Feature Photo by Rusty Miller
Story by Brett Walker
Middle Tennessee football struggled through its first season in the Derek Mason era.
The Blue Raiders finished 3-9 on the year, landing in ninth place in Conference USA after only two conference wins. MTSU not only finished as one of the worst teams in the conference, but as one of the worst teams in the country.
Following college football’s regular season finale, Middle Tennessee came in at No. 130 in The Athletic 134, a weekly ranking of all 134 FBS football teams in the nation by Chris Vannini, a senior writer for The Athletic, a leading sports media outlet.
Slotted as the fifth worst team in college football, MTSU sits just above UMass and Kennesaw State and just below New Mexico State and UTEP.
Behind a new coaching staff and overhauled roster, Middle Tennessee quickly became dwellers of the sport.
Offensive line injuries and turnovers left the Blue Raider offense at a stalemate while the youthful defense found itself outpaced by opposing offenses.
The root of Middle Tennessee’s issues this season arose from the ground. The Blue Raiders ranked No. 129 in rushing yards per game with 88 yards and No. 19 in run defense, giving up 208.8 yards on average according to Team Rankings.com
Brett Walker is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines
To contact the Sports and Assistant Sports Editor, email [email protected]
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