Though the Floyd Was Packed, Blue Raiders Had Rough Season Opener Against Vandy

As the MTSU Blue Raiders prepared to take on Vanderbilt in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Sept. 2, to open the 2017 season, 26,717 fans were in attendance at Floyd Stadium. The number marked the sixth highest attendance in the long history of Floyd Stadium. Unfortunately a large number of those fans wearing blue went home unhappy.

“We loved the energy they brought to this game, and we’re very thankful for the turnout,” stated receiver Richie James. “We could have put on a better show for them, but we really appreciate them for coming out and supporting us the way they did.”

And James was absolutely right. What was expected to be a close, hard-fought game was far from it. Although the defense did an incredible job containing Vanderbilt star running back Ralph Webb, the defense was left vulnerable to the passing game. It took the Commodore offense only 89 seconds to score its first touchdown, as quarterback Kyle Shurmur found receiver Kalija Lipscomb wide open for a 37-yard touchdown.

Finding wide open receivers seemed to be a theme for Shurmur, as all three of his passing touchdowns were a result of missed assignments. Shurmur, who was pedestrian at best in last year’s match-up, finished with 296 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71 percent of his attempts.

The first MT possession set the tone for the game, as Stockstill would be hit often. The Blue Raider offense looked like it might answer back, but quarterback Brent Stockstill floated a pass into the hands of Vanderbilt cornerback Bryce Lewis as he was hit.

With MT unable to establish a running game, the Commodore defense was able to apply consistent pressure throughout the game. Despite allowing only eight sacks all of last season, the Blue Raider offensive line allowed five against Vanderbilt. Stockstill struggled to handle the pressure as he had his worst statistical performance since Middle played Alabama in 2015, finishing 18 for 31 with 166 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

“It’s embarrassing. Most embarrassing thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Brent Stockstill said. “It’s just unacceptable.”

For coach Rick Stockstill, the game was the realization of all of his concerns going into camp.

“My biggest fears going into camp were what happened in the game. I was worried about how we would hold up on the offensive line, and obviously we didn’t hold up very well. It was a rather embarrassing performance,” Stockstill said. “We couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t protect.”

The Blue Raiders did not get on the board until early in the fourth quarter when Stockstill and James hooked up for a 22-yard touchdown pass. However, it was too little, too late for Middle Tennessee as they dropped the game 28–6.

The Blue Raider loss determines the Commodores the winner of the annual series that started in 2015 and still has one more game scheduled for the 2018 season before the agreement is satisfied. Though the series started out as a competitive one, Vanderbilt seems to be pulling away over the last two contests.

Middle Tennessee will have to solve the problems along the offensive line and in the run game quickly, as the schedule won’t get any easier through the opening month. The Blue Raiders play two more Power 5 teams, Syracuse and Minnesota, on the road before coming back to Floyd to face the high-powered Bowling Green offense. MT will end the month against Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic.