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FOOTBALL Middle Tennessee (2-5, 1-2) @ Liberty (6-0, 4-0) (CBSSN), 6PM, Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Pretty sure this stood out to everyone watching. It sure did for me
What an atmosphere. Midweek game, full stadium, national TV. We couldn’t get 1000 fans to a midweek game And the admin seems to be OK with that
Took a look at the Liberty website. It is awesome. Well put together and ties right in with what we all saw last night. Tailgate info, midweek ticket packages, etc. Compared to ours is telling to how bush league we really are and how far behind the 8 ball this program is.
Liberty lost a lot of players to the portal, but appears Chadwells staff was able to reload with talent and size. Their QB was a UT signee, who was on campus for a short time, got into some trouble, and wound up at Liberty
thats the type players they are getting. I counted 10 players on their roster from the state of Tennessee.
You are right, SAD. And McFailure, Massaro, and Smith are OK with it.

It's just the bare minimum.

I'm telling you guys - this is calculated.

Someone sat down in the AD and determined that the rewards (championships, success, conference affiliations, fan support, and everything else that goes into it) were simply not worth the effort, work, risk and drive that it requires.

Again I say, if you want to win big, you're going to have to work, you're going to have to risk, you're going to have to make big decisions, you're going to have to make demands, its going to cost people their jobs, you're going to have to have an uncomfortable work environment from time to time.

It's much easier to just go along, do the bare minimum, get a free trip to Hawaii or the Bahamas every year. It's a nice top of the market paycheck and you get to work with your buddies and pad that state retirement.

The fans have been driven away, so there's no demands there. The players are not FBS level players, most of them are just grateful to have a 'ship, so there's no real demands there either.

It's kind of ingenious too - if you take the fan base we had in 2009 or so, and go 2-10 the next 3 years, people go berserk, the media notices, you get put on those hot seat rankings, etc.

But if you just lose enough every year to drive away a small portion of the fan base every year? Next thing you know you're set for life and no one cares enough to complain (except for the dozen or so ya-hoo's on a message board). Its death by a thousand cuts.
 
Pretty sure this stood out to everyone watching. It sure did for me
What an atmosphere. Midweek game, full stadium, national TV. We couldn’t get 1000 fans to a midweek game And the admin seems to be OK with that
Took a look at the Liberty website. It is awesome. Well put together and ties right in with what we all saw last night. Tailgate info, midweek ticket packages, etc. Compared to ours is telling to how bush league we really are and how far behind the 8 ball this program is.
Liberty lost a lot of players to the portal, but appears Chadwells staff was able to reload with talent and size. Their QB was a UT signee, who was on campus for a short time, got into some trouble, and wound up at Liberty
thats the type players they are getting. I counted 10 players on their roster from the state of Tennessee.
You are right, SAD. And McFailure, Massaro, and Smith are OK with it.
To be fair Liberty has always been willing to take 2nd chance guys. Hugh, Ian and a lot of their players have had issues in the past. We don’t seem to really do that unless it is someone that cannot really make major impacts. The guys they take chances on have MASSIVE upside. It would be like hiring Art Briles here (I would be fine with it). Winning makes a huge difference and Liberty consistently wins and isn’t often embarrassed. That’s the difference along with a ton of online money. I’m speaking as someone that use to be a season ticket holder there.
 
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It's definitely calculated. I agree with you whole-heartedly.

My son, a student, tells me that he can't believe how dead it is compared from when he was a child and we used to tailgate and have early season record crowds. I can't believe we are where we are. Took what Walker envisioned and threw it in the toilet.
 
Who cares.

Backing into a bowl now might be the most meaningless thing ever. Because it's damn sure not going to propel the program into a hot start next year. Next year will just be this year and last year and the year before all over again.

These people have no honor. As I said a couple of weeks back...no creed.
 
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To be fair Liberty has always been willing to take 2nd chance guys. Hugh, Ian and a lot of their players have had issues in the past. We don’t seem to really do that unless it is someone that cannot really make major impacts. The guys they take chances on have MASSIVE upside. It would be like hiring Art Briles here (I would be fine with it). Winning makes a huge difference and Liberty consistently wins and isn’t often embarrassed. That’s the difference along with a ton of online money. I’m speaking as someone that use to be a season ticket holder there.
I hope my post didn’t come across as I was dissing on the Salter kid For his past mistakes. I was not. Wanted to note the type of P5 talent LU is getting and the type P5 talent they are losing via the portal. LU takes a lot of unnecessary heat due to their denomination and affiliation with the Falwell’s but are definitely doing things right in their athletic dept. I have no problem with 2nd chance guys
I was impressed with what I saw last night and a little jealous
 
We'll more than likely make a bowl because that's what Stock does and that's the measuring stick his contract is based off of. He wants that auto extend and his back is against the wall. Middle is the name and middle is the game.

