Middle Tennessee sacks ULL to stay hot

2009 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders ... Head Coach: Rick Stockstill

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 7-3

9/5 at Clemson L 37-14
9/12 Memphis W 31-14
9/19 at Maryland W 32-31
9/26 at No. Texas W 37-21
10/6 at Troy L 31-7
10/17 Miss St L 27-6
10/24 WKU W 62-24
10/31 at FAU W 27-20
11/7 FIU W 48-21
11/14 UL Laf W 34-17
11/21 Arkansas St
11/28 at ULM

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008Record: 5-7

8/28 Troy L 31-17
9/6 Maryland W 24-14
9/13 at Kentucky L 20-14
9/20 at Arkansas St L 31-14
9/30 Fla Atlantic W 14-13
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 at FIU L 31-21
10/18 at Louisville L 42-23
10/25 at Miss State L 31-22
11/1 OPEN DATE
11/8 UL Monroe W 24-21
11/15 at WKU W 21-10
11/22 North Texas W 52-13
12/3 at UL Laf L 42-28

Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders
Nov. 14
at Middle Tennessee 34 … Louisiana-Lafayette 17
Dwight Dasher threw touchdown passes from 18 yards out to Patrick Honeycutt in the first quarter and from 19-yard away to Garrett Andrews in the third on the way to a strong win for the Blue Raiders. ULL gave up a 20-yard Jamari Lattimore interception return for a score, but Chris Masson was able to run for a three-yard score and hit Vernon Wolfe for a seven-yard touchdown on the way to a 17-14 halftime lead. And then it was all MTSU with 20 unanswered points starting with the Andrews score and helped by a seven-yard Desmond Gee touchdown run. MTSU outgained ULL 506 yards to 293.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 16-of-25 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 17 times for 89 yards.
ULL: Passing: Chris Masson, 25-43, 220 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Yobes Walker, 10-22, Receiving: Richie Falgout, 6-76
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 16-25, 219 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: D.D. Kyles, 20-177, Receiving: Garrett Andrews, 4-80, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Blue Raiders were able to get into the ULL backfield and come up with five sacks, and once again, Dwight Dasher was strong as he continues to make a push for Sun Belt Player of the year honors. The offense had a nice balance, and it worked the ball around well in the second half while the defense put the clamps down, especially against the run. On a four-game winning streak, MTSU has Arkansas State up next and ULM to close with a good shot at getting an at-large bowl bid at 9-3. 

Nov. 7
Middle Tennessee 48 … at FIU 21
Dwight Dasher threw three interceptions, but he ran for a 70-yard touchdown, a 67-yard touchdown, and connected with Sancho McDonald for a 27-yard score and Patrick Honeycutt for a nine-yard score on the way to a 34-0 lead. FIU made it interesting with a 21-point run on Kendall Berry touchdown runs from two, five, and four yards out, but the Blue Raiders put the game away in the fourth on a one-yard Dasher run and a 42-yard Benjamin Cunningham dash.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 13-of-28 passes for 182 yards and two scores with three interceptions, and ran 18 times for 178 yards and three scores.
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 13-28, 182 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 18-178, 3 TD, Receiving: Sancho McDonald, 3-50, 1 TD
FIU: Passing: Wayne Younger, 14-38, 178 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Kendall Berry, 19-103, 3 TD, Receiving: Jason Frierson, 3-73
What It All Means: Dwight Dasher made a few mistakes, but he more than made up for them with long scoring dashes and by keeping the offense moving. The defense did its part with four takeaways while keeping the FIU attack in check, and now the Blue Raiders are moving closer and closer to being the league’s No. 2 team behind Troy. By winning out and going 9-3, it’ll be next to impossible to keep them out of a bowl. 

Oct. 31
Middle Tennessee 27 … at Florida Atlantic 20
In a nip-and-tuck game, Middle Tennessee tied the game at 20 on a eight-yard D.D. Kyles run early in the fourth and got the win on a 74-yard Dwight Dasher run with 5:31 to play. FAU got two Rusty Smith touchdown passes highlighted by a 18-yard Cortez Gent catch, but Middle Tennessee stayed alive on two field goals and a blocked punt for a score. MTSU only converted 1-of-12 third down chances.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee LB Danny Carmichael made 15 tackles and a sack with a broken up pass.
Florida Atlantic: Passing: Rusty Smith, 23-45, 304 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Alfred Morris, 23-93, Receiving: Jamari Grant, 6-80
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 7-21, 90 yds
Rushing: D.D. Kyles, 13-140, 1 TD, Receiving: D.D. Kyles & Chris McClover, 2-18
What It All Means: While the Blue Raiders have to win out and need a ton of help with a few Troy losses, they’re still in the discussion of the top Sun Belt teams and can still hold out hope for a bowl bid by going through November unbeaten. The offense struggled too much for the first three quarters, but after Dwight Dasher had problems, he came up with the big run to come up with the win. With three home games in a row, now is the time to go on a tear of runs starting against FIU next week. 

