2020 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Last updated

2020 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
Middle Tennessee MT Logomark.svg
Conference Conference USA
DivisionEast Division
Record3–6 (2–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin (5th season)
Offensive scheme Air raid
Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer (4th season)
Base defense Multiple 4–3
Home stadium Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
Seasons
  2019
2021  
2020 Conference USA football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
Marshall xy  4 1   7 3  
Florida Atlantic  4 2   5 4  
Western Kentucky  4 3   5 7  
Charlotte  2 2   2 4  
Middle Tennessee  2 4   3 6  
FIU  0 3   0 5  
West Division
UAB xy$  3 1   6 3  
UTSA  5 2   7 5  
Louisiana Tech  4 2   5 5  
North Texas  3 4   4 6  
Rice  2 3   2 3  
Southern Miss  2 4   3 7  
UTEP  0 4   3 5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

The 2020 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University as a member of the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders compiled an overall record of 3–6 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the C-USA's East Division. The team played home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Contents

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

AwardPlayerPositionYear
TBD

CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days was held virtually for the first time in conference history. [1]

Preseason All-CUSA teams

To be released

Schedule

Middle Tennessee announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020. [2] The original 2020 schedule consists of six home and six away games in the regular season. The Blue Raiders had games scheduled against Duke, Indiana State, Old Dominion, UConn, Virginia Tech, and UAB which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4] [5] [6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 5 12:30 p.m.at Army * CBSSN L 0–42 5,249
September 192:30 p.m. Troy * ESPN L 14–47 6,000
September 257:00 p.m. at UTSA CBSSN L 35–37 6,182
October 3 4:00 p.m. Western Kentucky
ESPN3 L 17–20 6,500
October 10 3:00 p.m. at FIU ESPNU W 31–28 2,213
October 17 4:00 p.m. North Texas
  • Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
  • Murfreesboro, TN
Stadium L 35–52 5,000
October 24 2:30 p.m. at Rice ESPN3 W 40–34 2OT 0
November 14 12:00 p.m.at No. 16 Marshall CBSSN L 14–42 12,224
November 21 2:30 p.m. at Troy* ESPN3 W 20–17 12,000
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[7]

Game summaries

At Army

Middle Tennessee at Army
1234Total
Blue Raiders00000
Black Knights71414742
  
Pregame lineOver/under
ARMY –3.554 [8]
StatisticsMiddle TennesseeArmy
First downs1324
Total yards184368
Rushing yards75340
Passing yards10928
Turnovers40
Time of possession24:3135:29
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingChase Cunningham7/10, 63 yards
RushingChaton Mobley5 carries, 27 yards
ReceivingJarrin Pierce4 receptions, 33 yards
ArmyPassingChristian Anderson2/4, 28 yards
RushingTyrell Robinson9 carries, 94 yards
ReceivingIsaiah Alston1 reception, 18 yards

Troy

Troy at Middle Tennessee State
1234Total
Trojans71914747
Blue Raiders700714
  • Date: September 19, 2020
  • Location: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
    Murfreesboro, TN
  • Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes
  • Game attendance: 6,000
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Hazy, Cool, Nice • Wind: 6 N MPH
  • Referee: Ken Antee
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Neal (play–by–play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline reporter)
      
Pregame lineOver/under
TROY −3.564.5 [9]
StatisticsTroyMiddle Tennessee
First downs3015
Total yards496241
Rushing yards24087
Passing yards256154
Turnovers23
Time of possession35:4524:15
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
TroyPassing Gunnar Watson 26/37, 248 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RushingB. J. Smith10 carries, 81 yards
ReceivingKhalil McClain6 receptions, 75 yards, 2 TDs
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara16/23, 109 yards, 1 INT
RushingAsher O'Hara14 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJarrin Pierce11 receptions, 81 yards

At UTSA

Middle Tennessee at Texas–San Antonio
1234Total
Blue Raiders37131235
Roadrunners01717337
         
Pregame lineOver/under
UTSA –659 [10]
StatisticsMiddle TennesseeUTSA
First downs2716
Total yards563391
Rushing yards19188
Passing yards372303
Turnovers21
Time of possession35:4024:20
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara31/47, 372 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingJayy McDonald7 carries, 76 yards
ReceivingJarrin Pierce7 receptions, 107 yards
UTSAPassingJosh Adkins16/28, 233 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Sincere McCormick 19 carries, 82 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Zakhari Franklin 6 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD

Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee
1234Total
Hilltoppers0103720
Blue Raiders0100717
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
    Murfreesboro, TN
  • Game start: 4:05 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 3 minutes
  • Game attendance: 6,500
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Sunny & Nice • Wind: ESE 1 MPH
  • Referee: Rodney Burnette
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Jake Rose (play–by–play) and Jeremy Kellem (analyst)
    
