Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going around the landscape of Tennessee, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, the 2019 MTSU preview!
2019 MTSU PREVIEW
No one can deny the solid program that Rick Stockstill has built down in Murfreesboro. Under Coach Stock, the Blue Raiders have been to four straight bowl games and haven’t had a losing season since that awful 2-10 campaign in 2011. They won C-USA East last year, falling short to UAB in the C-USA Championship, before going on to the New Orleans Bowl, though that, too, resulted in a losing effort.
Nonetheless, MTSU has shown a propensity for winning. 2019 presents an interesting, daunting challenge though. How do you replace a guy who could be the best quarterback in the program’s history? Brent Stockstill isn’t walking through those doors anymore, and the Blue Raiders have to sort out a crowded quarterback room. JuCo transfer Randall Johnson figures to be the guy, but last year’s #2 Asher O’Hara could have something to say about that.
The good news? The Blue Raiders have some major play-makers returning, chief among them wide receiver Ty Lee. The team’s leading rushers, Chaton Mobley and Terelle West, are back, but with an inexperienced offensive line (only two returning starters) in front of them. There are certainly some cornerstone pieces in place, but I do expect the offense to regress a bit in 2019.
On defense, the Blue Raiders boast one of the conference’s best safeties in Reed Blankenship. Alongside Jovante Moffatt, MTSU could have the best safety tandem in all of C-USA. The defensive line has some depth and should be one of the strengths of the team. Linebackers D.Q. Thomas and Khalil Brooks were named to preseason all-conference spots. This defense should have some teeth.
With all of the talk about the offense, I actually think it’s the Blue Raiders defense that will have them in C-USA contention in 2019.
2019 Blue Raiders Schedule
8/31 @ Michigan – This is a tall task to ask of a team that’s in a bit of rebuild. I don’t think this one’s going to be pretty for the Blue Raiders, but props to this program for scheduling heavy hitters. That’s how you raise as a program.
9/7 vs. Tennessee State – Rod Reed has built quite the program at TSU. Even with a projected step back in 2019, the Blue Raiders should win this one handily.
9/14 vs. Duke – It’ll be easier than it would’ve been last year, but I don’t think they win this one. The Blue Devils should still be a bowl contending team under David Cutcliffe. But, with this game happening in Murfreesboro, where MTSU has knocked off some ACC teams in their day, who knows?
9/28 @ Iowa – See ‘@ Michigan’ above.
10/5 vs. Marshall – This is the game that’s going to determine how the Blue Raiders season goes. If they start any better than 1-3, it’ll be a miracle. But, this is the game that’ll have the biggest impact on where this team is at come December. Some folks are calling Marshall a dark horse to snatch that Group of Five spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowls. If the Blue Raiders beat ’em, it could set up a tremendous run, potentially to another C-USA Championship game. If not, you’re looking at having to go 5-2 the rest of the way to even be bowl eligible.
10/12 @ FAU – A lot of turnover on offense, including losing the ultra productive Devin Singletary to the NFL, and a rebuilding of sorts for the defense has me thinking this one should go in favor of MTSU. But, Lane Kiffin has taught us to expect the unexpected if nothing else.
10/19 @ North Texas – The Mean Green have a damn good thing going. In a crowded C-USA that figures to have at least six or seven legitimate championship contenders, North Texas is one of ’em. With Mason Fine back, and playing this game in Denton, I like the Mean Green.
10/26 vs. FIU – The fourth straight game against C-USA contenders, but at least this one’s back in Murfreesboro. Butch Davis has the Panthers competing for a division title. It won’t be easy, but I like this match-up for the Blue Raiders.
11/2 @ Charlotte – Good for Will Healy, first and foremost. The 49ers might have a shot at a bowl game this year, and catching a potentially beat-down Blue Raiders squad at home makes me a little nervous. But, I still say MTSU wins this one.
11/16 vs. Rice – The Owls weren’t competitive at all in 2018, and don’t figure to be in 2019. This one should be a relatively easy home win for MTSU.
11/23 vs. Old Dominion – A lot of talk about how inexperienced this Monarchs team is going to be, but by this point in the season, I’m not sure you’ll be able to hold on to that idea. In the future, maybe this game goes differently, but in 2019, this should still be a win for the Blue Raiders.
11/30 @ Western Kentucky – Ah, yes. The ol’ rivalry renewed. The Hilltoppers have a new head coach in Tyson Helton, who will be tasked with reviving that once-vaunted WKU offense. I don’t think he’ll have much luck in 2019 against a Blue Raiders defense that has a lot of talent.
Prediction
I hate hate hate how this schedule sets up for MTSU. You go from games against Michigan, Duke and Iowa to a stretch of games against C-USA Championship contenders. By the time you get to what figures to be the easy part of the schedule, you might already be cooked for 2019. Not to mention, there are a lot of good offenses on this schedule that could wear down what I think will be a good Blue Raiders defense.
There are five games on the schedule in which the Blue Raiders should be the favorite. Stealing a sixth win shouldn’t be too difficult, but as history tells us, they may have to pull off seven or eight wins to earn a bowl spot.
I think 7-5 is the most likely outcome.
OTHER COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Memphis Tigers
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas A&M Aggies
Vanderbilt Commodores
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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