After suffering three loses on the road to open the 2007 season, the MTSU Blue Raiders are looking forward to some home-field advantage starting with a Sept. 20 matchup against Western Kentucky.
Coach Rick Stockstill remains positive.
“I hope the success we had last year gives our players the confidence to keep moving forward this year,” said Stockstill.
The Blue Raiders had a strong regular season last year with a 6-1 Sun Belt Conference record (7-5 overall), but lost at the Motor City Bowl to Central Michigan 31-14.
Stockstill, who is in his second season coaching the Blue Raiders, has his own philosophy on what breeds a successful team.
“We’re getting closer to where we would like to be,” Stockstill said. “Building a team is a process, though.”
Stockstill said he wants players to know their performance in every aspect of life is important, especially school, and sat standards players must meet in the classroom.
“We are trying to build this team from the ground up,” said Stockstill. “We are not going to let our current disappointments get in the way of our long-term goals. We live in a culture of instant gratification, but that doesn’t work when building a winning football team. It’s just a matter of time.”
As far as the recent losses to Louisville and LSU go: “Conference games are the most important games on our schedule. We just take each game as it comes per week, but we are mostly concerned about our conference games.”
Although MTSU fell in a disappointing season opener in Boca Raton, losing 14-27 to the Florida Atlantic Owls thus beginning the year with an 0-1 conference record, there is a buzz in the air around MTSU’s campus and among the fans.
“I’m ready to get out and see the Blue Raiders win,” said Elijah Hatcher, a junior business major at MTSU. “I want to see them kick some ass this year.”
The Blue Raiders hope just such an occasion will arise in Murfreesboro as they take on the WKU Hilltoppers, currently making the transition to NCAA Division 1-A (FBS) play and scheduled to join the Sun Belt in 2009.
“We’re really excited about this game,” said Mark Owens, media relations director for Blue Raider athletics. “We’re expecting a lot of people out for this one. Western Kentucky should bring some fans in addition to all of the locals.”
MTSU will go on to host Florida International, Virginia, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette at Floyd Stadium.
Attendance has been rising over the past few years and averaged over 22,000 in 2006.
“We’re expecting a full house this year,” said John Brooks, director of ticketing at Floyd Stadium. “That is somewhere in between 25,000 and 30,000. So we are advising everyone who plans to come to buy their tickets in advance. This will help avoid long lines and will make everything run a bit smoother.”
And of course, there is the new addition to Floyd Stadium: the giant video screen.
“It is awesome,” said Brooks. “It is much better than the sign we had before.”