That being said, We put more points on Liberty than any other team they have faced this year thus far and we put as many on them as we did Murray st. Let that sink in. We have talent but the play calling in the 4th was a headscratcher.
 
It's definitely calculated. I agree with you whole-heartedly.

My son, a student, tells me that he can't believe how dead it is compared from when he was a child and we used to tailgate and have early season record crowds. I can't believe we are where we are. Took what Walker envisioned and threw it in the toilet.
My daughter is a freshmen and said same thing. Not near as crowded as when she was younger and we all wet every game.

She's really disappointed in it...
 
I think you are probably right, but we could use a Deion scenario to shake up this roster and bring in some better talent.
I've said it before, as have others. If we got someone new, donations would come in. If we got someone that understands how to work the portal and the public, the NIL $ would come in. And we'd be in business.

I just don't understand the no risk attitude of this administration. Truly makes one feel the above is right and it's all planned. It's either genius or negligence.
 
It's definitely calculated. I agree with you whole-heartedly.

My son, a student, tells me that he can't believe how dead it is compared from when he was a child and we used to tailgate and have early season record crowds. I can't believe we are where we are. Took what Walker envisioned and threw it in the toilet.

And the "powers that be" will just blame our blackhole attendance on "landscape changes".

"Everyone's attendance numbers are down!" they will say. (Seen other conference mate schools turn outs during these mid-week games.....?)

They can rationalize all of it away. They have masterful self defense mechanisms and they all have each other's backs.

Sidney McPhee, Chris Massaro, Steve Smith, Rick Stockstill.....There isn't a shred of shame amongst any of them. They probably all internally blame one another while simultaneously taking zero blame for the decimation of the program. And these are our supposed "leaders".....grown men who are supposed to be teaching and guiding the students and student-athletes....

The entire situation and how long this has been able to go on is astounding. It would never be allowed at most schools, but nobody gives a shit about MTSU.

Our university and athletics programs have been hijacked for over a decade and it doesn't matter because nobody cares.
 
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The program is dead.

It truly is. And the longer they allow Stockstill to remain the more difficult it will be to try and resurrect it.

Y’all know my opinion. It’s too late anyway. We missed our chance on realignment, and the program is dead in the water for any future considerations due to its current state.

We have no fans. Nobody cares about MTSU. You can only piss down someone’s leg and tell them it’s raining for so long. It would not surprise me if at some point they just put football out of it’s misery and close the program down or put it in a FCS league and focus on basketball.
 
We have no fans. Nobody cares about MTSU. You can only piss down someone’s leg and tell them it’s raining for so long. It would not surprise me if at some point they just put football out of it’s misery and close the program down or put it in a FCS league and focus on basketball.

Is there anything 7-wood has accomplished that alumni want? Name change? Law School? Football championships? Meharry fast-track? He is not a leader. He's a saboteur.
 
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Don't forget about all the Chinese Confucius institute McPhee was heavily involved in. His constant trips to China and all the press releases about Middle Tennessee and China's relationship. All that went away quick when Chinese spies were caught at Texas A&M and other universities. I really wish a good investigative reporter would look into that and see if their were any kick backs received.
 
Don't forget about all the Chinese Confucius institute McPhee was heavily involved in. His constant trips to China and all the press releases about Middle Tennessee and China's relationship. All that went away quick when Chinese spies were caught at Texas A&M and other universities. I really wish a good investigative reporter would look into that and see if their were any kick backs received.
Would not be surprised if it is not still being done.
 
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They're getting eviscerated for it online. But frankly, ours wasn't really any better against La Tech.
It's understandable. That's a program that isn't accustomed to being 0 and anything. They haven't had a losing season since Keeler arrived.

Shows how quick fan support can fall though only 2yrs removed from an FCS National Championship.
 
It's understandable. That's a program that isn't accustomed to being 0 and anything. They haven't had a losing season since Keeler arrived.

Shows how quick fan support can fall though only 2yrs removed from an FCS National Championship.
Yea, and the two clowns from Group of 5 Guys harp on us about support. If Stock and Massaro ever suddenly stop, we'll never hear from them again. These are dudes that are accustomed to losing because they did their entire mediocre careers at the only D1 school dumb enough to offer them.
 
I’ve given that Go5 guys multiple chances but I just can’t with them.

It would be nice to have a good CUSA podcast that is based.
Sprouse and Murphy are as Complicite as anyone else. Having the audacity to tell us that by simply showing up and giving money will magically get Stock to pull his head out of his ass and fix thing. He's too stupid and stubborn to fix it.

He's more worried about his old coaches' home versus winning. The dude is washed up, but will end up with a damn statue.
 
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