FOOTBALL You're a witness to history -- Don't let the chance go by

[SpaceRaider]

A good write up. I know we all have our disappointments about various things, but don't let the 'perfect' be the enemy of the 'good' ...


You're a witness to history -- Don't let the chance go by

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I agree that if we will open our eyes this is one of the best teams we have ever have with a "chance" if they take care of business to have the best regular season in the FBS era. Lets enjoy the ride.

 

[SmithO1906]

I hate that I can't make it to the last two home games but I will definitely be following along.

 

[MTLynn]

The benchmark for a successful defense is holding opponents to 20 points or less. The Raiders will have a top 25 team if/when that happens.

 

[SCRaider01]

If Brent maintains his current output, he is on pace to be in the top 5 all time in CFB. If he continues to improve every year, the potential for top 3 exists. I doubt he could catch Keenum but who knows. 4500 this year and a couple of 5000 yard seasons and he's within reach.

 

[SmithO1906]

If Richie continues doing what he does best the next two years, and Ty Lee and the other freshmen receivers progress in the off season next year will be as fun as this year. Hopefully Shane can move back to RB next year

 

[RaiderDoug]

Ain't buying it.

Crazy video game stats? Great!!!!

Guess whats not so great - we can't execute an extra point against its main rival, at home, with everything on the line.



This isn't an isolated incident. It's become this programs defining attribute. Good, but never good enough has been the story of the last decade.

It's 10 years in, win a championship , beat your rival, no more excuses.

 

[Hop45]

Yep. WKU game still stings, no matter what. Not because we lost, but because we had it won and let it slip away.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

I think it will be a good year if we can finish out but the losses to Vanderbilt and WKU will keep this from being a special year.

 

[THEBLUERAIDER]

We are 6-2. Good lord.i hate our "fans".

 

[bluefutcpa]

Our fan base is the definition of fickle!

 

[MTsumner92]

Shaping up to be a great year. Recruiting should do well.

 

[dukewayne]

Getting 9 or 10 wins or even better would be great to be sure. Seeing such talented players is certainly enjoyable. Us core supporters are already onboard.

What would really boost buzz and attendance within one season has already passed this year. Maybe next year? Finishing incredibly strong could help with building some improved interest and attendance going into next year. For big boosts in one season, I think it would take MT sitting at 6-0, 7-0 or even 8-0. This year that would have included wins vs local rivals Vandy & WKU. It would also likely put MT in the top 25. That sort of success and the huge opportunities each week that a win would bring would likely really boost interest and attendance. Again, this is just a scenario for big attendance boosts in just one season. Steady improvement overall with some home wins vs rivals would likely bring about gradual improvements over a couple-few seasons.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

I don't think being 6-2 is the reason for frustration by fans. It is the possibility of going 10-2 without a conference championship. Stop hating on the 13k fans middle has.

We are 6-2. Good lord.i hate our "fans".

 

[RaiderDoug]

I don't think being 6-2 is the reason for frustration by fans. It is the possibility of going 10-2 without a conference championship. Stop hating on the 13k fans middle has.

Agreed.

These games vs Florida-whatever-U and the like are like weekly pop quizzes . Yeah, it's fine that we did well in these.

Games against Vandy, WKU, and bowl games are like midterms and Finals. In these, we have failed miserably.

How great can it be if you pass all your quizzes but fail all your finals.

 

[sWiley]

Excellent analogy, Doug. I'd give up the wins over La. Tech, Missouri, and Alabama A&M just to have the W against WKU. That would put us at 4-4 but we'd be in the drivers seat to win the East which is all that matters.

People get too wrapped up in this overall record stuff. 4-4 with a win over WKU is better than 6-2 with a loss to WKU this season.

If you lose the important game(s) that are key to winning a conference championship then it doesn't matter what your overall record is. And if you continue this trend for a decade, then be prepared to take some criticism.

And to think, all thats keeping us from being 7-1 and having a strangle hold on the conference is 1 yard on a 4th and 1 with 90 seconds left in the game....

 

[MTsumner92]

I would say 11-2 gets us ranked at the end of the year. 8-5 with a conference championship would look like a down year for C-USA and we would not be ranked at the end of the season. While beating WKU is not beating a big logo, beating Missouri is beating a huge logo. Marshall will be a bigger logo than WKU. Vandy would of been a nice logo but not near the logo as Missouri. I would like to have a conference championship but I would rather have wins over Missouri and Vandy. Big Logos fill our stadium up. See the GT attendance. WKU has never had a huge draw. Virginia had a big draw a few years ago. Maryland had a big draw. I guess at the end of the season if we had a championship game on the line we could get a big draw. Especially this year since Knoxville sux. I have mixed emotions on this. I would rather have a bowl win than a conference championship because that is the last thing on peoples minds. A recruit pays attention to the overall record. If I am a recruit, 11-2 and ranked speaks to me louder than an 8-5 conference championship and non-ranked season. Just sayin.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I just want to be 7-2. Let's wait until the end of the year and see how we should rank our team.

