FOOTBALL Marshall beat writer's preview of Middle Tennessee

[SpaceRaider]

Blue Raiders begin life without QB Stockstill

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Blue Raiders begin life without QB Stockstill

Excellent and very fair right up...If we can somehow win 2 of our first 5 games I think we could have a good season. If the D can step up to one more level and one of our QBs play good, not great we can use this transition season to move forward.

 

[blueraiderJT]

As good as he was, he didn't have a killer instinct. He had games where he played well but was really inconsistent at times too. Think about it... 2015 - 7 wins, 2016 - 8 wins, 2017 - 7 wins, 2018- 8 wins and an appearance in a champ game. Kilgore was as good frankly. He just didn't play as much. Grammer went 6-6. The drop off without him won't be that severe. O'Hara is on an AG level and is a bit more talented than him and Randall Johnson is built like Tim Tebow. If RJ can throw and run like he did in his video, he's the clear starter. If not, OHara is and he's a much better runner than Brent was.

 

[SubwayAlumni]

I also wonder if our overall talent was down the last 4 years and Brent just masked that.

 

[blueraiderJT]

We had guys like Richie James and Mathers. We had talent. He was good. He wasn't Doughty or Cato though.

 

[crposton]

I think Brent was better than some give him credit for. He missed how many games and still threw for 12,000+ yards. If he was not injured so much the win totals would be more as well. Not saying he was the best ever either. There will be a drop off this year even if it is just due to experience.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Brent was a very good college QB, but even at that there were times that his decision making was less than what was needed, and honestly I think he had better talent around him his first couple of years. He's the only QB, I think, at MT who QB'd the team to two wins over P5 programs (Missouri, and Syracuse).

I think we will feel his absence severely this season. Hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

BTW, if you didn't see it on Instagram or other social media, Brent got engaged this weekend.

 

[blueraiderJT]

I think Brent was better than some give him credit for. He missed how many games and still threw for 12,000+ yards. If he was not injured so much the win totals would be more as well. Not saying he was the best ever either. There will be a drop off this year even if it is just due to experience.

One thing I've learned being a fan of this team. Yards don't equate to points or wins. Good game management does. Brent was a good 4 year QB but he was not a championship QB nor did he make the best decisions. He threw plenty of pick 6's and ints when he didn't have to force the throw. For all of those yards, we still only got 7-8 wins a year including one 6-6 year until the bowl game. Kilgore was as good as Brent in 12-13 and got us 2 8 win seasons as well including a win over GT and a Cato led Marshall team.

There will be a drop off but not as severe as folks might think. OHara is better on his worst day than Urzua was at his best. I re watched the FIU game and the kid came in cold with no reps and nearly beat a very good FIU team. He made tough throws and had some good runs. He threw a pick at the end but that was not his fault. That was a dumb coaching move to put him in that spot. A wise coach would have told him in the previous timeout to throw conservative or throw it away and set up the FG. He had Thomas in the middle of the field on that pick. A dump off would have gotten us to the 12 or 10 at worst. Easy FG. Talent wise, the kid can play. He hurdled a dude for Pete sakes. He's got talent. He needs blocking.

Go back and watch the 4th and 10 play that would have done us in and the kid found Lee to keep the drive alive. Again, he had no game plan or reps with the 1's and he did that under pressure deep in the 4th. We'll be fine.

 

[MTBig Blue]

I think we will feel Brent's absence more with his leadership than his play. He was essentially like another coach out there on the field. His play was good but he never got us over that hump. He always had a game or two that left everyone scratching their heads.

 

[crposton]

A wise coach would have told him in the previous timeout to throw conservative or throw it away and set up the FG

How do you know he was not told that?

 

[blueraiderJT]

How do you know he was not told that?

The play call was obvious. They lined up one back set with with the RB as dump off option that was the 3 or 4th read option. Not a playcall with blocking WR's or a setup FG play screen pass. It was 5WR's and they all went outside wide or endzone except one with no blocking in site for him. It was a score or be damned play call. It was not a setup for a FG playcall.

 

[MT01]

Brent's production was a byproduct of his offensive line or in some cases in spite of.

