FOOTBALL Middle Tennessee (1-3) vs Marshall (2-2), 2:30PM, Saturday, October 5, 2019

[SpaceRaider]

game thread, links are a work in progress:

Marshall University
Location: 1 John Marshall Dr, Huntington, WV 25755
Founded: 1837
Enrollment: 13,204 Undergrad 9,593 Postgrad 3,611
Acceptance rate: 76.5% (2014)
Colors: White, Kelly green Nickname: The Thundering Herd Mascot: Marco
Fight song: "Sons of Marshall"
Series: Marshall leads 5-2, last meeting in Huntington: MU , MT
Stadium: Joan C. Edwards Stadium
Head Coach: Doc Holliday (West Virginia, 1979)
Record at Marshall: 69-47 (10th) Overall: Same
2018 Record: 9-4 (6-2) 2018 Bowl: Gasparilla
Starters Ret./Lost: 14/8 Lettermen R/L: 55/19

Weather Forecast:

Where: Johnny Red Floyd Stadium, Capacity (30,788), 1500 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130

Stadium Policies (prohibited items): Clear Bag/stadium seat/cushion policy,

Ticket Notes:

Television: CBS SN on Facebook Announcers: Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous, John Schriffen

Radio: PxP: Chip Walters, Analyst: Wes Counts, WMOT FM 89.5 (Murfreesboro), WGNS AM 1450 (Murfreesboro), WGNS FM 100.5 (Murfreesboro), WGNS FM 101.9 (Murfreesboro), WPRT FM 102.5/97.5 (Nashville), (TuneIn app)

Streaming: Audio, Video

Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

Newspapers: Herald Dispatch, Beckley Register Herald, Charleston GazetteMail, Marshall Parthenon, wvmetronews,

Message Boards: HerdNation, Herd Fans, HerdHaven, , , , , , ,

Blogs: Marshall Sports (The Herdzone blog), Inside Marshall Sports (wv gazette), The Stampede,

Athletic site: Herdzone.com, goblueraiders.com

Media Guides: Marshall record book, Middle Tennessee

Preseason Previews: Marshall (Orlando Sentinel #81), , , , Middle Tennessee (Orlando Sentinel #99),

Game Notes: Marshall game notes, MT game notes

Game Previews: Herd begins C-USA slate at Middle Tennessee, MT prepping for another tight affair with Marshall

Roster: Thundering Herd, Blue Raiders

Twitter: @HerdZone, @HerdFB, @HerdEquipment, @HerdCotton, , , @heralddispatch, @HerdNation, @GrantTraylor, @GaryFauber, @DaveWilsonMN, @Chuckonsports, @dougsmock, @MoonShineTD, @herdnews12, @BarstoolMU, @HerdThoughts, @RWiththeherd, @bigspanks, @notmarshallu,

Hashtags: #HerdNation, #WeAreMarshall, #WePlayForChampionships, #Stampede16, #MarshallToTheAAC, #OneHerd, #HerdFamily, #YourBestYou, #MTvsHERD

Facebook: MU Football, Marshall University Athletics,

Youtube: MU Herdzone,, , ,

Instagram: Herdzone,

2018 Game Thread: Middle Tennessee(2-2, 1-0) @ Marshall (3-1, 1-0), CBSSN, 6:30PM, Friday, October 5, 2018

2017 Game Thread: Middle Tennessee(3-4, 1-2) vs Marshall(5-1, 2-0)(ESPN2), 6PM, Friday, October 20, 2017

2016 Game Thread: Middle Tennessee(6-3, 3-2) @ Marshall(2-7, 1-4)(ASN), 6PM, Saturday, November 12, 2016

2015 Game Thread: Middle Tennessee vs Marshall, 2:30PM, Saturday, November 7

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[MTOleBlue]

They should try giving tickets away instead of these deals. Who is going to buy this, masochists maybe?

 

[SpaceRaider]

MArshall opened as a 8.5 favorite, down already to 6.5

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college...ll-@-middle-tennessee-state.cfm/date/10-05-19

 

[MTBig Blue]

Since it seems like fall is never going to come, I'm going to say this is going to be a hot one.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

MArshall opened as a 8.5 favorite, down already to 6.5

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college...ll-@-middle-tennessee-state.cfm/date/10-05-19

Wiley must have put down an early bundle on his Blue Raiders to make it move 2 points. LOL

 

[SpaceRaider]

Wiley must have put down an early bundle on his Blue Raiders to make it move 2 points. LOL

More likely disaffected Marshall fans after that beat down by cincy

 

[FranklinRaider315]

More likely disaffected Marshall fans after that beat down by cincy

They travel well. Or at least they used to.

