Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Key To The 2022 Offense
Be a whole lot better on third downs.
Middle Tennessee struggled too much to keep the chains moving. Not having a steady running game was part of it, not being able to hit the downfield throw didn’t help, and simply not coming up clutch on big down after big down mattered.
The offense was 125th in the nation on third downs converting just 31% of the time, killing a whole lot of momentum created by a defense that kept taking the ball away.
The team was at 30% or under eight times. To be fair, the program hasn’t been great on third downs for years – other than a tick up in 2020. It still needs to improve.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Key To The 2022 Defense
Keep taking the ball away.
Yeah, Middle Tennessee lost a ton of talent, but the systems work. The program has been great over the years at forcing takeaways, but nothing could match what the 2021 group did.
The defense led the nation in takeaways with 17 picks and 15 fumble recoveries. Not surprisingly, most of the games with tons of turnovers led to wins, shocking Marshall with six takeaways and getting by Southern Miss with five.
They came up with multiple takeaways eight times and three or more times in seven games. This all came off a great stretch to close 2020, and now the D is on a run of three or more takeaways nine times in 17 games.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Key Player To The 2022 Season
LB Raquon Hartley, Soph.
All DQ Thomas did was make 309 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, force eight fumbles, pick off two passes, and score a touchdown in his five years as the Middle Tennessee weakside linebacker.
All Raquon Hartley has done is make 34 tackles with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in two seasons. He’s a defensive back playing weakside linebacker, but he needs to somehow try to match what Thomas brought to the position.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Key Transfer
RB Joe Ervin, Soph.
Or redshirt freshman Avarius Sparrow. Both players need to help boost up the production of a running game that hasn’t gone anywhere for a while.
Frank Peasant is a good back, but Sparrow is a speedster from West Virginia, and the 5-8, 179-pound Ervin from Kansas State might be a difference maker with his quickness.
Middle Tennessee Key Game To The 2022 Season
at James Madison, Sept. 3
The Blue Raiders have to steal a few road wins from somewhere.
They start the season with three of the first four games on the road, and they’re probably not going to beat Miami or Colorado State. James Madison is going to be jacked up for its first game in the FBS world, and it’s got the talent and upside to pull off the win even without the emotional element.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Middle Tennessee might need this in the opener to get to six wins and a bowl.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: 2021 Fun Stats
– MT 1st Quarter Scoring: 59 – MT 2nd Quarter Scoring: 141
– Takeaways: Middle Tennessee 32 – Opponents 21
– Passing Yards: Middle Tennessee 3,100 – Opponents 3,075
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Middle Tennessee Top 10 Players | Schedule