FOOTBALL It's time for more

[AustinLewis]

Being bowl eligible is an accomplishment.

For Middle Tennessee and head coach Rick Stockstill, it’s actually become the norm. But, after tasting bowl eligibility for so many years now, MT fans want more – and rightfully so.

The die-hards have poured their heart, soul, and money in support of their local Football Bowl Subdivision team since a renovated Floyd Stadium opened against Tennessee State in 1998.

They stood by during the early struggles of the transition to college football’s highest level. They watched in horror during the 2-10 season in 2011. They faithfully stood by time and time again as Middle Tennessee failed to take advantage of opportunities that would aid in them taking the next step toward becoming one of the nation’s top mid-major programs.

Read more here: https://middletennessee.rivals.com/news/it-s-time-for-more

The article has gotten some play on Twitter. I'm interested to see what the GoMiddle.com community has to say

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I think it's a fair question. I think many die hards have quit based on the attendance this past Saturday

I am still all in.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Well done, Austin. When WKU plays two CUSA Championship games in Bowling Green in their first three seasons in the conference, it's not an unreasonable question to ask Massaro why we haven't sniffed an outright conference championship in Stock's 11 years. And for crying out loud, how do you justify the long term contract? I supported Stock for nine straight years because I was a graduate of MTSU but last year's game in Bowling Green pretty much did it for me. No more excuses and touting mediocre accomplishments. I agree, Austin, it's time....past time for more.

 

[C-Bow]

Lot of buzz on the Twitter around this piece from Austin.

And as a heads up, we'll be working in a follow up piece looking at specifics when it comes to funding, facilities and the like.

So stay tuned for that!

 

[Raiderclyde]

Well stated article, Austin! I liked this year's slogan of "Our Town, Our Team". But, unfortunately these are hollow words to many in 37132, 37130, 29, 28, 27 and surrounding communities. Eight wins sounds very respectable, especially given the numbers injuries and improvisation from Saturday's 77 points. But, a closer look reveals razor thin wins, losses to teams that we should have defeated, and at least one enigma loss being UTSA. How do you get taken to the woodshed by a team that has been in the football business for six years total and fight to stay above water (read: barely win) with a team with four years of football in UNCC? It's somewhat like 33 flavors of Bressler's Ice Cream: find an different explanation as to why we don't do well but it tends to taste all the same in the end--it's definitely no longer gourmet quality. And the Blue Raiders pick inopportune times to lose to spoil the product and we often have a melted mess! Losses such as Western Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Marshall this year, Troy in 2006, North Texas in 2001, or lose to FCS teams like McNeese State or Southeast Missouri a few years ago. Don't forget an Eastern Kentucky loss in 1994 when we had just become the longest home win streak in the nation when Miami (the U) lost to Washington and was just getting notoriety from it. Also, that loss likely cost us a championship that year too (though we did make the playoffs against Marshall, but lost badly). I'm beginning to believe it's some type of cultural mindset as even Boots Donnelly faced some of those enigmas late in his coaching career, such as Eastern Illinois where we gift wrapped a 35-32 win in 1998 (after leading by 11 with 1:25 left--EIU down to one timeout--kneel on a kickoff and it was over--cost us a chance at an OVC Championship). Even further back, our first date to 1-AA playoffs Louisiana Tech got the best of us in 1984---never saw the 1-AA semifinals again, despite some great teams. Even our 11-0 team from 1985 lost to Georgia Southern in the playoffs. No football national championships, ever (Marshall, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Monroe, even Troy has an NAIA and D-II all reached their moment in glory). I think the long time fan has seen the same movie over and over. Add to the mounting bowl game losses, including the embarrassment against Navy in 2013. Sadly, people have moved on and that is why we can't back the pride behind the words of "Our Town, Our Team" as we should. Think a top to bottom examination is needed of football, and possibly the athletic administration. It's a chicken and egg situation--we have to see progress, but unless the resources are there not much will get done. We're a stale product and we can't afford to wait until 2019, 2024, or 2036 to see a outright championship that has eluded us since 1992 (or co-championship from 2006).

