The Blue Raiders' team rushing numbers were solid in 2019, but mostly due to quarterback Asher O'Hara. He had a team-high 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns to become just the second QB in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season, and he finished third among QBs nationally in rushing yards.
After O'Hara, MT's next leading rusher was Terelle West, who ended his Blue Raiders career with 290 yards and four touchdowns.
Part of the issue Middle Tennessee's backs faced in 2019 was the injury bug. Jayy McDonald was the only player in the group who appeared in all 12 games.
"Every year since I've been here, we've had injuries," running backs coach Jeff Beckles, who's entering his fifth season at MT, said. "We start off camp and it looks like we have the deepest position on the team, then we start going through the season and we almost get to a point where we don't have enough.
"The main thing we wanted to do was make sure we have a deep backfield. Right now, we have that."
To help improve the rushing game around O'Hara, head coach Rick Stockstill added two of the most talented transfers on the market in running backs Martell Pettaway (West Virginia) and Amir Rasul (Florida State).
Combining the Power 5 conference veterans with returning seniors Brad Anderson and McDonald and redshirt junior Chaton Mobley (the team's leading returning rusher) makes the group experienced and hopefully potent.
"Amir brings a lot of speed from Florida State … and he has some games under his belt," Beckles said. "Martell is a between-the-tackles kind of guy, runs the ball hard and tough … and he also brings experience. We're excited for both of those guys.
"It's pretty unusual to get two guys like that to transfer in … but both really like what we do here, and we're happy to have them both come in here and compete."
If history can repeat itself, Middle Tennessee could be in business on the ground. The last time the Blue Raiders had a Power 5 conference running back transfer in, I'Tavius Mathers set school records in rushing yards (1,561) and all-purpose yards (2,194). He was the first player in NCAA FBS history to have 1,500 rushing yards, 500 receiving yards and 60 catches in the same season.
Here are the running backs on the roster:
Returners
Chaton Mobley, R-Jr.
Ht./Wt.: 6-1/237
Hometown: Knoxville (Fulton High School)
• Played in 8 games in 2019 with 2 starts; missed 4 games due to injury
• Team's leading returning rusher with 208 yards, 3 TDs in 2019
• Named to C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2018; 613 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Brad Anderson, Sr.
Ht./Wt.: 5-8/166
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
• Played in 11 games with 4 starts in 2019
• Finished with 170 rushing yards in 2019
• Missed 2019 spring practice due to broken ankle
Jayy McDonald, Sr.
Ht./Wt.: 5-9/196
Hometown: Oakland, California
• Played in all 12 games in 2019
• Had 204 rushing yards on 40 carries in 2019
• 92-yard scoring run against FIU equaled the second longest in school history
D'Monte Kemp, R-So.
Ht./Wt.: 5-9/183
Hometown: Millington, Tennessee (Millington High School)
• Knee injury in fall camp caused him to miss all of 2019
• Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year in 2018
Newcomers
Martell Pettaway, R-Sr.
Ht./Wt.: 5-9/206
Hometown: Detroit
• Played in 4 games and took a redshirt in 2019 before transferring to MT
• Second-leading rusher for WVU in 2018 with 623 yards, 6 TDs
• Ran for 181 yards on 30 carries and a TD in his collegiate debut in 2016
Amir Rasul, R-Sr.
Ht./Wt.: 5-10/207
Hometown: Miami
• Took a redshirt in 2019 before transferring to MT
• Rushed for 244 yards in 3 seasons at Florida State
• 4-star recruit in 2016, ranked the nation's No. 7 RB by ESPN
Tracey Jenkins, Sr.
Ht./Wt.: 5-8/160
Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee (Centennial High School)
• Transferred to MT from Lipscomb University
• Competed in track and field the last 3 years at Lipscomb
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