Oct. 24
at Middle Tennessee 62 … Western Kentucky 24
Middle Tennessee rolled up 646 yards with Dwight Dasher accounting for five touchdowns. The Blue Raiders exploded for 28 points in the second quarter as Dasher threw three touchdown passes including a 23-yards and 54-yarder to Chris McClover. Dasher ran for scores from one and 25 yards out, and Kenneth Gilstrap tore off a 49-yard touchdown dash. WKU got two touchdown catches from Jake Gaebler from 42 and 16 yards away.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 22-of-35 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran ten times for 66 yards and two scores.
Western Kentucky: Passing: Kawaun Jakes, 9-20, 134 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Smith, 5-34, Receiving: Jake Gaebler, 6-100, 2 TD
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 22-35, 355 yds, 3 TD.
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 10-66, 2 TD, Receiving: Chris McClover, 6-149, 2 TD
What It All Means: Middle Tennessee needed an explosion and it got one with Dwight Dasher overcoming a few rough outings to revert back to his early season form. The passing attack did whatever it wanted to against the WKU secondary, and now the offense has to stay hot with a huge game at Florida Atlantic up next. It’s going to take some work and a bunch of help to win the Sun Belt, but at 4-3 with a three-game home stretch coming up after the date with the Owls, bowl eligibility is a near lock if Dasher keeps playing like this.
What It All Means: The losses aren’t the issue; the lack of improvement is. QB Kawaun Jakes will go through some growing pains, but completing just 9-of-20 passes is still a bad day. The defense is getting worse by the week and never let the offense settle in to do anything against Middle Tennessee. The -4 turnover margin made a bad situation a lot worse. At this point, if WKU isn’t winning the turnover battle by a large margin, it doesn’t have a chance.

Oct. 17
Mississippi State 27 … at Middle Tennessee 6
Anthony Dixon became Mississippi State’s all-time rushing leader with 135 yards and touchdown runs from 57 yards out in the second and from one-yard away in the third, and the defense held MSU to 248 yards with four interceptions. Johnathan Banks and Corey Broomfield each intercepted two passes while the Bulldog D allowed just two second quarter field goals. Tyson Lee started off the MSU scoring with a 39-yard touchdown dash.
Player of the Game: Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon ran 27 times for 135 yards and two scores, and he caught two passes for 11 yards
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 11-22, 129 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 13-47, Receiving: Garrett Andrews, 4-49
Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 14-20, 155 yds
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 27-135, 2 TD, Receiving: Arnil Stallworth, 4-71
What It All Means: RB Anthony Dixon, now MSU’s all-time leading rusher, was impressive as he carried the MSU offense to the easy win, while the defense did its job keeping Middle Tennessee to 248 yards and forcing four turnovers. The passing game didn’t take any big shots down the field, but Tyson Lee was effective and didn’t make any mistakes to allow the Blue Raiders into the game. This stopped a three-game losing streak, but the offense didn’t show anything to suggest it can hang around with Florida next week. Savor this win; it’ll be the last one of the year without a major upset.
What It All Means: QB Dwight Dasher missed a series for missing a workout earlier this week, and he was never right. While that’s not an excuse for completing 11-of-22 passes with three interceptions, he struggled way too much to get the offense moving. He’s not an efficient passer, and that’s fine considering he can run, but he can’t turn the ball over. Things get much easier next week with a Sun Belt layup against Western Kentucky.

Oct. 6
at Troy 31 .. Middle Tennessee 7
Troy scored the first 24 points of the game with Dantavious Parker and Shawn Southward each running for short scores and Chip Reeves taking a Levi Brown pass 52 yards for a score. Middle Tennessee finally got on the board late in the third quarter on a Tavarres Jefferson 35-yard touchdown pass, but Troy quickly answered with a 28-yard Parker run to put the game away. The two teams combined for 19 penalties.
Player of the Game: Troy RB Dantavious Parker ran six times for 83 yards and two touchdowns
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 24-44, 245 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 18-53 & D.D. Kyles, 6-53, Receiving: Tavarres Jefferson, 7-79, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 18-30, 191 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dantavious Parker, 6-83, 2 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-32
What It All Means: The Blue Raiders simply couldn't keep the offense moving against. Troy. Dwight Dasher did what he could, but he had little support from the running game outside of a few big runs from D.D. Kyles, and the receivers didn't do much after the catch. Defensively, Danny Carmichael and Danny Robinson combined for 20 tackles, but while the defense was able to come up with three sacks, it didn't do enough early on to make up for the lack of offensive punch.