 

[RaiderDoug]

Excellent article.

It's time this program took a step forward. If we continue to fail to do so, there needs to be some hard questions asked.

 

[blueraiderJT]

If we win our bowl game, it will only be the second time we've won more than 8 games in our history as a fbs team.

I hear what everyone is saying but we've had a good year. Was it great? No. However, we beat an SEC team and Latech. We are the only team besides LaTech in the conference that has come close to beating WKU in 2 years.

Yes, our D was bad but our O was a top 10 ranked O. We didn't have the depth to sustain. However, if TF stays, our recruiting will be off the charts. We'll get there. Stay the course.

 

[MTTim]

Excellent article. The question now is will there be drastic changes to right this ship.
JT. I like your positive attitude but staying the course is not an option.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Excellent article. The question now is will there be drastic changes to right this ship.
JT. I like your positive attitude but staying the course is not an option.

I agree with Tim. As I stated in another forum (before being banned), in my business, it is unacceptable to continue to throw good money after bad. Changes must be made now. You all know what the definition of insanity is.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Excellent article. The question now is will there be drastic changes to right this ship.
JT. I like your positive attitude but staying the course is not an option.

What drastic changes are you expecting...we have no fans and half the fans we do have are in protest. The ship isn't sinking; I would agree that we missed the window of opportunity and something different needs to happen, I just don't know what, do you?

Is changing the FB staff drastic? Do we need to remove the head coach? Do we need to server beer? What?

My point is, this is a two way street. If we are asking the program to make drastic changes, I like to turn it around and ask the fans what drastic changes they are willing to make or is this really about you and others simply being entertained at a higher level?

 

[TheBigBluePeach]

My point is, this is a two way street. If we are asking the program to make drastic changes, I like to turn it around and ask the fans what drastic changes they are willing to make or is this really about you and others simply being entertained at a higher level?

Do I need to start earmarking my donations to be put in a fund to buy out contracts of under performing football coaches?

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Do I need to start earmarking my donations to be put in a fund to buy out contracts of under performing football coaches?

No your regular donations go to the program, its your above your current giving levels to buy our contracts. Think of it as a special offering.

 

[MTTim]

What drastic changes are you expecting...we have no fans and half the fans we do have are in protest. The ship isn't sinking; I would agree that we missed the window of opportunity and something different needs to happen, I just don't know what, do you?

Is changing the FB staff drastic? Do we need to remove the head coach? Do we need to server beer? What?

My point is, this is a two way street. If we are asking the program to make drastic changes, I like to turn it around and ask the fans what drastic changes they are willing to make or is this really about you and others simply being entertained at a higher level?

The first thing is to target the obvious. Fire the entire defensive staff. This would at least send a message to the fans this is unacceptable.
And yes I would like to be entertained at a higher level. We haven't sniffed an outright conference championship in the 11 years Stock has been here despite playing in mediocre conferences. This year we are middle of the pack in what is the worst conference in the country. This staff has proven they cannot get the program to another level.

 

[blueraiderJT]

I'm not saying don't overhaul the defense. It would be great if we changed the whole defense. As a fan, I have no control over it.

Personally, I feel that we have no real fan base other than the 50-60 die hards on these boards and the donors. That's it. You can say we don't win the big games but we won a few of them this year. These last 2 wins were big wins because we did it without our QB and no QB the other night. Of course folks can dismiss that and that's a bigger issue with me. 8 wins may not be great to some people but it's not a losing record and this team is treated like it is. It's the best record we've had in 3 seasons and if we win our bowl, the best record since 2009.

