FOOTBALL Middle Tennessee (1-2) vs Colorado State (0-2) (ESPN+) Homecoming/Hall of Fame , 6PM, Saturday, September 23, 2023

[SpaceRaider]

links are a work in progress

General Information

Location: Fort Collins, CO
Founded: 1870
Enrollment: 33,769
Colors: Green and Gold Nickname: Rams
Series: MT leads 1-0
Conference: Mountain West
Stadium: Canvas (36,500)
Head Coach: Jay Norvell (Iowa, 1986)
Record at CSU: 3-9 (2nd) Overall: 36-35 (7th)
2022 Record: 3-9 2022 Bowl: None
Starters Ret./Lost: 15/9 Lettermen R/L: 31/20

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Television: ESPN+, Play-by-play: Jake Rose, Analyst: Jeremy Kellem, Field Analyst: Justin Beasley

Radio: PxP: Chip Walters, Analyst: Joe Dubin, WGNS 1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM – 93.3 FM/95.1 FM - The Varsity Network App

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Newspapers: Fort Collins Coloradoan,

Message Boards: RamNation, ,

Athletic site: csurams.com, goblueraiders.com,

Media Guides: Colorado State, Middle Tennessee

Preseason Previews:

Game Notes: Colorado State game notes, MT game notes, CUSA weekly notes

Game Previews: Game Preview: Colorado State looks to earn first win at Middle Tennessee,

Roster: , Blue Raiders

 

[SpaceRaider]

MT chances 68.4%

Colorado State vs. Middle Tennessee (Sep 23, 2023) Live Score - ESPN

Live coverage of the Colorado State Rams vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders NCAAF game on ESPN, including live score, highlights and updated stats.

www.espn.com

 

[Sommy]

Just my observation over the years, but when a ream comes off an emotional win/loss in the prior week, they usually fall flat the following week. SO - maybe we are catching them at a good time.

 

[sWiley]

Their best defensive player will be out for first half from targeting.

I think their receivers are gonna tear a hole in our secondary, especially Horton, but they are all good. They have some great pass catching tight ends as well.

I could easily see them coming in here and getting some revenge. But it’s possible they are flat after losing a double OT game to their rival that was their superbowl for the year that they led the whole game and should have won…and then having to go on the road to play Middle Tennessee State.

 

[blueraiderJT]

Colorado has done us a huge favor IMO. CSU spent 2 weeks getting ready and ran their entire offense Saturday. Double overtime forced them to throw the kitchen sink. Their bread and butter is the underneath crossing routes. and TE post routes. Thoy picked Colorado apart with that all night. Their TE is dynamic but not that fast. He is big though. CSU's D couldn't stop an inside seam route though to save their lives.

CSU flipped their entire OL in the offfseason and most of the DL too. They are big but the QB is turnover prone. It will be a tough game.

 

[Brew_Raider]

Opening line MT -2

 

[blueraiderJT]

CSU had 2 weeks to prep for that game. That was also a factor. They also flipped their entire roster of OL and most of their DL.

 

[Noogaraider1]

CU is kind of a paper tiger, IMO, so CSU taking them to 2OT isnt super concerning, but I did think CSU was much worse.

We may get a few extra eyeballs on our game from people trying to see if/how legit CU really is.

 

[blueraiderJT]

CU has offense. They are like WKU in that sense. They have speed and a very good QB who can make reads and release the ball with accuracy. Their D is soft but these offenses today are kinda crazy to defend. The teams that have lock down defenses are very few. You can really count them on one hand. That game was emotionally charged. CSU wanted to fight more than they wanted to play. They took out Travis hunter. If it wasn't for that. CU wins it in regulation and they knew that which is why #11 speared him in the chest after the whistle which put that kid in the hospital. #11 shouldn't be playing IMO. That was awful.

CSU has very good players. Especially now. They flipped a good portion of their entire roster.

The entire OL is brand new along with a lot of the DL. The TE is very good and a BYU transfer. The QB is new. Horton was already there and is special but now he is a weapon because of his support. The line can now buy time for him to run his route and the TE and other WR's take focus off of him.

The scheme is predictable. They lived and died by underneath routes. They use them like we use tunnel screens. The TE seam and post route are his specailty. CSU had 2 weeks to get up for that game and they had to play dirty as hell to even stay in it. What CU did was force them to show all of their plays. They held nothing back. They may throw in new stuff but the gist of their offense was on display. They run clock too so this hurry up to nothing sh!t that we run plays into their scheme.

CSU's D ran cover 2 and Zone most of the night which left the middle of the field exposed. Whenever Sanders threw there, it was open. If they don't change that, our slot WR should have a great day.

I'm not saying they won't dog walk us. If we play the way we played Mizzou, we are fine. If we play like we did vs. BAMA or Murray st., they will skulldrag us. They will take cheap shots if they are beat on a play. They showed that too. We gotta be ready for that.

