Amidst Middle Tennessee’s 24-16 loss to Kennesaw State, the Blue Raiders produced their highest rushing total of the season. Starting running back Jekail Middlebrook led the way, tallying 109 yards and two touchdowns.
As the game wore on, though, MTSU’s lead backs in Middlebrook and Tulsa Rickey Hunt Jr. were a little banged up, head coach Derek Mason said.
The wear and tear in the running back room tested MTSU’s depth and set the stage for true freshman DJ Taylor to get his first carries as a Blue Raider. Taylor, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native and graduate of Riverdale High School, ran for 24 yards on four carries along with a reception in his first action on offense.
“[I’ve got] a lot of confidence [in DJ],” Mason said. “He got hurt in camp, and it’s been a while, but [we’re] just getting him back. He’s played sparingly in games, but tonight, he saw the opportunity.”
That opportunity came at the end of the first quarter for the former Riverdale Warrior, as Taylor lined up next to MTSU quarterback Nick Vattiato and ran for 13 yards and a first down on his first collegiate carry.
Taylor saw three more touches for MTSU in the night to finish his debut on offense, catching a pass for 3 yards, a rush for 7 yards in the second quarter and 2 yards on a run up the middle in the third quarter.
“I kind of expected to need to step up a little bit,” Taylor said. “Being ready to go, watching the older guys go, they might get a little banged up or a little tired. So, I was ready for whenever I needed to go in.”
Although the young running back hasn’t seen too much action outside of his four touches against KSU and two snaps on special teams in MTSU’s lone win against the University of Nevada, the local has already impressed his teammates.
“DJ was great,” Middlebrook said. “I saw him on the first run, and he’s going to be special. He’s going to be a special player. I hope he keeps going and builds on this.”
The excitement around Taylor has spread to the Blue Raiders’ head coach as well.
“He ran behind his pads, he ran physical, he had yards after contact, and DJ Taylor is going to be a really good running back for the Blue Raiders,” Mason said.
The running back shone in his time as a prep talent for the Riverdale Warriors. In his senior season, Taylor ran for 1,001 yards and 17 total touchdowns.
Taylor shone in other places off the football field while donning the Riverdale maroon and gold as well. On the track, Taylor collected two TSSAA 3A track state titles, being named the fastest man in Tennessee in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
“I loved it, and I was there all four years,” Taylor said of his time at Riverdale High School. “Senior year, I put on a lot more weight, got stronger, got faster and I just took off on my own. It was a great high school career.”
Taylor said that he went into his career at Riverdale with the mindset that he wanted to leave his mark and make sure people remembered him. Staying home in Murfreesboro is giving Taylor the opportunity to extend that sentiment not only to Riverdale football, but Middle Tennessee as well.
The transition from high school to college football has been pretty good so far, but Taylor said that he’s still getting used to it.
“Everyone’s bigger, faster and stronger,” Taylor said. “You have to be more physical, more tough, more mentally stable to take all those hits or run however much they want you to run.”
The Murfreesboro native looks to continue contributing to the Blue Raiders’ rushing attack as they head into midweek Conference USA play. MTSU will host Missouri State at Floyd Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 8 with a 6:30 p.m. CDT kickoff.
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