2018 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2018 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blue Raiders played their home games at the Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by 13th-year head coach Rick Stockstill. They finished the season 8–6, 7–1 in C-USA play to finish as champions of the East Division. They represented the East Division in the C-USA Championship Game where they lost to West Division champion UAB. They were invited to the New Orleans Bowl where they lost to Appalachian State.
| 2018 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football | |
|---|---|
 | |
C-USA East Division champion | |
C-USA Championship Game, L 27–25 vs. UAB | |
New Orleans Bowl, L 13–45 vs. Appalachian State | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| East Division | |
| 2018 record | 8–6 (7–1 C-USA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Tony Franklin (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Scott Shafer (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (Capacity: 31,000) |
| 2018 Conference USA football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee x | 7 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Atlantic | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB x$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTSA | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: UAB 27, Middle Tennessee 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Blue Raiders finished the 2017 season 7–6, 4–4 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. They received an invite to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Arkansas State.
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxwell Award[1] | Brent Stockstill | QB | SR |
| Davey O'Brien Award[2] | Brent Stockstill | QB | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[3] | Tavares Thomas | RB | SR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award[4] | Ty Lee | WR | JR |
| Butkus Award[5] | Darius Harris | LB | SO |
| Ray Guy Award[6] | Matt Bonadies | P | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[7] | Brent Stockstill | QB | SR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[8] | Brent Stockstill | QB | SR |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[9] | Tavares Thomas | RB | SR |
Preseason All-CUSA team
Conference USA released their preseason all-CUSA team on July 16, 2018, with the Blue Raiders having four players selected.[10]
|
Offense Brent Stockstill – QB Chandler Brewer – OL Ty Lee – WR |
Defense Khalil Brooks – LB |
Preseason media poll
Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Blue Raiders predicted to finish in third place in the East Division.[11]
| East Division | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida Atlantic | |
| 2 | Marshall | |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee | |
| 4 | FIU | |
| 5 | Western Kentucky | |
| 6 | Old Dominion | |
| 7 | Charlotte | |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 6:30 p.m. | at Vanderbilt* | SECN | L 7–35 | 25,348 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | UT Martin* | ESPN+ | W 61–37 | 16,227 | |
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 3 Georgia* | ESPNews | L 7–49 | 92,746 | |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic |
| Stadium | W 25–24 | 17,299 |
| October 5 | 6:30 p.m. | at Marshall | CBSSN | W 34–24 | 25,979 | |
| October 13 | 6:30 p.m. | at FIU | beIN | L 21–24 | 16,002 | |
| October 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Charlotte |
| ESPN3 | W 21–13 | 13,102 |
| October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | at Old Dominion | ESPN+ | W 51–17 | 19,725 | |
| November 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky |
| CBSSN | W 29–10 | 16,617 |
| November 10 | 2:00 p.m. | at UTEP | ESPN+ | W 48–32 | 9,690 | |
| November 17 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 20 Kentucky* | SECN | L 23–34 | 47,535 | |
| November 24 | 2:00 p.m. | UAB |
| ESPN3 | W 27–3 | 14,411 |
| December 1 | 1:30 p.m. | UAB |
| CBSSN | L 25–27 | 15,806 |
| December 15 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Appalachian State* | ESPN | L 13–45 | 23,942 | |
| ||||||
- Schedule Source:[12]
Game summaries
at Vanderbilt
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Commodores | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
UT Martin
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyhawks | 7 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 37 |
| Blue Raiders | 14 | 12 | 21 | 14 | 61 |
at Georgia
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 3 Bulldogs | 14 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 49 |
Florida Atlantic
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
at Marshall
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 3 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
| Thundering Herd | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at FIU
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Panthers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 24 |
Charlotte
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Old Dominion
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 17 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 51 |
| Monarchs | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Western Kentucky
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Blue Raiders | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 29 |
at UTEP
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 14 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 48 |
| Miners | 0 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 32 |
at Kentucky
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
| No. 20 Wildcats | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
UAB
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
UAB (C-USA Championship Game)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 3 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Blue Raiders | 13 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
vs. Appalachian State (New Orleans Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountaineers | 0 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Blue Raiders | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
References
- "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- "Davey O'Brien Award Watch List includes 26 players". July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- "2018 Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- "2018 Nominations The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award" (PDF). August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- http://conferenceusa.com/news/2018/7/16/football-fb-2018-preseason-awards.aspx
- http://conferenceusa.com/news/2018/7/17/football-fb-preseason-media-poll.aspx
- "2018 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
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