 

[RaiderDoug]

I would say 11-2 gets us ranked at the end of the year. 8-5 with a conference championship would look like a down year for C-USA and we would not be ranked at the end of the season. While beating WKU is not beating a big logo, beating Missouri is beating a huge logo. Marshall will be a bigger logo than WKU. Vandy would of been a nice logo but not near the logo as Missouri. I would like to have a conference championship but I would rather have wins over Missouri and Vandy. Big Logos fill our stadium up. See the GT attendance. WKU has never had a huge draw. Virginia had a big draw a few years ago. Maryland had a big draw. I guess at the end of the season if we had a championship game on the line we could get a big draw. Especially this year since Knoxville sux. I have mixed emotions on this. I would rather have a bowl win than a conference championship because that is the last thing on peoples minds. A recruit pays attention to the overall record. If I am a recruit, 11-2 and ranked speaks to me louder than an 8-5 conference championship and non-ranked season. Just sayin.

I have to disagree.

You play the game to win a title. That's the ultimate end goal. And considering we're a longshot to make the national playoffs - the CUSA championship banner is the holy grail for this program.

Beating the SEC and Mizzou was nice. But I doubt many people will take notice. Mizzou is awful. It's mid-season, upsets happen all the time this time of year. I'm willing the bet that even the casual MT fan tuned out after WKU. We're not going to get the mileage out of this that people think. You can send a letter to a recruit that says "CUSA Champions 2016!!". You can't send a letter to a recruit that says "we beat Mizzou once". Most people probably think more "Mizzou is awful" than "MTSU beat a major team!!!!!".

I do agree that bowl wins are hugely important. They are national TV, conference vs conference games. They come with a trophy and you can at least call yourselves "champions" of something. Unfortunately, we don't show up in those games, either.

We can salvage a good season out of this year.

But we had a truly special season handed to us on a platter, and couldn't E.A.T.T. it up.

Things are going good. But after 10 years, I just want a taste of great just once. If that makes me a bad fan, or unreasonable, then so be it.

 

[blueboro007]

Geez, if you can't get on board to support this team time to go support UT...but I guess that ship has already sailed (or sunk). Some of you are like Wiley was regarding basketball and how he was never setting foot in the Murph until we got back to the NCAA. Putting requirements on a team before they earn your support seems a little egotistical to me if you think you are that important.

 

[RaiderDoug]

Geez, if you can't get on board to support this team time to go support UT...but I guess that ship has already sailed (or sunk). Some of you are like Wiley was regarding basketball and how he was never setting foot in the Murph until we got back to the NCAA. Putting requirements on a team before they earn your support seems a little egotistical to me if you think you are that important.

That's not fair - many of us have been here a long time with no conditions attached.

Here's a question for you - what are your expectations for this program?

Is it fair to expect a conference title from time to time? We're going on a decade with none.

Is it fair to expect us to show up in bowl games and win one from time to time? We're 1-4 in bowl games with a blowout margin of defeat of 16 points per loss.

Is it fair to expect us to be competitive with decent teams from time to time? Stock's been here 10+ years, and we have 8 total wins over teams that have finished above .500. Less than 1 per year.

 

[Raiderclyde]

At the risk of sounding a little sour, after 17 FBS seasons and 20 years after announcing to the world we moved from 1-AA to 1-A (1990's language) think expecting an outright conference championship is not unreasonable. I'm no longer thrilled at getting "bowl eligible" as a mark of a successful campaign. Our promotions staff still considers that as a high accomplishment. Sounded nice during our first decade of FBS football. But, how many of the AP/Coaches top 25 make big splashes about being "bowl eligible"? Those teams simply expect more. And so should we. A championship changes perception, even 8-4. But what does 10-2 or 10-3 mean without a championship? Precious little, unless we somehow get ranked at end of year or if we win our bowl game against P-5 competition (it really won't do much against Sun Belt or MAC). Right now, we are a very good team. We have great talent on offense. We have acceptable coaching. We are marginal on defense, though we can make enough plays, such as Florida International. We have positioned ourselves as a reasonably strong contender. Good, maybe great things, can still happen! But, we no longer control our final destiny in C-USA. Blue Raiders have to win out and hope WKU gets upset in November. We better prepare well for UTSA, for inopportune turnovers and secondary breakdowns will leave us behind on the scoreboard, squelching any chance of a really great season, that should have been. Ask USM about their 55 points allowed? Our team has to take that next step to get where fans want to go!!