Therefore, drastic changes won't be made other than some folks retiring or Franklin leaving. If Brohm and his staff gets poached at WKU, Franklin could end up there. His family is in Kentucky and it would put him closer to them. I'm taking nothing for granted and I don't think the rest of us should either. TF turns on a dime. All I can do is enjoy what I have and that's 8 wins with a possible 9th.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

For starters, the former loyal fans like myself who put up with 2-10 and defended Stock during those kinds of seasons, (the poor bowl performances etc.) probably need to be reassured their loyalty is not taken for granted. Rewarding Stock with that contract after these kinds of results and then selling it like it was some act of benevolence on his part really ticked me off. It made me feel that Massaro thinks I am stupid. Perceived or real, that's how I feel. Then the Tommy West hire made me lose confidence in Stock as a guy who could evaluate up and coming talent in his field, bring them in and develop them like Manny. Young hungry guys who can relate to recruits and players and will work their tails off recruiting, not guys who should be finishing their careers in the NFL. Just my opinion.

 

[SmithO1906]

One thing that no one has mentioned on either board is that we finished behind ODU in the standings. I hope this is an anomaly but if it isn't we may be in some real trouble here.

 

[arg3b]

I think Stock gets two more years only because the team is primed to make some serious runs with the overall talent returning. After two years when Brent leaves if he hasn't won a conference championship I think CRS will either retire or be let go

 

[FranklinRaider315]

I think Stock gets two more years only because the team is primed to make some serious runs with the overall talent returning. After two years when Brent leaves if he hasn't won a conference championship I think CRS will either retire or be let go

We've been hearing this same crap for the last 7 seasons. It's past time

 

[arg3b]

In my opinion it's not worth blowing up the staff and risking a compete rebuild considering the opportunities that are present for the next 2 years. I'm not opposed to a new DC though

 

[blueraiderJT]

We can complain but what can we do about it other than leave the program? We are about 60 so what does that matter to anyone? I'm ride or die but am not happy with the defense either. We can complain but nothing much more than that. Overall, in the last 5 seasons, we are 37-25. The 6 seasons before, we were 35-40. We've made progress even if that isn't satisfactory for folks.

We've left a lot of meat on the bone in the last 11 years and hopefully we'll do better but we're still looking at a possible 9 win season. Let's hold the funeral proceedings until after the bowl game.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Great article. This fan would love to see us win a conference championship and show some balls when it is 4th and 1.

 

[sWiley]

I am so sick of people touting 8 wins and bowl eligibility. Absolute F'ing hogwash. We play one of the easiest schedules in the country in one of the crappiest conferences in football. You SHOULD win 8 games when you're playing nothing but a bunch of scrubs. We played ZERO top 25 teams. We played TWO top 50 teams (and lost to both of them). Our only half way decent win was against La Tech and that was a razor thin win where they shit the bed after building a 27-7 lead.

We racked up 7 wins against some of the worst programs in the country. You realize not a single program that we beat, other than La Tech, has more than 5 wins? LOL. Look at the overall record of the teams we beat. They're all TRASH. So pump the brakes on these "8 wins" against garbage teams. We lost to every team with a pulse besides La Tech, who gave that game away after building a 27-7 lead.

Record of our opponents......

BGSU - 4-8
La Tech - 8-4
UNT 5-7
Mizzou 4-8
FIU 4-8
Charlotte 4-8
FAU 3-9

Total W/L of teams we beat: 32-52 (Take away the La. Tech game and it gets much uglier)

This is all from a team who was picked FIRST to win the conference and compete for a conference championship, which of course didn't happen. The goal for this season was to win CUSA or at the very least play in the CUSA championship game. We will do NEITHER. So stop trying to spin these garbage 8 wins as something substantial when this season is 100% a failure. It's time to lose the participation trophy mindset.

 

[VARaider84]

Drastic changes: Fire entire D staff. Fire special teams coach. Most of what cost us a great season, except for injuries, can be laid at these guys feet. I want to see drastic change because the future is bright.
I want to see drastic change in CRS attitude. I want him to start coaching like a man with a lifetime contract. Be a decisive leader. Make the necessary changes for the overall good of the program. Like hiring TF.
I want to here from CM and SMc. As proud as we are for the effort. Better results in coaching and player development is needed. Assume bowl eligibility every season. Emphasis on title games and league titles.
I want drastic change in the way CM and SMc communicate with us the few remaining diehard fans.
Now's the time to rally together and have frank discussions on the state of the program. I look forward to hearing from CM in the coming days outlining the specific challenges that are keeping us from having championship football at MT.
Optimism is not enough. A new direction is needed. And needed right now. We have earned the right to ask questions about the last 10 years.

