NCAA Football Preview – Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Quarterback Logan Kilgore led an offense that averaged 407.5 yards per contest and 208.2 passing yards per game to five consecutive wins to end the regular season before the Raiders were downed in the postseason bowl game. Kilgore passed for 2,507 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2013, but gave away 13 interceptions as well.

Rick Stockstill will once again be at the helm of the program (his ninth year as head coach), entering the 2014 season with an overall record of 51-49. The Blue Raiders proved they could compete for the top spot last season by beating Marshall on Oct. 24, 51-49, which also proved to be the Thundering Herd’s last loss until the Military Bowl.

Middle Tennessee started off 2013 strong by defeating FCS program Western Carolina, 45-24. The Raiders followed that win up with a loss to ACC program North Carolina, but then turned right around and took down Memphis, 17-15, and Florida Atlantic in overtime, 42-35. Three straight losses hurt the Raiders, but they were still able to earn their way into a bowl game.

2014 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Kilgore is no longer with the Middle Tennessee program, so the Blue Raiders will have to look elsewhere for a starting signal caller. Fortunately for them a young passer named Austin Grammer saw some time, albeit minimal, on last year. Grammer completed 21-of-46 pass attempts in 2013 for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Kilgore wasn’t exactly the game manager and super stud Rakeem Cato was/is at Marshall, but his experience at the position did pay off for the Raiders. Grammer, a sophomore, is in line as the favorite to win the position with others chasing to catch up.

“The big thing is when you lose somebody, you hope what you’ve recruited behind him has matured, has gotten stronger and has developed good enough that he can replace the guy that graduates,” Stockstill said. “I probably worry as much about guys getting hurt as I do graduating.”

Jordan Parker returns as the team’s featured running back. Parker racked up 771 yards and six rushing touchdowns on 146 carries a year ago, and was backed up by Reggie Whatley (101 carries, 668 yards and three touchdowns), who also is back for the 2014 season. In Grammer’s brief on-field action, he showed he can move with the ball by carrying 33 times for 193 yards and two scores.

At the receiver position, Tavarres Jefferson – the team’s leader from 2013 with 46 receptions for 611 yards and five touchdowns – is gone, but Marcus Henry returns to lead the pass-catching group. Henry accumulated 549 yards and three touchdowns last season. Most returning receivers and tight ends caught either one or zero touchdown passes in 2013.

DEFENSE: Middle Tennessee returns eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, which will be helpful in trying to turn around a relatively poor defensive effort from a year ago.

The Raiders allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 63 percent of their pass attempts, and gave up over 403 offensive yards per outing. Their top three tacklers are back from a year ago – a group led by sophomore linebacker T.T. Barber. He ended the 2013 campaign with 119 tackles, which was the fourth- highest total in Conference-USA and the most for a Middle Tennessee player since the 1986 season. Barber also recorded 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions.

He’s joined by junior safety Kevin Byard, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns last year, which gives him four interceptions for scores in his two-year college career. He added 106 tackles, five total interceptions and five pass breakups to his resume.

Three of the four defensive line starters return, along with Christian Henry at linebacker to pair with Barber in the middle. Xavier Walker and Jared Singletary will combine with Byard in the defensive backfield to make for one of the better defenses in the conference.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore place kicker Cody Clark is back from a solid freshman campaign in which he booted 12-of-16 field goal attempts through with a long of 43 yards. The Blue Raiders do have an opening at punter that will likely be filled by freshman A.J. Wells. Josh Davis is a tough punter to replace following his 41.8-yard average per punt, including his long of 70 yards in 2013.

OUTLOOK: Offense is going to be the big question mark for Middle Tennessee going into the 2014 season. Having to replace a quarterback is always an uphill battle, but Grammer has some experience in game situations to his credit.

The Blue Raiders have a tough non-conference schedule ahead, with games on the road against Minnesota, another battle at Memphis and a home matchup against BYU on Nov. 1. The Raiders open up against an FCS program that had a dismal 2013 season in Savannah State. The conference schedule gets underway with Western Kentucky on Sept. 13.

“We open up with Savannah State. They didn’t have a good record last year,” Stockstill said. “They’ve got some new players in. They’ve got some transfers in from Division I that will help their team. We’ve got to be ready to play a good game that opening game.”

Last season the Blue Raiders were able to take down Marshall in an offensive shootout, 51-49, which served as the Thundering Herd’s only loss in the conference in 2013. The Raiders travel to face the Herd once again on Oct. 11. Marshall is the clear-cut favorite to take the C-USA crown this season, but with a strong defense, Middle Tennessee could at least put up a strong fight.

Categorized in: NCAA Football