Sept. 26
Middle Tennessee 37 … at North Texas 21
Dwight Dasher ran for two touchdowns and connected with Benjamin Cunningham from 50 yards out and Desmond Gee from 24 yards away to give Middle Tennessee the win. The Blue Raiders exploded for 20 points in the second quarter to get up 30-7, but UNT fought back with a four-yard Riley Dodge touchdown run and an 18-yarder from Lance Dunbar. Dunbar also took off for a 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Mean Green was done in by five turnovers. Middle Tennessee didn’t give the ball away.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 21-of-43 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught 16 passes for 75 yards and two scores.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 35-54, 313 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 5-101, 2 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 11-82
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 21-43, 269 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 16-75, 2 TD, Receiving: Sancho McDonald, 5-74
What It All Means: Dwight Dasher is at the top of his game. He’s not only moving the offense well and doing a little of everything right, but he’s not making mistakes. While North Texas was melting down, Dasher didn’t throw any picks and he helped the offense take advantage of the errors. The tough road start to the season is about to finish up, and if the Blue Raiders can get by Troy next week, it’s relatively smooth sailing with five of the next six games at home. 

Sept. 19
Middle Tennessee 32 … at Maryland 31
Alan Gendreau nailed a 19-yard field goal with no time left on the clock as Middle Tennessee beat Maryland for the second year in a row. Maryland came up with several big plays highlighted by a 64-yard Torrey Smith touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dwight Dasher ran for a three-yard score and he threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Sancho McDonald and a 32-yarder to Garrett Andrews to rally the Blue Raiders back from a 21-13 second half deficit, but Maryland took a late lead on a 42-yard Nick Ferrara field goal. Dasher was perfect leading the final drive for the game-winning kick.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 27-of-44 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he ran 20 times for 26 yards and a score.
Maryland: Passing: Chris Turner, 19-30, 288 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DaRel Scott, 13-117, 1 TD, Receiving: Davin Meggett, 6-63
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 27-44, 324 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: D.D. Kyles, 10-34, Receiving: Chris McClover, 7-110
What It All Means: QB Dwight Dasher has been unbelievable. The junior has more than lived up to his potential over the last two games throwing well and leading the way to wins. He’s throwing too many picks, he has five in the first three games, but when the Maryland game was on the line, he came through. With road games at North Texas and Troy up next, Dasher has to continue to be solid because he has the team around him to win the Sun Belt. However, the Blue Raiders can’t do it without him.

Sept. 12
at Middle Tennessee 31 ... Memphis 14
Middle Tennessee took control of the game in the second quarter on a 40-yard touchdown catch from Shan Blissard to spark a run of 24 straight points. Dwight Dasher finished with two touchdown passes while D.D. Kyles and Phillip Tanner each ran for short scores. A sluggish Memphis team managed just 219 yards, but it tied it at seven early on a 12-yard Curtis Steele run. The Tigers didn't get back on the board until there was less than two minutes to play with Lance Smith running for a three-yard score.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 18-of-26 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 17 times for 89 yards
Memphis: Passing: Arkelon Hall, 13-22, 93 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: T.J. Pitts, 9-40, Receiving: Duke Calhoun, 4-27
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 18-26, 231 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 17-89, Receiving: Patrick Honeycutt, 5-71, 1 TD
What It All Means: That's what Dwight Dasher is supposed to do. With his mobility and his passing upside, he has the ability to carry an offense on his shoulders, and he did with a great game against Memphis. The defense shut down the lifeless Tiger attack and didn't allow the running game to get going, and now this is looking like a legitimate Sun Belt title contender. Considering Maryland is having problems, next week's game against the Terps has to be seen as winnable if the team plays like it did against the Tigers.

Sept. 5
at Clemson 37 ... Middle Tennessee 14
Clemson had the game in hand from the opening kickoff with a C.J. Spiller 96-yard kickoff return for a score, but he ended up getting hurt on a later punt return but the rest of the team picked up the slack. Middle Tennessee got into the game on a 68-yard fumble return for a score from Chris McCoy, but the offense didn't get on the board until the third quarter on a 18-yard Chris McClover touchdown catch. By that time, Jacoby Ford put the game away with a 61-yard punt return for a score and a 43-yard touchdown grab.
Player of the Game: Clemson WR Jacoby Ford caught three passes for 70 yards and a score, and he returned three punts for 72 yards and a score and returned a kickoff 39 yards.
Clemson: Passing: Kyle Parker, 9-20, 159 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jamie Harper, 15-75, Receiving: Jacoby Ford, 3-70, 1 TD
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 20-42, 204 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 19-61, Receiving: Shane Blissard, 4-68
What It All Means: Dwight Dasher ran well and had a few nice moments, but his three interceptions were a problem, he pressed a bit too much in comeback mode, and he wasn't consistent. The speedy backs need to provide more help, and while the Clemson run defense should be a rock, more should've come from Phillip Tanner. The special teams were a disaster; the coverage teams have work to do. Defensively, Cam Robinson had a nice game with seven tackles and two tackles for loss.