 

[SpaceRaider]

What I would like to see is an openness with the fans. There is so little information shared by the administration and athletic department. Sometimes I feel I know how the FBI felt about being stiffed by Hillary Clinton on her emails. Can we get wikileaks to help us out here.

#MakeMiddleGreatAgain

 

[TheBigBluePeach]

MMGA

 

[MTsumner92]

Agreed Space. They want people to support the program without enaging and informing them. I love Massaro but he is failing the program by not getting real with the fan base and the administration on how to get game attendance up. It's almost like Chris and Sydney are waiting on who blinks first. We need a popular President that motivates alumni to get behind the program. I just haven't seen it. He hides behind his academic supporters until game time. Things will not change until we see a change in our President. Until then same ole same ole.

 

[MTsumner92]

Our only hope is that he retires.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Is there a way to get some sort of forum with the administration? I admit I would be afraid it would turn in to a scream fest but still. Something that allows the diehards (typically BRAA members) to voice their opinions, even the low end of the giving totem pole. It would also show the administration cares as said above. To hear and be open with the group that matters most. And I don't mean just a dinner. I mean a true take your turn and speak to the board forum.

Maybe that is a bad thought due to the fact it could turn ugly.I don't know. I just know I'm in the boat of it being a good year. Not great. I'm a 10 wins every year or it is pointless kind of guy (in regular season mind you). I take the Nick Saban approach. As he said this week, "It's never OK to lose a game". Every game should be won 55-0. Period. If you let your opponent score, you failed. Time to go back to work and get better.

 

[blueraiderJT]

Marshall played basically the same schedule and they won 3 games I think. It could always be worse. Yes we played a softer schedule with CUSA but what in the heck were we supposed to do lose those games? I hate that logic. We play who we play. Had Brent not gone down, we win 10 games. Had we run the ball on 1st down on the final possession in regulation against WKU, we'd won 11. We didn't and Brent went down. It is what it is. We played the last game without a QB and got 750+ yards.

We could easily have tanked both of the last 2 games but we stepped up and finished 8-4. Wiley, you said we'd lose both of those BTW. We didn't and now you say we should always win no matter what happens. Gotta call B.S.

Ole Miss lost their QB and went 5-7. USM lost Mullens and tanked all of their games until the last game where Mullens came back and went 6-6. When you lose your star QB, all teams take a nosedive. We found a way to win. Says a lot. But whatever.

 

[dukewayne]

If MT wins the bowl game is a pretty big "if" when considering recent history.

I too, took a brief glance at final standings and records of teams MT beat. Off the top of my head, MT's victories vs FBS teams had about a 3 or 4 win avg for the season. Those aren't exactly stellar numbers of success. Interestingly, ODU seemed to fare no better than MT in this regard. ODU victories vs FBS programs just barely averaged 3 wins on avg for the season. The one outlier for MT was LaTech. It seems most seasons, coach stock gets one win vs a quality C-USA team. Unfortunately, MT all too often seems to blow a C-USA game where one would think MT would win easily. Despite the poor record of Mizzou, I don't take any victory for MT over an SEC program as a small affair. I was glad and enjoyed the MT victory over Mizzou.

Outside of the terrible 4th and 1 call vs WKU, the other frustrating aspect of the season was watching below average offenses march up and down the field vs MT's defense week in and week out like MT was playing Montana's 49er's. I'd rather hit myself in the head harshly with a hammer than have to sit through another season of watching weak and poor performing offenses having breakout games vs MT's defense by moving the ball at will up and down the field.

 

[dukewayne]

Injuries. Most, if not all of us, hate to see any of these young football players injured. The game being what it is, injuries are an unfortunate reality for players and teams. I know coach stock almost goes out of his way to state that injuries aren't an excuse. At the same time, coach stock's repetitious lamenting of all the injuries starts to betray his stated no excuses attitude.