 

[blueraiderJT]

Tyler King was dismissed from the team 10 days ago. He was their best player IMO.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Since it seems like fall is never going to come, I'm going to say this is going to be a hot one.

Friday's weather says high of 80, so hopefully Saturday will be the same.

 

[MTLynn]

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Stock looks and speaks like he really wants to be there. LMAO!!!

Does anyone other than the same guy asking the questions week after week attend these pressers?

 

[SpaceRaider]

goblueraiders.com:

MT vs. Marshall presser

MT seeking improvement heading into C-USA slate

 

[SpaceRaider]

Herald Dispatch:

Marshall shifts focus to Middle Tennessee, C-USA title

 

[rcodeman]

Stock looks and speaks like he really wants to be there. LMAO!!!

Does anyone other than the same guy asking the questions week after week attend these pressers?

Did anybody watch the ticket giveaway where he presented tickets? Even I felt uncomfortable watching it. The most personality I have ever seen from him was when he did that wrestling show a few years ago. I think that's the last time he wasn't a zombie.

 

[MTBig Blue]

Hopefully we can start getting our playmakers involved from here on out. When you have players like Dobson, Anderson, Chisolm, we need to try and get then the ball any way we can. It's crying shame that Dobsom hasn't hardly touched the ball this year .

 

[SpaceRaider]

...It's crying shame that Dobson hasn't hardly touched the ball this year .

Dobson was not playing last week due to an injury, it was announced in the pregame show for the Iowa game. Have been checking the site that lists weekly injury reports for each school and there has not been once that MT has shown up in that list.

meanwhile injury report for Marshall:

Marshall
Date Pos Player Injury Status
09/29/19 WR Obi Obialo Foot is "?" Saturday vs Middle Tennessee
09/28/19 WR Artie Henry III Undisclosed is out for season


http://www.donbest.com/ncaaf/injuries/

 

[FranklinRaider315]

“Hi Blue Raiders Football fans. This is Head Coach Rick Stockstill inviting you to come out this Saturday and watch us compete against the Marshall University Thundering Herd, our first CUSA opponent of the season. But don’t just come for the football. We got a Bouncey House, Blondie time-out Broadcasts and an all-you-can drink Beer Garden in case we’re out of it by halftime.”

“And remember....buckle up, don’t drive drunk, and don’t beat your woman.”

 

[SpaceRaider]

wgns:

PODCAST: 9.30.19 Rick Stockstill Live Radio Show

 

[FranklinRaider315]

In the 2009 words of Tommy West, “It’s painful”.

 

[SpaceRaider]

ESPN gives Marshall a 61.3% chance of winning Saturday

 

[SpaceRaider]

line continues to move in MT's favor. Marshall favored by 4 at this point

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college...ll-@-middle-tennessee-state.cfm/date/10-05-19

 

[FranklinRaider315]

line continues to move in MT's favor. Marshall favored by 4 at this point

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college...ll-@-middle-tennessee-state.cfm/date/10-05-19

Trap game. I wouldn’t touch it.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[sWiley]

Trap game. I wouldn’t touch it.

Agreed. This is two bad teams squaring off.

I just don't see MT winning this game unless Marshall lays a complete dud. Offenses are close to equal but Marshall's defense is much, much better than the Blue Raiders and defense typically travels well.

I'm sure we'll load the box in an effort to stop the run, play man coverage across the board, and make Marshall hit the big plays to beat us. Our defense has become very predictable.

 

[SpaceRaider]

just a note, despite what the dnj states the game is NOT on CBSSN on your tv, the game IS on CBS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK.

https://www.facebook.com/LiveCUSA/

 

[SpaceRaider]

excerpt:

...The Marshall Thundering Herd visit Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Saturday to play the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The Thundering Herd fell to 2-2 on the season following a 52-14 loss to Cincinnati. Entering the game, Marshall was averaging 32 points per game but did little on Saturday. Isaiah Green threw for just 131 yards in the loss completing 11 of his 29 passes.

