were excellent, but after 11 years, despite the loss of five starters on each side of the ball it’s time for a championship season.
Three Players to Watch
1. Richie James — Wide Receiver
Big things come in a small package for MTSU’s elite playmaker. The 5’9’’ junior from Sarasota has been dominant since the beginning of his Blue Raiders career. In two seasons, James has averaged 106 catches for 1,480 yards and 10 touchdowns. James is also a factor in the run game, rushing for 339 yards and four touchdowns on just 38 carries in 2016, while mainly rushing in wildcat formations. James has been equally dominant against WKU, averaging 11.5 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns in both games against the Hilltoppers. The pre-season All-American (named so by both Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report) makes the Blue Raiders offense go. WKU’s best hope is to contain James and make his other teammates beat them during the Friday night matchup.
2. Brent Stockstill — Quarterback
Throwing the ball to James is another great player in Stockstill. The son of the head coach, Stockstill has helped MTSU become one of the most powerful offenses this side of WKU. The 6'1" southpaw enters his junior season coming off of a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the last three regular season games before returning to continue his torrid passing in MTSU’s bowl game. On the season, Stockstill threw for 3,233 yards and 31 touchdowns in just 9 1/2 games. As long as he’s healthy, MTSU will be a threat to WKU’s conference superiority. The question is: Can he actually take MTSU past their perpetual eight-win ceiling?
3. Walter Brady — Defensive End
MTSU’s defense last season was downright dreadful. Over their last seven games, they didn’t allow an opponent to score less than 31 points. Their pass rush was even more dreadful, with their leading pass rusher only topping out at 4.5 sacks. Brady should help fix that problem for the Blue Raiders. The 6'3" Florence, Alabama native made the All-SEC Freshman team at Missouri during his rookie season in 2015. During that season, Brady was a force, finishing with seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. The future was bright but he was kicked off the team during the summer of 2016. Brady now will be called upon to take those talents and dominate Conference USA. If he reaches that potential, the Blue Raiders will have a weapon their defense has sorely missed the past few seasons.
Preseason Thoughts about the Game
- Quarterback Dual
If you peruse any of the preseason watch-lists, All-Conference teams and player rankings you find that there is quite a debate on whether WKU’s or MTSU’s quarterback is better. The Conference USA coaches chose Mike White as the Pre-Season Offensive Player of the Year. Several national pundits have differed with the coaches assessment and have called Stockstill the best signal caller in the league. During last season’s game in Murfreesboro, Stockstill statistically outplayed White but the Hilltoppers still gutted out the victory and later the conference championship. Lucky for us, we get to see them go head to head one last time as they settle that preseason debate on the field.
2. Friday Night Atmosphere
When the schedule was released, one of the biggest surprises was this game being placed on a Friday in late November. While it should be a great late season television showcase for two of the top contenders in Conference USA, the game being scheduled on a Friday however should have a negative effect on the atmosphere. Bowling Green is known for its high school football and this game falls squarely on the third weekend of the state playoffs. The Friday night date also limits the traveling contingent of the fans that would normally head to Bowling Green for a Saturday game. The smaller crowd will definitely hurt the atmosphere of arguably WKU’s biggest home game of the season. Let’s hope it doesn’t impact WKU’s home field advantage.
3. Conference USA East Title Game?
The same coaches that picked Mike White to be the offensive player of the year chose the Hilltoppers to finish first in the Conference USA East Division. Right behind them were the Blue Raiders. Several pundits have chose 2017 as the year that MTSU finally gets over the hump and takes that division title. Needless to say, the stakes for the 100 Miles of Hate are high. By the time the game rolls around it could be the de-facto Conference USA title play in game. Which team comes out ready to make a statement will go a long way to deciding that division title.
4. Probable shootout
The scores of the last three games between these two rivals have been 50–47, 58–28 and 44–43. With so much offensive talent returning for both squads, we should all buckle up and prepare for another shootout. The over/under of this one should be at a minimum of 80 points. The key will be who can cause a turnover or get a key stop late in the game. Two of the last three games have come down to the last possession. The crowd that does show up to the Houch should be treated to another scoreboard explosion.
5. Will MTSU’s Defense Improve?
After last season’s defensive debacle, Stockstill shook up his defensive coaching staff, getting rid of long time defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix. Replacing Nix will be former Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer. During his time as defensive coordinator and head coach, Shafer produced a few Top-20 defenses at a tough place to win. With some new blood and imported players such as Brady and senior leaders such as linebacker D.J. Sanders, MTSU should take a leap forward in that department this season. If they do they may actually compete for the conference title that has alluded Stockstill for so long (2006), if not we could have more of the same in Murfreesboro.
Preseason Prediction
This game has all of the making of a classic. Two rivals competing for a conference title is as juicy as it gets. Games like this usually play out in two ways: Either both teams press and mistakes are made or everyone fires on all cylinders. I fully believe that this year’s game will follow the recent trends of high scoring shootouts. I believe that both teams will storm out of the gate and trade scores all the way to a 31–31 halftime score. After a slow third quarter that results in just ten points, both teams heat back up in the fourth. Early missed field goals will come back to haunt MTSU however as Mike White throws a last second touchdown to Deon Yelder (last year’s hero) and WKU continues their third straight title chase unabated.
Final Score Prediction- WKU 55 — MTSU 51
Best places for Middle Tennessee State coverage as the game gets closer
The Blue Raiders have a decent amount of coverage from a traditional media standpoint. The Daily News Journal (USA Today/Gannett paper) and The Murfreesboro Post will keep you up to date on the MTSU football beat. MTSU Sidelines is also a solid student newspaper. MTSU also has a good Rivals site at GoMiddle.com. MTSU, however, doesn’t have a single active fan blog right now, but Underdog Dynasty and Forgotten 5 will have a fair amount of MT coverage for you. If you are looking for fan perspective, check out BlueRaider Zone (message board) or the twitter account We Are Bluenited. Our friends at 100 Miles of Hate also do a great job of tracking both sides of the rivalry on Twitter.
Who will win the 100 Miles of Hate? Will Friday night cause a lackluster atmosphere? Will this game decide the Conference USA East? Let us know in a comment below, via twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.
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