Every team every season battles injuries. As such, the long grinding season results in attrition being a factor in teams' performance and measuring success. It's a part of the game for all teams. This is where quality of depth is a substantial factor. Also, an attitude of next guy up who is prepared with a motivated and ready to go attitude is important. MT could use some improvement in that regard. Better recruiting and player development once here. One example, it would have been nice if Urzua had a little more playing time to learn and prepare in case his number was called. Maybe his chances for success would have been a little better. Despite is generally rough few games after Brent went down, there were some signs Urzua was improving in those few games he played.

To credit the staff and players, they seemed to do a good job of next guy up and go make plays in the last game. In what could have been a disaster, MT improvised and adapted with a go get it attitude. More than a few players made plays. Resultantly, MT was able to avoid disaster in pulling out the win vs FAU. More of this sort of attitude and approach is needed in dealing the the inevitable attrition that occurs over the course of the long season.

 

[dukewayne]

Any discussion on the state and direction of the football program ought to include attendance or fan support in general. As for MT's situation, attendance is a harsh reality that is unavoidable. Of the problems and concerns, attendance is a glaring problem that is hard to miss. How many were even at the last game of the season where MT was going for 8 wins? 4000? 5000?

This also at a time when C-USA took a huge hit on media rights deals. The conference took a 2 year approach with the apparent idea of bolstering attendance and better positioning in negotiations. I don't think it was any accident that MT's quality of home game tv coverage was a big step backwards this season compared to past seasons. Even though MT was picked to win the division, programs with better attendance got better tv coverage. Marshall is a prime example. Also, this was the same year tarps showed up in the stadium to force those in attendance to sit in areas of the stadium where tv cameras are more likely to focus. I would dare to say that tv broadcasters are willing to pay more for games where the stands are crowded and that exciting fun college football environment pours through the tv screen. There is not a whole lot of that with MT football these days.

Of course this is not even really bringing up some of the more obvious concerns of such low attendance. I'm not sure how long the athletic dept can continue to let poorly attended games continue without some significant changes.

As for the remaining hardcore few here and how much money can be given, I wonder how many friends and family can the hardcore fans bring out to the games? Sadly, I suspect it has proven to be more difficult after blown opportunities and lackluster performances in front of attendees who were visiting and giving MT a try. It just brings to mind the whole larger fanbase=potential larger donor base.

 

[sWiley]

Marshall played basically the same schedule and they won 3 games I think. It could always be worse. Yes we played a softer schedule with CUSA but what in the heck were we supposed to do lose those games?

How about win the meaningful games against the top conference competition? (WKU....) We could have ended that game on 4th and 1 with a simple run play (Mathers was averaging 6.6 YPC) and we'd be playing in the CUSA championship game this weekend. But no, our coach thought we had a better chance leaving the game in the hands of our defense (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHNA)

Now, nobody cares about wins against UNCC and FAU in November. Nobody. Look in the stands for the FAU game if you don't believe me. The end result of those games literally meant nothing too. We could have won them or lost them and it would have made no difference either way because we are not competing for the championship. We were predicted to win CUSA (or at the very least play in the title game) and we did neither. When you're picked first in your conference and you don't even play for the title, that's a failure of a season I don't care how you want to spin it or rationalize it.

There's tons of teams out there who were predicted to win their conference and will likely do so when the championship games are played this weekend (or at the very least they are competing for the championship....). It's not like its impossible to live up to pre-season expectations and EVERYONE has to deal with injuries EVERY year.

11 years and still no outright conference title. In CUSA for almost half a decade now and still no title game participation. People are sick of it.

Then they want to brag about bowl eligibility after playing the easiest schedules in the country year in year out beating up on all the worst teams in FBS. Well, bowl eligibility might be exciting if we didn't get our teeth kicked in every time we played in a bowl game. In fact, our bowl results actually show just how big of a fraud we are by backing our way into one so often then getting taken to the woodshed.