Middle Tennessee preview: what to know about an unfamiliar opponent

When Colorado State (0-1) and Middle Tennessee (0-1) face each other on Saturday, it will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. 

Scheduled as a home-and-home agreement back in 2019, the Rams will host the Blue Raiders in the 2022 home opener, but then make the trip to Murfreesboro, TN in return next fall. That game is currently slated for Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. 

MT is 2-4 against current Mountain West members all-time, with the most recent meeting being a 52-35 loss to the Warriors in the 2016 Hawaii Bowl. So if you’re feeling like you have not seen a ton of the Blue Raiders in the past, you’re not alone. They hardly ever play teams from this part of the country.

MT hosted BYU in 2014 and played in Provo, UT in 2013. But now in his 17th season as head coach at MT, Saturday’s game at CSU will be just Rich Stockstill’s second game in a state west of Texas. 

Familiar feel 

Despite having no previous experience with each other, the game on Saturday will feel somewhat familiar for the two teams on the field, as both CSU and MT run a version of the Air Raid on offense and a 4-2-5 scheme on defense. 

“Middle Tennessee is a team that is similar to us in some ways,” head coach Jay Norvell said in his intro statement on Monday.

“This ought to be an entertaining game. Both teams like to throw the ball around, both teams are going to play high-pressure defense. And somebody’s band is going to play. It should be a good ball game.”

With CSU’s next two opponents, MT and Washington State, both running a variation of Hal Mumme’s infamous vertical scheme, the Rams should benefit from their firsthand knowledge of the Air Raid. In order to better prepare the defense going into these games though, CSU is slightly altering the practice to feature more of the ones running against each other. 

Following Tuesday’s practice, sophomore safety Jack Howell spoke a little bit about the benefit of being familiar with the Air Raid and getting to face it in practice. “We faced that all of spring ball and all of fall camp, so that obviously helps with just covering receivers” Howell said.

“Since coach Norvell and Coach Banks got here, everyday we’ve been working on covering. I think my man coverage has improved. Zone drops have improved a lot. So that’s obviously a big plus going into games with two similar teams.”

Here’s what else we learned about MT and CSU’s preparation process for the Blue Raiders going into Week 2. 

Offense

The MTSU offense was completely held in check last weekend. 

In the 44-7 loss to James Madison the Blue Raiders recorded just 119 total yards of offense, they converted only 4-of-16 attempts on third down, and despite being a team that prides itself on the vertical passing game, MT averaged a mere 3.2 yards per pass play in the underwhelming showing. 

While it was clearly a rough outing for the team out of Conference USA, Norvell emphasized that it’s an offensive unit that should not be overlooked. 

He brought up QB Chase Cunningham, a redshirt senior that threw 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions in eight games last fall. Norvell also highlighted wide receiver Yusuf Ali and the starting center Jordan Palmer. Ali has 16 catches over the last four games and has emerged as their top receiving threat, while Palmer has been the anchor of the offensive line for multiple years now. 

“They’ve got some really good players coming back,” Norvell said Monday.

“They do have a lot of play-makers and they do a great job of getting the ball in their hands,” edge rusher Mohamed Kamara later added. “They want to run sideline to sideline and stuff like that.”

Defense

Defensively, similarly to the Rams, the Blue Raiders want to aggressively attack opposing offenses out of their 4-2-5 scheme. 

Norvell praised MT defensive coordinator Scott Shafer for the way that he challenges teams with pressure and how it often results in turnovers. In 2021 the Blue Raiders forced 32 turnovers, the most in the country. It was a big part of what allowed them to reach a bowl game. 

“A lot of blitzes, a lot of pressure,” Norvell said. “They got a lot of turnovers last year. We’re going to have to do an excellent job of protecting the ball, protecting the quarterback in this game.”

“Their defense seems pretty sporadic,” tight end Tanner Arkin later added. “They bring it. They blitz a lot, they play man coverage. We’re going to have to hone in on our technique and our assignments.”

Norvell also talked up the experience that the Blue Raiders have in the front seven, as well as the athleticism they have in the back end. He had high praise for cornerback Teldrick Ross after leading MT in total tackles last week (11), and he shouted out defensive end Jordan Ferguson, who had nine total tackles and a sack in Week 1. 

A lot like the offense, the MT defense really underwhelmed in Week 1, allowing former CSU QB Todd Centeio to torch them for six total touchdowns and close to 400 total yards of offense (287 passing, 110 rushing) in his JMU debut. It will be interesting to see how they respond against a Rams offense that flashed at moments, but struggled to move the ball consistently at Michigan. 

Kickoff

Colorado State and Middle Tennessee are scheduled to kick off at 2:00 p.m. MT. The game is televised by DNVR partner Evoca TV and will also be simulcasted on Local3.