Football Josh Vardaman
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A tough road trip awaits Middle Tennessee following a close, gut-wrenching loss to rival WKU.
The Blue Raiders (0-4, 0-2) will make the long trek to Miami to take on Conference USA foe FIU (0-1), which is always a tough trip.
"Another conference game, and we're looking forward to playing them," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "There's a lot of unknowns with FIU just simply because they've only played one game. … They have a lot of guys returning on both sides of the ball, so it's a talented team."
Middle Tennessee has fared really well in the all-time series with the Panthers, winning 10 of the 15 matchups all-time by an average of 19 points per game, including last season's 50-17 victory in Murfreesboro.
However, the Blue Raiders have been in some slugfests in Miami, where they're only 3-4 all-time. The average margin of victory in the seven matchups played at FIU is just 5.6 points per game.
"Anytime you go on the road, whoever you play, it's always hard," Stockstill said. "FIU is a good football team, and traveling and everything just adds to it. We've had some close, competitive games over the years with FIU, especially down there."
In a closely fought series, both teams are looking for any edge they can get. The homecoming-type feel for many of MT's players will surely give them a little boost.
Stockstill and his staff have done a good job of pulling good players from Florida over the years, especially South Florida. A total of 17 Raiders will play in their home state Saturday, including 13 on the defense.
"It's going to be a big week for them," senior linebacker DQ Thomas said. "I enjoy that for them and happy for them that they get to play at home."
Playing against the Panthers is always a special game for quarterback Asher O'Hara, too. The redshirt junior played in his first Division I game against them in 2018 when then-starter Brent Stockstill was forced out in the second quarter due to an injury.
O'Hara torched FIU with his legs the last two years, finishing the 2018 contest with 85 yards and a touchdown and setting a career high last season with 159 yards and two touchdowns. He'll hope to have similar success Saturday against a defense that returns seven starters.
"You want to beat everybody, but this one is a little more special," O'Hara said. "They have a great defense … and it's going to be a good one Saturday."
Stockstill has seen improvements every week from his team. After two straight losses by a combined five points, he's ready to see those improvements lead to a win.
"I thought we played better … last week than we have this whole season, so that's a good sign to see," he said. "We'll keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better and stay positive with this team."
The Blue Raiders (0-4, 0-2) will make the long trek to Miami to take on Conference USA foe FIU (0-1), which is always a tough trip.
"Another conference game, and we're looking forward to playing them," MT head coach Rick Stockstill said. "There's a lot of unknowns with FIU just simply because they've only played one game. … They have a lot of guys returning on both sides of the ball, so it's a talented team."
Middle Tennessee has fared really well in the all-time series with the Panthers, winning 10 of the 15 matchups all-time by an average of 19 points per game, including last season's 50-17 victory in Murfreesboro.
However, the Blue Raiders have been in some slugfests in Miami, where they're only 3-4 all-time. The average margin of victory in the seven matchups played at FIU is just 5.6 points per game.
"Anytime you go on the road, whoever you play, it's always hard," Stockstill said. "FIU is a good football team, and traveling and everything just adds to it. We've had some close, competitive games over the years with FIU, especially down there."
In a closely fought series, both teams are looking for any edge they can get. The homecoming-type feel for many of MT's players will surely give them a little boost.
Stockstill and his staff have done a good job of pulling good players from Florida over the years, especially South Florida. A total of 17 Raiders will play in their home state Saturday, including 13 on the defense.
"It's going to be a big week for them," senior linebacker DQ Thomas said. "I enjoy that for them and happy for them that they get to play at home."
Playing against the Panthers is always a special game for quarterback Asher O'Hara, too. The redshirt junior played in his first Division I game against them in 2018 when then-starter Brent Stockstill was forced out in the second quarter due to an injury.
O'Hara torched FIU with his legs the last two years, finishing the 2018 contest with 85 yards and a touchdown and setting a career high last season with 159 yards and two touchdowns. He'll hope to have similar success Saturday against a defense that returns seven starters.
"You want to beat everybody, but this one is a little more special," O'Hara said. "They have a great defense … and it's going to be a good one Saturday."
Stockstill has seen improvements every week from his team. After two straight losses by a combined five points, he's ready to see those improvements lead to a win.
"I thought we played better … last week than we have this whole season, so that's a good sign to see," he said. "We'll keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better and stay positive with this team."
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October 06, 2020 at 05:03AM
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Tough road contest ahead for Blue Raiders - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics - GoBlueRaiders.com
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