Isaiah Green leads Marshall with 631 yards passing, six touchdowns and two interceptions. Brendan Knox is the leading rusher with 296 yards and four touchdowns, while Corey Gammage leads all receivers with 150 yards and one touchdown, while Xavier Gaines has 103 yards and two touchdowns. The leading tackler for Marshall is Tavante Beckett with 40.

Middle Tennessee fell to 1-3 on the season following its 48-3 loss to No. 14 ranked Iowa. The Blue Raiders were never in the game trailing at the half 24-0 and did not score a field goal until the third quarter. Asher O’Hara threw for 110 yards. The Blue Raiders defense gave up more than 8 yards per play to Iowa. Middle Tennessee starts its Conference USA schedule this weekend against Marshall.

Asher O’Hara leads Middle Tennessee with 895 yards passing, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. O’Hara is the leading rusher for the Blue Raiders with 235 yards and one touchdown, while Chaton Mobley has rushed for 114 yards and two TDs. Jarrin Pierce is the leading receiver with 171 yards and two touchdowns. Reed Blankenship leads all tacklers for Middle Tennessee with 33.

Marshall is 2-6 ATS in its last 8.

The OVER has cashed in 6 of the Thundering Herd’s last 7

Middle Tennessee is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 Conference USA games

The OVER has cashed in 5of the Blue Raiders last 6

Marshall has the stronger offense and defense but will be playing on the road. The Thundering Herd has failed to cover 6 of its last 8 overall and 5 of its last 6 on the road against an opponent with a losing record at home. Middle Tennessee has had a tough schedule but has covered the number in 4 of its last 5 in Conf-USA play.....

 

[MTOleBlue]

I wish for our players' sake that they had better coaches. Really frustrating season.

 

[sWiley]

I wish for our players' sake that they had better coaches. Really frustrating season.

I don't mind our coordinators. I used to think they were the 2 best in CUSA, but I've changed my mind there. Probably top 3 or 4. We typically have pretty good game plans and when our coaches have the talent, they typically utilize it well. Schafer's defenses the last 2 years have really been pretty good. We had much better players on our roster versus this year. We sorely miss Darius Harris and all the DL players that graduated. We will need to grow up fast on that side of the ball or it's gonna be a long year. I feel like Schafer has got to figure something out to stop the run. Even if that mean's going to a 5-2 or even a 5-3 style defense where we consistently have a safety in the box. We can't let teams like Tennessee State average 5 yards per carry. You just can't. You won't sniff a successful season getting run on like that. Look for Marshall to test the running game early and often on Saturday.

Franklin is a good coordinator and has been solid. People often think about the bad game plans but think about our performances @ Syracuse, @ Missouri, etc. Franklin know's how to scheme it up but once again....you've gotta have the players. My only complaint with Franklin is our poor commitment to the run and poor results from running the ball. The only season where we had any real success running the ball was his first with I'Tavius Mathers. It seems to have become an afterthought since he graduated. If you look at the G5 programs that are all strong and successful you will find one thing in common. Every single one of them can run the ball well. Toledo, Boise State, Cincinatti, Houston, UCF, SMU (this year), Appy State. And the tier 2 G5 teams like Fresno State, San Diego State, Western Michigan, Army, etc.... ALL of them can run the ball. It is literally a requirement if you are G5 and dare to be great. Remember when FAU DOMINATED the league in Kiffin's first year? Do you remember how they did it? They just lined up and rammed it down people's throats over and over again in the hurry up....and then when they loaded the box they hit them down the field for a big passing play. As soon as FAU's run game evaporated, what happened to them? They instantly became another mediocre CUSA team.

It's not rocket science folks.....Run the ball and stop the run.

We have to recruit bigger, better linemen if we are to ever have any success in that department and we've gotta get better with player development while they are here. If I could replace just one position coach, it would be the OL position. Can't believe we can't do better there.

Overall, our offense is in better shape right now versus our defense. They will have to carry the torch until the defense figures something out....which is scary.

Our position coaches certainly leave a lot to be desired. Look across the country at the good G5 programs. They're graduating position coaches, coordinators, and head coaches left and right. I honestly cannot remember the last time one of our assistants was hired away to a better school....and that's a problem. We have so much old blood in this staff, they're all friends of Stockstill, etc. If we were getting better results I wouldn't care if he's hiring all his buddies.....but that isn't the case. It's very bad optics and really makes one question his desire to be great. Across the board, from the president to the AD to the head coach, there just isn't that sense of wanting to be great.

