Patrick Smith
For just the second time this season Brent Stockstill started in consecutive games when he and the Blue Raiders took the field last week, and this time he was a little less rusty.
“He missed a couple throws against UTEP,” said coach Rick Stockstill. “And then he played really well (against Charlotte). He’ll continue to improve.”
The younger Stockstill drastically improved his completion percentage from 43 percent against UTEP to 58 percent against Charlotte. Brent also added another three touchdowns to his season total. Most notably, however, Stockstill became the Blue Raiders’ all-time leader in passing yards when he completed a 47-yard pass to C.J. Windham late in the first quarter. The junior quarterback came into the game just 104 yards shy of Wes Counts’ 16-year-old record.
“I couldn’t have done it without everybody around me, but it’s definitely an honor,” Stockstill said. “The guy behind me, hopefully he’ll break it, too.”
Brent Stockstill
Ty Lee, Patrick Smith and Ty Watkins each caught a touchdown pass against Charlotte. Lee led all receivers with 121 yards on just six receptions.
It wasn’t just the passing game that showed up for MT against Charlotte. When Brad Anderson suffered what coach Stockstill called a “pretty significant” leg injury, Tavares Thomas became the workhorse back and made the most of it. The converted linebacker ran wild on the Charlotte defense to the tune of 195 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
The Blue Raiders also had a few standouts defensively. Jovante Moffatt and Khalil Brooks each led the team with seven tackles, while Darius Harris and Darryl Randolph each logged a sack. Reed Blankenship also intercepted his second pass of the season late in the fourth quarter to help seal the 35–21 victory.
If the Blue Raiders hope to reach bowl eligibility this week they will need another complete performance, as they travel to Bowling Green to take on Mike White and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
The preseason All-Conference USA First Team selection has lived up to his preseason hype as White leads the conference in passing yards and completion percentage. Incredibly, he has achieved all this with the worst running game in the country.
Ty Lee
“The receivers continue to get open, from what I’ve seen on film,” Jovante Moffatt said as he explained how WKU has found success in a one-dimensional offense. “We know we have to get pressure. They’ll have different blocking schemes, so their stopping a lot of pressure coming from different angles. So we are just going to have to get to the quarterback and do what we can.”
The Hilltoppers have also proven to be strong versus the pass. They have allowed only 186 passing yards per game in 2017, and only seven passing touchdowns in 10 games.
It will be key to get Tavares Thomas going early again this week. The run game has proven to be as much a struggle on defense as it is on offense for the Hilltoppers. WKU has allowed 181 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns per game.
The Blue Raiders have had a short week to prepare, as they will be kicking this one off Friday night, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green. You can catch all the action on CBS Sports Network.