His best two years were his first two. Before he got hurt in the sophomore year he averaged career highs in yards per game and TDs.

Here's the telling stat. He was sacked just 25 times in his first two years. And with the benefit of a full freshman campaign only eight sacks allowed as sophomore.

Just last year alone he was sacked 39 times. In total he was sacked 52 times as a junior and senior and he missed six games as a junior. So, the pace was roughly 30 sacks as a freshman and sophomore and 65 estimated for a full season as a junior and senior. It's a good thing he was tough as he was.

And FWIW, all QB's make bad reads and throws at some point but for him to put up the numbers he did when he was often running for his life if he held the ball longer than for a bubble screen is a feat in and of itself. The better question for me is how in the hell does a head coach who has his own son playing QB not find viable offensive line play during that time. When Brent had a good O-Line he was good. When he didn't he was still better than what most would do in that situation, but it's a pure waste we didn't have better OL play while he was here as an upper classman.

 

[crposton]

Also saying Kilgore is just as good is dumb. Brent 106 TDs to 35 Ints and Kilgore 53ish TDs to 36 Ints.

Brent also had a 20 point higher qb rating and higher completion percentage. Also higher average yards per attempt. Kilgore did not beat Georgia Tech. Benny Cunningham did.

 

[crposton]

The play call was obvious. They lined up one back set with with the RB as dump off option that was the 3 or 4th read option. Not a playcall with blocking WR's or a setup FG play screen pass. It was 5WR's and they all went outside wide or endzone except one with no blocking in site for him. It was a score or be damned play call. It was not a setup for a FG playcall.

You said throw conservative or throw it away. They could have told him if you do not have anything throw it away. I love how you assume to know things there is no way to know. Also cannot have 5 WRs and a RB. Either way I would say the RB as a dump off is a conservative option if there is nothing in the endzone and if that is not open throw it away. Draw the defense to the endzone and the RB could be open and get a good chunk of yards. Of course you know what the coaches told the QB before the play, so I assume I am wrong.

 

[blueraiderJT]

Also saying Kilgore is just as good is dumb. Brent 106 TDs to 35 Ints and Kilgore 53ish TDs to 36 Ints.

Brent also had a 20 point higher qb rating and higher completion percentage. Also higher average yards per attempt. Kilgore did not beat Georgia Tech. Benny Cunningham did.

You're missing my point. Kilgore threw 2 TD's vs. GT in that game and kept a lot of drives alive too. Even with the best QB we ever had, we never won a championship nor did we win more than 8 games a season. Kilgore had 2 8 win seasons as an undisputed starter. So he reached the same pinnacle of success that Brent had.

So my point is since I have to spell it out is WE DON"T NEED A BRENT STOCKSTILL TO GET 8 WINS. Lol. We simply need a game manager. If the goal is to win more than 8 games, well we don't need a Brent Stockstill either. LOL.

 

[blueraiderJT]

You said throw conservative or throw it away. They could have told him if you do not have anything throw it away. I love how you assume to know things there is no way to know. Also cannot have 5 WRs and a RB. Either way I would say the RB as a dump off is a conservative option if there is nothing in the endzone and if that is not open throw it away. Draw the defense to the endzone and the RB could be open and get a good chunk of yards. Of course you know what the coaches told the QB before the play, so I assume I am wrong.

You can have 5 WR wideouts if the RB is catching a pass because he is a WR in that scenario. LOL. This guy. Thomas wasn't blocking thus he was a WR in that play. You want pictures?

OK, so let's say they told him to set up a FG and he disobeyed. Why wouldn't you draw up plays to guarantee him to go screen as a number one option? He was fresh who never played a snap before this game. That's why our coaches suck in the big games. Watch the play bro. Pat Smith was the number one option. He (O'hara) never turned his head. So the playcall was the endzone. Smith was the no. 1. Not conservative and not wanting overtime.

That kid came in cold as a polar bear's toenail and kept us in a game with 2nd best team in the east and who was 2 plays away from winning the east themselves. The kid got 2 TD's and converted on a 4th and 10 against a very good team. We will be fine. I'm being positive dude. Let's celebrate that. hahahaha.