 

[Matt Dossett]

Opening line MT -2

Beat me to it

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[Matt Dossett]

-2 is interesting. Maybe Vegas knows something I don’t

 

[blueraiderJT]

Why do I take the bait and watch the press conference? Why. They are soooo painful. Take CSU to win outright. Safe bet after hearing that. Arrrrrgh.

 

[BRaiderDave]

Why do I take the bait and watch the press conference? Why. They are soooo painful. Take CSU to win outright. Safe bet after hearing that. Arrrrrgh.

No way we beat CSU. Take the Rams and the points all day long.

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

No way we beat CSU. Take the Rams and the points all day long.

At least he had a smile...

 

[MidTennMtneer]

They just announced fireworks after the game. They have more faith than I do in a win. I know it's Homecoming but looks awful with fireworks after a loss. I think we win but it won't be pretty and I wouldn't lay money on us covering either.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[MTBig Blue]

Tory Holton is going to eat us alive. I belive he had 3 tds against us last year. He may get 5 on Saturday.

 

[sWiley]

-2 is interesting. Maybe Vegas knows something I don’t

It is -2.5

MTSU has a good record against the spread at home, so that is taken into account. We've amassed that good record ATS at home though against mostly weak teams in late November.

Sharp betters are going to be on CSU +2.5 in my opinion

I have the Rams winning this game, with a clutch second half performance from their defensive line and QB/WR's. They are going to pick our secondary apart IMO. The Horton guy will be playing on Sundays and the Ross-Simmons kid is really good too.

Our offense should do okay but I don't see anything more than maybe 24 points. OL is going to have a lot of problems, especially in the second half when their best defensive player returns from targeting penalty (Mohamed Kamara). Our defense will get its sacks and negative plays but I don't think it'll be enough to overcome the big plays they give up in return.

Yall are about to see just how bad this secondary really is and why I have complained about it so much this year.

 

[sWiley]

Tory Holton is going to eat us alive. I belive he had 3 tds against us last year. He may get 5 on Saturday.

He really might

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

View embedded media

Fired up to be here... Didn't look like it...

 

[Blue Raider Lightning]

This is typical Middle media marketing, but did anyone at the game Saturday notice that they were advertising Homecoming kickoff being 2:30 on the jumbotron? I had 6 on my calendar, but myself and others around me noticed they were saying 2:30 so I assumed it had changed for tv or something.

Got an email today advertising football and fireworks. Thought that was odd because it likely wouldn't be dark when the game ended if it was as 2:30. Turns out it says 6 pm kickoff.

Anyway, looks like 6 it is but someone dropped the ball - again - with advertising.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Monday Presser: Norvell Disturbed By Growing Trend - Colorado State Athletics

Disappointed by the loss in the early hours of Sunday morning, something else drew Jay Norvell 's attention in a more disturbing manner.

csurams.com

 

[Matt Dossett]

It is -2.5

MTSU has a good record against the spread at home, so that is taken into account. We've amassed that good record ATS at home though against mostly weak teams in late November.

Sharp betters are going to be on CSU +2.5 in my opinion

I have the Rams winning this game, with a clutch second half performance from their defensive line and QB/WR's. They are going to pick our secondary apart IMO. The Horton guy will be playing on Sundays and the Ross-Simmons kid is really good too.

Our offense should do okay but I don't see anything more than maybe 24 points. OL is going to have a lot of problems, especially in the second half when their best defensive player returns from targeting penalty (Mohamed Kamara). Our defense will get its sacks and negative plays but I don't think it'll be enough to overcome the big plays they give up in return.

Yall are about to see just how bad this secondary really is and why I have complained about it so much this year.

I think it’s waffling from 2 to 2.5. ESPN has it 2…

 

[sWiley]

I think it’s waffling from 2 to 2.5. ESPN has it 2…

I just go with whatever betonline.ag has which is why I noted 2.5. They have the sharpest lines and best odds anywhere in the world. 15 cents on MT at 2.5 so we may see this go to 3 before kick off. I don’t see the points mattering a whole lot in this game it’s gonna go one way or the other IMO.

Over under of only 53 is what catches my eye. If I recall that’s the exact number last years game landed on.

I think it will take a game similar to last years for MT to win. Turnovers and explosive plays will be needed. This is a much better CSU team but we get them at a great time coming off their emotional Super Bowl loss.

 

[ewglenn]

I really don’t have a good feel on this game. I wouldn’t be surprised with any outcome. We’ve played sloppy in 2 out of 3 games but we’ve also seen glimpses of what could be with our team. CSU looked really good last week but there is a major factor with that being their Super Bowl and flying across the country to play us. I’m not sure if they’ll be amped up to play us. If I had to bet I would go with CSU to win outright but this game will not be on any parlay I’m betting on.

 

[Matt Dossett]

I really don’t have a good feel on this game. I wouldn’t be surprised with any outcome. We’ve played sloppy in 2 out of 3 games but we’ve also seen glimpses of what could be with our team. CSU looked really good last week but there is a major factor with that being their Super Bowl and flying across the country to play us. I’m not sure if they’ll be amped up to play us. If I had to bet I would go with CSU to win outright but this game will not be on any parlay I’m betting on.