 

[blueraiderJT]

I got an idea. Let's just lose the rest of the games and mail in the season. Let's not try to keep fighting and win out. Sheesh. You guys are amazing. #worst6-2teaminthecountry

LOL!

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

If only we can lose 3 of the next 4 and finish 7-5 then half are fans will feel justified. And then what?

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

It is not the overall record that is the problem. C-USA is down. We lost to vandy and western in true middle Fashion.

We have some great wins this year but we have horrible losses.

If only we can lose 3 of the next 4 and finish 7-5 then half are fans will feel justified. And then what?

 

[AustinLewis]

At some point, you've got to move beyond the Bowl Eligible boast and toward the 8+ wins a season, 10+ wins a season, championships, etc.

Boise didn't become Boise by boasting in 6 win seasons. Louisville didn't reach the ACC by taking pride in bowls.

On the flip side, being bowl eligible means you aren't 2-10.

 

[Raiderclyde]

We are talking about excellence. I hope that is what everyone wants. November will tell us everything we need to know about Blue Raider Football in 2016. If everything goes perfectly, this will be a historic season. Perfectly means finishing 4-0 in November, getting to C-USA championship game and WINNING (that's where we need some help), AND winning our chosen bowl game, wherever that one may be. If Blue Raider Football accomplishes all that, it is a 12-2 season. We will be ranked in at least one poll (probably both) and be the champs! Fall short of that, it is still a good season...not notable. If Blue Raider Football goes 2-2 or even 3-1 in November and loses its bowl game we have a formula for more of the same...average team that won most of its games in the bottom half of the standings, but lost the key games that counted the most. It might be dressed up a bit with a Missouri win, but fan engagement "town and gown" scenery doesn't change all that much.

 

[blueraiderJT]

It is not the overall record that is the problem. C-USA is down. We lost to vandy and western in true middle Fashion.

We have some great wins this year but we have horrible losses.

Horrible losses? WTH? WKU is gonna win 9-10 games. Vandy is winning at least 5 with a chance for a bowl game. They held Florida to 13 points. No one else has done that. Those are our only losses.

 

[blueraiderJT]

We live in a weird time where loyalty is bought and thrown away in an instant. It's good to have expectations and all but we need to realize a couple of things....

1. 4 out of our top 5 WR's got injured for the season before they could even get on the field.

2. We lost KB to the draft and a bunch of defensive players making us thin at LB and Safeties. We're thin on the DL too. We've just had a lot of experience there. But when one goes down, we take a hit.

3. We brought in a new OC RB and WR coach which could have gone either way. The offensive philosophy has changed putting a greater strain on a defense that already had issues.

Despite all of that, we're still 6-2 with a shot of winning out. We want a title and all and I get it. CUSA is down but WKU never was. Mike White is now ahead of Brent. The complaining when we're winning is just insane to me.

 

[Hop45]

We had the WKU game won. That is what hurts. We didn't just get beat. We handed it to them at the end. I think that is why some folks aren't happy. I know it still stings in my gut.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

If we win at least 9 games it will be special because we have only won more than 8 games one time since we moved up.

Why don't we all get pumped up about winning this weekend and be 7-2. Why don't we stay in the present and figure out how all of us can get to the game on Saturday.

 

[RaiderDoug]

Horrible losses? WTH? WKU is gonna win 9-10 games. Vandy is winning at least 5 with a chance for a bowl game. They held Florida to 13 points. No one else has done that. Those are our only losses.

The difference is that you're looking at the micro, while others are looking at the macro.

One one hand, at 6-2, losing to an SEC team and a pretty good WKU team, with an 10+ win season on the table - that's pretty good. I'll be pretty happy with a 10+ win season, top 25 ranking, bowl win, etc.

On the other hand - it seems like every year there's some excuse as to why this team hasn't taken a step forward.

There's always some reason we fail. We always have to watch some North Texas/Troy/Arkansas State/WKU that's just a little bit better than we are - move on to lifting a trophy, and getting the title banner, and the ranking.

As others have said: It's about taking a step forward as a program. 8+ wins and bowl eligibility was awesome in 2005. It simply isn't good enough anymore. That's the minimum at this point for a good season.

And it hurts worse right now because this was not just lining up to be a good or great season - this could have been a program defining season:

We had WKU at home, the SEC teams we faced were down, and Marshall is bad. We were picked to win the east. We have an all time program greats at QB, RB, WR.

I can't disagree with you that if we win out, we'll have had a good season.

I just can't shake the fact that it could have been, and should have been, something more.

