Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
BamaOnLine caught up with Middle Tennessee staff writer Sam Doughton for a breakdown of Alabama’s season-opening opponent. The Crimson Tide will host the Blue Raiders at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network).
BamaOnLine: Middle Tennessee won eight games for the first time since 2018 and beat Miami last year. How has Rick Stockstill tried to build on that momentum for this season?
Sam Doughton: The Blue Raiders have certainly been able to take advantage of the back-to-back bowl-winning seasons and the win over Miami, who was ranked No. 25 at the time of MTSU’s 45-31 win. The back-to-back bowl wins and Top 25 win were both program firsts and it’s clear, at least talking to the coaches throughout camp, that the talent depth has risen in many different areas of the team heading into 2023.
The change in Conference USA’s membership in 2023, losing six teams to the AAC, including both Conference Championship game participants (UTSA and North Texas), also leaves the door open for MTSU to step up and increase their profile as a program in Stockstill’s 18th season at the helm. But there’s many mountains to climb before knowing if that’s in the cards this season, starting Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
BOL: The transfer portal affects every team, but it can be brutal for teams in the Group of Five. Were there any big losses for Middle Tennessee? What about any impactful additions?
SD: The two biggest losses via the portal were wide receiver Jaylin Lane (now with Virginia Tech), who was an All-CUSA returner and excellent outside receiver during his three seasons in Murfreesboro, and cornerback Decorian Patterson (now with UCF), who led the nation in interceptions with seven in 2022. Replacing both of their production has been a big discussion around both the WR and DB rooms this fall.
The good news for the Blue Raiders, however, is that they seem to have found some immediate contributors on both sides of the ball. Running back Jaiden Credle (Northern Illinois) will likely be a major part of the MTSU rushing attack, while wide receivers Justin Olson (UNC) and Holden Willis (USF) have both had strong showings during the scrimmages. On defense, defensive lineman Brandon Buckner (Oregon) has worked his way into the rotation while Tyrell Raby (Memphis) and Rickey Smith (Purdue) are expected to get time in the secondary.
BOL: Alabama will have a new starting quarterback and could possibly play multiple guys at that position in the opener. How would you best describe the Blue Raiders’ pass defense?
SD: Opportunistic is the one-word answer. The Blue Raiders are a team that’s finished in the Top 3 in turnovers gained the past two seasons, including leading the country in the category in 2021. And a large part of that success has come in the secondary, where MTSU had 20 interceptions as a team a season ago. The whole defense works in sync to make those turnovers possible, with a strong pass rush from one of CUSA’s best defensive lines often being supplemented by aggressive blitzing from the linebackers.
The downside at times, however, has been in the yardage allowed to opposing passing attacks, particularly corners getting beat one-on-one over the top of the defense. A big point of emphasis for the secondary this camp has been limiting the big plays and keeping things in front of them. Good progress has been made in camp, but it something to watch as the season starts.
BOL: Who is a player on both sides of the ball that could give the Crimson Tide trouble?
SD: Kevin Steele will have circled DJ England-Chisolm on the scouting report for his defense this week, given that the 5-foot-8 speed threat went for 169 yards and two touchdowns on just two catches against his Miami defense last year. The only returning starter at wide receiver in Mitch Stewart’s air raid scheme, England-Chisolm’s speed is something every team will have to respect this year or face the consequences. The good news is that even if teams successfully stop the over-the-top threat, England-Chisolm often opens up opportunities for his teammates just by being on the field.
Defensively, any of the returners on the defensive line have potential to be a problem, where the Blue Raiders will regularly play eight guys to keep everyone fresh, meaning the hot hand often varies week-to-week. But I’ll give special mention to Marley Cook, who’s stepped up his game at defensive tackle this camp. Similar to England-Chisolm, he’s not easy to block one-on-one, often opening up opportunities for others even if he’s neutralized. But he’s at his best on his own, recording 9.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks a season ago.
BOL: I don’t want to assume here, but there won’t be many people that pick MTSU to win this game. So what does a successful trip to Tuscaloosa look like for the Blue Raiders?
SD: Our friends in the desert certainly are confident in the Crimson Tide and with the loss of star power on both sides of the ball for the Blue Raiders, I can’t say I blame them. That being said, it was less than a year ago MTSU went into Coral Gables a nearly 26-point underdog and walked out a winner by two scores. A likely outcome? Certainly not, but if MTSU can force a few turnovers against what will be a new Crimson Tide quarterback and capitalize on those short fields, things could be pretty interesting, as they were in South Florida in 2022.
All that being said, I’m not measuring MTSU by that standard this week. If the Blue Raiders can show progress they’ve made in camp on the offensive line against a team like Alabama, while the defense is cohesive enough to keep things close most of the evening, I think the vast majority of Blue Raider fans will be satisfied. And if the Blue Raiders, on either side of the ball, can force a response out of Nick Saban like the one he had to Georgia Southern’s triple option rushing attack many years ago, I think that will be the cherry on top, regardless of the score.
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