This game is an enigma. On paper CSU should be favored IMO. MT catches them at a good time. Still haven’t decided who I’m going with for my weekly pick.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Anybody got any idea as to what Stockstill's record is for Homecoming? My impression is that it is not all that good and it appears to be a tough opponent or tougher than it was last year. These kind of games are what destroy's a fan's optimism about the season. Stock always seems to lay an egg in front of a semi-decent crowd.

I got a bad feeling about this. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

Murray should be the Homecoming opponent. You want to win that game.

I realize sometimes it doesn't fall that way, but more times than not.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

I'm a predictive stats guy and typically follow Kelly Ford's and Tyler Shoemaker's rankings.

KF has us at -5.5 with a 66% chance
TS has us at -2 with 53% chance

Looks like a toss-up crapshoot either way to me.

 

[Matt Dossett]

Behind enemy lines

 

[BlueAlpha]

9

They just announced fireworks after the game. They have more faith than I do in a win. I know it's Homecoming but looks awful with fireworks after a loss. I think we win but it won't be pretty and I wouldn't lay money on us covering either.

Well, here’s the thing. MT can’t wait till the outcome of the game is known to think, “gosh, I wonder if anyone has some extra Roman candles & bottle rockets in their car trunk”? Am sure it takes vetting several vendors, permits from the city, securing certificates of insurance & bonds, and additional things we aren’t privy to.
The Braves, who don’t need help with attendance, have fireworks after every Friday night game. To my knowledge, if they lose 9-5 to the Mets, they don’t suddenly announce, “sorry kids, since the Braves lost tonight, we will have to cancel the fireworks show “.
Many people, for very valid reasons, have criticized MT for their lack of a great game day experience. So Lee & his incredible team are attempting to breathe some life into that experience, and folks want to complain.
Because we might lose.

 

[blueraiderJT]

Blackburn, #11 has been receiving death threats and people on the internet have been posting his family's address online. That is pretty awful and terrible but I do think it also brings a certain amount of melancholy with it that could have an impact on their team. The sports channels have been going off on him for that hit. The whole team has to hear about it all week. Then they only have a couple of days to get ready for us, not 2 weeks + like they did for Colorado. It won't be an easy game for either team but I can't see them being at the same level they were last Saturday and we won't have that environment at all. LOL. Not even close. If we are able to somehow win this, I feel pretty darn good about our season. I think CSU is that good.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Blackburn, #11 has been receiving death threats and people on the internet have been posting his family's address online. That is pretty awful and terrible but I do think it also brings a certain amount of melancholy with it that could have an impact on their team. The sports channels have been going off on him for that hit. The whole team has to hear about it all week. Then they only have a couple of days to get ready for us, not 2 weeks + like they did for Colorado. It won't be an easy game for either team but I can't see them being at the same level they were last Saturday and we won't have that environment at all. LOL. Not even close. If we are able to somehow win this, I feel pretty darn good about our season. I think CSU is that good.

 

[MTFAN61]

Until we start cutting down on the penalties we appear to be too undisciplined for me to wager on the Raiders. On the positive side, even without Peasant in the backfield I like the athleticism of our young running backs Credle & Middlebrook.

 

[Matt Dossett]

The picks are in

 

[MidTennMtneer]

9

Well, here’s the thing. MT can’t wait till the outcome of the game is known to think, “gosh, I wonder if anyone has some extra Roman candles & bottle rockets in their car trunk”? Am sure it takes vetting several vendors, permits from the city, securing certificates of insurance & bonds, and additional things we aren’t privy to.
The Braves, who don’t need help with attendance, have fireworks after every Friday night game. To my knowledge, if they lose 9-5 to the Mets, they don’t suddenly announce, “sorry kids, since the Braves lost tonight, we will have to cancel the fireworks show “.
Many people, for very valid reasons, have criticized MT for their lack of a great game day experience. So Lee & his incredible team are attempting to breathe some life into that experience, and folks want to complain.
Because we might lose.

Oh, logistics wise 100% understand the need to plan. And I agree with the kudos on working on gameday experience. I'm just being selfish with the optics of it knowing someone will say "look what MT did after getting skull dragged by CSU". Blue goggles on I don't want anything bad said about us ever, but in reality I know it is inevitable even if we won a national championship.

Same as people are dragging CU for rushing the field after beating CSU last week. Which I 100% am OK with the rushing by the way. In-state rival, big game, OT, etc. Calls for crazy emotions. Same as I was offended when people said us WVU fans were wrong for saying Eat @&!t Pitt in the Backyard Brawl last week.

It's just me needlessly worrying about what others say.

 

[Matt Dossett]

ESPN showing MT -3

 

[Matt Dossett]

Still 68.4 pct

 

[SpaceRaider]