Featured Photo by Brett Walker
Story by Brett Walker
The 110th season of MTSU football is nearly underway as the Blue Raiders kick off the season against Tennessee Tech on Saturday night.
A lot has changed since the last time Middle Tennessee took the field, so here’s five things to know before toe meets leather in Murfreesboro.
First game in a new era
For the first time in 18 seasons, MTSU will take the field with a new coach. Following a disappointing 4-8 season in 2023, the university parted ways with longtime head coach Rick Stockstill and hired Derek Mason to take the reins.
Mason is no stranger to the sidelines, having spent 29 years there as a coordinator and coach at various institutions, most famously at Stanford from 2010-2013 and at Vanderbilt as a head coach from 2016-2020. Four years removed from his last stint as a head coach, the now 54-year-old Mason is ready for gamedays once again.
“For me I’m excited, of course,” Mason said at his weekly press conference. “You get a chance to be back on the sideline. I believe that’s the fun part of this game.”
Rekindling a rivalry
On Saturday an old foe will flock into Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium for the first time since 2006. The Blue Raiders and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles have a deep history dating back to 1917. MTSU leads the series by a narrow 36-31-6 margin, having won 14 out of the last 16 contests against their mid-state opponent.
Since 1960, the two teams have battled for an Alaskan totem pole trophy. A Nashville businessman by the name of Fred Harvey donated the trophy, with the stipulation that the winning team kept the trophy for the following year.
The trophy is known by two names; Shinny Ninny by Tech students or Harvey by the Blue Raiders. The Tennessee totem resides in MTSU’s Hall of Fame as the Blue Raiders won the last meeting 44-0 in 2006. Even though the game hasn’t been played in a long time, bringing the local rivalry back is good for college football Tennessee Tech sports information coordinator, Thomas Corhern said.
“Everybody gets excited about that game even though we’ve only played Middle one time since 1997,” Corhern said. “The memories are still fresh in everybody’s mind. Everybody knows somebody that went to Middle Tennessee or played in one of those games.”
Starters are set, but expect plenty of rotation
On top of an overhauled coaching staff, the Blue Raider roster underwent drastic offseason changes as well. MTSU secured 59 new players over the spring and summer, with many having to step up immediately.
While the starting lineup is set for the opening week, rotation will be key for MTSU early on. A common theme amongst football depth charts is for coaches to list positions two deep, then include a varying amount of depth with the word “OR” beside them. The first depth chart of the season includes “OR” 19 times across 12 positions.
The tight end room will be one to watch throughout the year as six players are listed on the depth chart. MTSU’s tight end group is constructed of players with differing skillsets. Some are great pass catchers but not great blockers while others can block but don’t excel in pass catching. Guys are going to play to their strengths and play within their skillset, offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder said.
“We say that every position group is going to be coached just like the quarterback, with the detail, and that’s the group it has got to start with because that’s a really hard position,” Reeder said of his tight ends. “You’ve got to be efficient in the run game, efficient in the pass game. You’ve got to line up all over the field. I think it’s neat for them, I think they like it, because they’re getting to play, and that’s the No. 1 thing that is going to create buy-in is getting to play. So, I’m excited to see how those guys will do.”
Playing to strengths is a point of emphasis for this coaching staff, and it’s how they plan to compete early on.
Retooling the Raiders
While the culture change has been exciting locally, national media isn’t exactly in love with MTSU football going into Mason’s first year. ESPN Analytics gives the Blue Raiders a 94.5% chance to beat Tennessee Tech in the opener but predicts them to win only four games the rest of the way to finish 5-7. Additionally, Middle Tennessee is predicted to finish fourth in the Conference USA preseason media poll.
At a glance, it’s easy to see why outsiders view Mason’s first year as a rebuild. Construction of a new Student Athlete Performance Center looms over the north endzone of Floyd Stadium, on top of the roster and coaching staff exodus. Despite acknowledging the themes of construction, the team is not in a rebuild Mason said.
“MTSU is not a rebuild, I mean we’re in a place where they’ve picked us to finish fourth, why settle for second when first is available,” Mason said of the preseason poll. “So, we know that we’ve got to gain ground to be the best team we can be. That’s what we can control.”
The second time head coach also feels confident that the team’s returning pieces will lay a good foundation for the team’s long-term goals.
“We’ve got a lot of new pieces,” Mason said. “We’ve got some brick-and-mortar pieces like Nick Vattiatio, Devyn Curtis, Zeke Rankin, these guys have been around. So, I think it’s important for us as a program to realize that this isn’t a rebuild it’s a reboot. And I think for us, we’ve had to look at ourselves and understand that all things are possible. We work hard every day; the work is free.”
Fresh tailgating atmosphere
The on-field product for MTSU football will look a lot different on the field this season, but the off the field festivities are being rebooted as well. The typical pregame tailgating site on campus, Walnut Grove, is an update in the form of Party in the Grove.
Starting three and a half hours before kickoff, the home tailgate will introduce new features such as live music and the Blue Raider Extra Point pregame show, with returning traditional events such as performances from the Band of Blue and the Raider Walk. For more information on Party in the Grove, click here.
Brett Walker is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines
To contact the Sports and Assistant Sports Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com
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