 

[MTFNBY5]

Agree with your post completely Doug. We still have the makings of a very good season but, barring backing into the C-USA championship or a bowl victory over a P-5 (both unlikely at this point), the losses to VU and WKU will prevent this from being a great season.

I know I spend too much time worrying about how the Mid-State's casual fan perceives MT living as I do outside Rutherford Co. and having very few True Blue acquaintances. But, prior to the season the most important games on the schedule to "Mr. Joe Blow Mid-State casual fan" were VU, Mizzou, and WKU in that order. La. Tech and Marshall were far down the list and the others really don't matter to the casual fan. And we went 1 and 2 in the most important games on the schedule and the Mizzou game is tainted because they are having a terrible year with a possible 2 and 10 final record.

Yes, before the season this lined up to be a program defining year. Now, not so much.

 

[MTCasey]

I rarely post on here, though I read the board daily. I'm glad that there are folks that are high on this team. Heck, I'm just glad our Blue Raiders have diehard support- and make no mistake, if you post on a Middle Tennessee message board you are a diehard, regardless of whether other posters want to disparage you for being a sunshine pumper or a Debbie downer.

With that said, I'd just like to suggest that it's perfectly acceptable (and understandable) to be happy about 6-2, while still acknowledging disappointment. 6-2 with wins over La Tech and Mizzou is good; I would never suggest that it would be preferential to lose them. You folks sarcastically suggesting that the fans being more critical on here should go support UTK, or that they want the season to tank, are being a little ridiculous.

I can only speak for myself, personally- but I want MT to win every single game they play. I will never stop cheering for the Blue Raiders, no matter what they put me through. I can't help it. But... I am still disappointed that we didn't really show up at Vandy; I'm disappointed that we blew the WKU game; I'm disappointed that our defense is not better than it is; I'm disappointed that we may very well go 10-2/9-3 and not play for a C-USA title. I also put 6-2 in perspective, just like I put this whole era of Blue Raider football in perspective.

-We have two wins that excited/surprised me a bit, La Tech and Mizzou
-We have two disappointing losses in the two games I think many MT fans wanted more than any others
-C-USA is incredibly down
- We have never won an outright conference championship in almost 20 years of FBS, despite being in some bad leagues
- We have an abysmal record against teams with a winning record in the Stockstill era
- With the exception of the NOB, our track record in bowls games is horrific
- Our program, after a period of time where it looked like we might be on the cusp of taking "the next step," seems to be stuck in neutral in terms of fan support

Does acknowledging any of these things make me less of a fan, or mean that I am not going to support the team, or be happy about our successes? No.

I have to be honest- I don't see anything wrong with being critical of the program, even during a 6-2 season that could be classified as a success by many metrics. People are critical because they want the best for our university. What kills me is the folks that get so worked up over these criticisms. This mentality of "we're having a good season, so no one has any reason to complain" is a bit shortsighted, I think. At the end of the day, we need all the True Blue Raiders on the train that we can get, even if we disagree on our level of satisfaction with the results.

 

[Raiderclyde]

As I mentioned earlier this morning, this discussion is all about excellence (really, perceived excellence). For us to have a "great season" or a "historically special season" we have to win big games. Period. And those were Vanderbilt, WKU, Louisiana Tech, and Missouri. We're 2-2 in teams with "name brands" and/or divisional leaders (or being tied with them). Rest of our games, we should have won (and did) based on perceived talent and skill and game day performance. Winning out gets us 11-2/12-2 (should WKU lose and we go to C-USA Championship, win and we win bowl game). That's really special! Earning a final AP or Coaches Poll ranking in early January is really special! A conference championship is a special season. Anything just short of that excellence is not a special season, its a good season. Nine or ten wins (10-2, 10-3, or 10-4 or 9-3, 9-4, or remotely 9-5) is solidly good. Eight wins is par (a golf analogy). Seven wins questions need to be asked. Six and six and merely being bowl eligible reflects the proverbial vehicle ran out of fuel and stalled. At this moment on November 1, 2016, all mentioned scenarios are theoretically possible for this season. That's where we stand and Go Blue Raiders!

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I would say 7-5 is par for us...historically. If we win a bowl game or at least 8 games that is good.

Right now I am just enjoying each game, while I want us to win every game I expected a 7-5 team because we lost so much on D and I knew we wouldn't be as good. Another factor is we ONLY play 5 home games - 7 on the road. It was going to be difficult to win much more than we have in the last few years. And yet, here we are 6-2, with a good chance to win the last 4. So far we haven't lost a game that we should have won. Every year we have a team beat us that shouldn't - hasn't happened yet. That is improvement.

Just looking at this as a glass half full.