Pregame lineOver/under
WKU –752.5 [11]
StatisticsWestern KentuckyMiddle Tennessee
First downs2118
Total yards326319
Rushing yards138102
Passing yards188217
Turnovers10
Time of possession31:3528:25
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western KentuckyPassing Tyrrell Pigrome 21/36, 188 yards, 2 TDs
RushingTyrrell Pigrome16 carries, 55 yards
ReceivingXavier Lane7 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara23/33, 217 yards, 1 TD
RushingAsher O'Hara25 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJarrin Pierce9 receptions, 65 yards

At FIU

Middle Tennessee at Florida International
1234Total
Blue Raiders0177731
Panthers7714028
  • Date: October 10, 2020
  • Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium
    Miami, FL
  • Game start: 3:02 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes
  • Game attendance: 2,213
  • Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: NE 10 MPH
  • Referee: Kevin Randall
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play–by–play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst)
     
Pregame lineOver/under
FIU –6.557 [12]
StatisticsMiddle TennesseeFIU
First downs2315
Total yards404328
Rushing yards136270
Passing yards26858
Turnovers21
Time of possession31:4628:14
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara23/42, 268 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingAsher O'Hara23 carries, 106 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingJarrin Pierce5 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD
FIUPassingKaylan Wiggins5/15, 37 yards, 1 INT
RushingShaun Peterson Jr.15 carries, 117 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingNate Jefferson2 receptions, 19 yards

North Texas

North Texas at Middle Tennessee
1234Total
Mean Green714211052
Blue Raiders2170735
  • Date: October 17, 2020
  • Location: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
    Murfreesboro, TN
  • Game start: 4:06 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,000
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny, nice • Wind: SSE 5 MPH
  • Referee: Jonathan Noli
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Vosters (play–by–play) and Max Starks (analyst)
        
Pregame lineOver/under
MTSU –3.572 [13]
StatisticsNorth TexasMiddle Tennessee
First downs3223
Total yards768432
Rushing yards462268
Passing yards306164
Turnovers31
Time of possession27:5232:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
North TexasPassing Jason Bean 12/17, 181 yards, 2 TDs
RushingJason Bean10 carries, 169 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Jaelon Darden 10 receptions, 204 yards, 1 TD
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara18/29, 164 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingChaton Mobley14 carries, 156 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingCJ Windham4 receptions, 49 yards

At Rice

Middle Tennessee at Rice
1234OTTotal
Blue Raiders014173640
Owls67614033
  • Date: October 24, 2020
  • Location: Rice Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 2:32 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 51 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 6 MPH
  • Referee: Joe Lehring
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): David Saltzman (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
        
Pregame lineOver/under
RICE −448.5 [14]
StatisticsMiddle TennesseeRice
First downs2226
Total yards451425
Rushing yards118183
Passing yards333242
Turnovers13
Time of possession27:0332:57
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara24/33, 333 yards, 2 TDs
RushingAsher O'Hara22 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingCJ Windham7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD
RicePassingMike Collins18/35, 242 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
RushingJuma Otoviano20 carries, 84 yards
Receiving Austin Trammell 3 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs

At Marshall

1234Total
Blue Raiders077014
No. 16 Thundering Herd71421042
StatisticsMTSUMRSH
First downs1826
Plays–yards68–30375–520
Rushes–yards23–5638–184
Passing yards247336
Passing: compattint30–45–025–37–0
Time of possession24:4635:14
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara29/44, 241 yards, 1 TD
RushingAsher O'Hara11 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJarrin Pierce9 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
MarshallPassing Grant Wells 25/37, 336 yards, 5 TD
RushingBrenden Knox16 carries, 70 yards
ReceivingWillie Johnson8 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD

At Troy

Middle Tennessee at Troy
1234Total
Blue Raiders7100320
Trojans370717
  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium
    Troy, AL
  • Game start: 2:35 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 51 minutes
  • Game attendance: 12,000
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: S 5 MPH
  • Referee: Marshall Lewis
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Will Kollmeyer (play–by–play) and Ben Stanfield (analyst)
    
Pregame lineOver/under
TROY –1160.5 [15]
StatisticsMiddle TennesseeTroy
First downs2318
Total yards396392
Rushing yards18692
Passing yards210300
Turnovers02
Time of possession37:2122:39
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Middle TennesseePassingAsher O'Hara19/23, 210 yards
RushingAsher O'Hara25 carries, 86 yards
ReceivingYusuf Ali7 receptions, 90 yards
TroyPassing Gunnar Watson 25/39, 300 yards, TD, 2 INTs
RushingB. J. Smith10 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingKhalil McClain6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD

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References

  1. "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. "Raiders to host four bowl teams in 2020". Middle Tennessee State University Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  4. "UConn Football Announces Cancellation of 2020 Season Due to Risks Associated with Covid-19". UConn Athletic Department. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  5. "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. "Blue Raiders will open football season at Army". MTSU Athletic Department. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  7. "2020 Middle Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  8. "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Army Black Knights". Odds Shark. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  9. "Troy Trojans vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  10. "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs UTSA Roadrunners". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  11. "WKU Hilltoppers vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs FIU Panthers". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  13. "North Texas Mean Green vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  14. "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Rice Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  15. "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Troy Trojans". Odds Shark. Retrieved December 23, 2020.