We've been very fortunate to have had a basketball coach for so long who strived for greatness, took chances on troubled transfer players, etc. And now with McDevitt he's obviously a go-getter too so at least with Basketball we shouldn't have to deal with settling for mediocre results.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Herd faces battle-tested Middle Tennessee

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Didn’t Franklin say at the start of season this was the best OL we’d ever had or something?

 

[blueraiderJT]

I don't mind our coordinators. I used to think they were the 2 best in CUSA, but I've changed my mind there. Probably top 3 or 4. We typically have pretty good game plans and when our coaches have the talent, they typically utilize it well. Schafer's defenses the last 2 years have really been pretty good. We had much better players on our roster versus this year. We sorely miss Darius Harris and all the DL players that graduated. We will need to grow up fast on that side of the ball or it's gonna be a long year. I feel like Schafer has got to figure something out to stop the run. Even if that mean's going to a 5-2 or even a 5-3 style defense where we consistently have a safety in the box. We can't let teams like Tennessee State average 5 yards per carry. You just can't. You won't sniff a successful season getting run on like that. Look for Marshall to test the running game early and often on Saturday.

Franklin is a good coordinator and has been solid. People often think about the bad game plans but think about our performances @ Syracuse, @ Missouri, etc. Franklin know's how to scheme it up but once again....you've gotta have the players. My only complaint with Franklin is our poor commitment to the run and poor results from running the ball. The only season where we had any real success running the ball was his first with I'Tavius Mathers. It seems to have become an afterthought since he graduated. If you look at the G5 programs that are all strong and successful you will find one thing in common. Every single one of them can run the ball well. Toledo, Boise State, Cincinatti, Houston, UCF, SMU (this year), Appy State. And the tier 2 G5 teams like Fresno State, San Diego State, Western Michigan, Army, etc.... ALL of them can run the ball. It is literally a requirement if you are G5 and dare to be great. Remember when FAU DOMINATED the league in Kiffin's first year? Do you remember how they did it? They just lined up and rammed it down people's throats over and over again in the hurry up....and then when they loaded the box they hit them down the field for a big passing play. As soon as FAU's run game evaporated, what happened to them? They instantly became another mediocre CUSA team.

It's not rocket science folks.....Run the ball and stop the run.

We have to recruit bigger, better linemen if we are to ever have any success in that department and we've gotta get better with player development while they are here. If I could replace just one position coach, it would be the OL position. Can't believe we can't do better there.

Overall, our offense is in better shape right now versus our defense. They will have to carry the torch until the defense figures something out....which is scary.

Our position coaches certainly leave a lot to be desired. Look across the country at the good G5 programs. They're graduating position coaches, coordinators, and head coaches left and right. I honestly cannot remember the last time one of our assistants was hired away to a better school....and that's a problem. We have so much old blood in this staff, they're all friends of Stockstill, etc. If we were getting better results I wouldn't care if he's hiring all his buddies.....but that isn't the case. It's very bad optics and really makes one question his desire to be great. Across the board, from the president to the AD to the head coach, there just isn't that sense of wanting to be great.

We've been very fortunate to have had a basketball coach for so long who strived for greatness, took chances on troubled transfer players, etc. And now with McDevitt he's obviously a go-getter too so at least with Basketball we shouldn't have to deal with settling for mediocre results.

I disagree about our offense. We had the ball for 24 minutes last week. That hangs the D out to dry. Unless you're BAMA, no one has a D that can play lights out for 36-40 minutes on a consistant basis. Especially on a G5 level. We have weaknesses but it's still not on a Nix level. We'll see what goes down on Saturday.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Herdzone.com:

Quotes/Notes/Video from Middle Tennessee Press Conference

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Didn’t Franklin say at the start of season this was the best OL we’d ever had or something?

Yes he did. And now it’s looking like he was wrong.

 

[MTBig Blue]

Yes he did. And now it’s looking like he was wrong.

That's what happens when the average weight on the Oline is about 270lbs.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

That's what happens when the average weight on the Oline is about 270lbs.

Which couldn’t even effectively compete in the OVC much less FBS.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[SpaceRaider]

Beckley Register Herald:

Herd receivers have work to do

 

[SpaceRaider]

The Parthenon (marshall student paper)

MU Football to travel to Middle Tennessee