2006 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 26
Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan 31 .... Middle Tennessee 14
Central Michigan controlled the game from the start with an
early 14-0 lead with Ontario Sneed running for a one-yard score and
catching a pass on the sidelines for a 29-yard touchdown. Middle
Tennessee went on a 12-play, 80-yard drive to get within seven, but the
Chippewas quickly answered with a :35 drive ending with a nine-yard Dan
LeFevour scramble for a score. The defense got in the act in the second
half with linebacker Doug Kress picking off a pass for a 56-yard
touchdown. The Blue Raiders never quit with a DeMarco McNair touchdown
run, but couldn't get any closer.
Player of the game ... Central Michigan DE Dan Bazuin made eight
tackles, two sacks, broke up a pass and made 2.5 tackles for loss Stat Leaders: Central Michigan- Passing:
Dan LeFevour, 16-26, 162 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 15-69, 1 TD. Receiving:
Bryan Anderson, 6-51 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks,
25-37, 251 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Eugene Gross, 12-37, 1 TD. Receiving:
Desmond Gee, 9-63 Notes and Thoughts ... Did Jeff Quinn do enough in the
interim to take over for Jeff Kelly as the Central Michigan head coach?
The players seem to want him, and he's fired up to be the head man, but
the school should at least look around a little bit first just to see
who else is out there and who might be a good fit. Beating Middle
Tennessee isn't enough to ensure the gig. ... The Blue Raiders had
several chances to quit, but didn't. The offense wasn't working, the
receivers weren't making plays, and the ground game only cranked out 61
yards, but give credit to the coaching staff and the players for
fighting. ... The CMU defensive front, particularly Dan Bazuin, took
over the game. His stats don't do him justice. He registered two sacks,
but he hit and hurried the Middle Tennessee quarterbacks countless
times. He disrupted everything.
Nov. 25
Troy 21 ... Middle Tennessee 20
Down 20-7 late in the game, Troy scored on a 19-yard Smokey
Hampton touchdown catch with just over two minutes to play, recovered
the onside kick, and went 42 yards in eight plays finishing off with a
three-yard Gary Banks touchdown grab with 14 seconds to play. Middle
Tennessee had started off the scoring with the first of two Colby Smith
second quarter field goals and a four-yard Desmond Gee run off a trick
play, but Troy stayed alive with an eight-yard Omar Haugabook touchdown
run. When RB Desmond Gee his Stephen Chicola for a 15-yard touchdown
pass early in the fourth, the Blue Raiders appeared to have it wrapped
up. Player of the game ... Troy WR Smokey Hampton caught seven
passes for 104 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook,
30-40, 235 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 18-83 Receiving:
Smokey Hampton, 7-104, 1 TD Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks, 12-20,
111 yds Rushing: DeMarco McNair, 15-62 Receiving:
Desmond Gee, 5-15 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Middle
Tennessee was just over two minutes away from winning the Sun Belt title
convincingly before going off to the New Orleans Bowl. After Troy's
passing game carved up to the Blue Raider secondary, now the hope is for
a stunning FIU upset of the Trojans to win the title outright. The team
has no one to blame but itself with little to no consistent offensive
production. If you can't gain more than 208 yards in the biggest game of
your season, you probably don't deserve to be outright champion.
Nov. 18
South Carolina 52 ... Middle Tennessee 7
Middle Tennessee scored first on a 73-yard Desmond Gee run on
its first play of the game and managed 127 yards the rest of the way. South
Carolina got four Blake Mitchell touchdown passes including two to Sidney Rice
in the third quarter on the way to 52 unanswered points. Cory Boyd scored twice
and Bobby Wallace ran for an 88-yard score helping the Gamecocks roll up 545
yards of total offense. Player of the game ...
South Carolina QB
Blake Mitchell was 21-of-28 for 388 yards and four touchdown passes. Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee- Passing: Clint Marks,
5-13, 110 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Eugene Gross, 11-48 Receiving: Desmond Gee, 1-73, 1 TD South Carolina - Passing: Blake Mitchell, 21-28, 388 yds, 4
TDs
Rushing: Bobby Wallace, 3-98, 1 TD Receiving: Sidney Rice, 6-90, 2
TDs Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Well, now it’s
been firmly established; Middle Tennessee is fantastic in Sun Belt play, and
awful against teams with a pulse. That’s fine for now considering the conference
title is there for the taking with a win next week against Troy, but the Blue
Raiders are going to want to actually win their bowl game so cutting down on
penalties and getting some form of consistent offense from one week to the next
is a must. That starts with getting more from the offensive line and the running
game.
Nov. 11
Arkansas State 38 ... Middle Tennessee 10
A 88-yard Brandon Robinson interception return for a touchdown
and short touchdown runs from Desmond Gee and DeMarco McNair helped
Middle Tennessee pull away in the second half to a 31-3 lead. Arkansas
State moved the ball well all game long, but only managed a 14-yard Levi
Dejohnette touchdown late in the fourth quarter. McNair scored again on
the first play following the unsuccessful onside kick attempt with a
48-yard run. Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee RB Eugene Gross
ran 15 times for 79 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee- Passing:
Clint Marks, 11-14, 134 yds Rushing: DeMarco McNair, 9-98, 2 TD. Receiving:
Desmond Gee, 2-46 Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard,
14-35, 146 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 20-115 Receiving:
Levi Dejohnette, 3-38, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's now one for the title. Get
through the game against South Carolina, and then it's all about Troy to
win the Sun Belt and go bowling. The Middle Tennessee bent against the
good Arkansas State running game, but it didn't break, while Eugene
Gross and DeMarco McNair came up with a nice combination of big plays
and workhorse runs. Clint Marks was as efficient as he's been all year
coming off a bad performance against Florida Atlantic.
Nov. 4
Middle Tennessee 35 ... Florida Atlantic
14
Florida Atlantic to its opening drive deep into Middle
Tennessee territory, but it missed on a field goal attempt and it was
all downhill from there. Eugene Gross had a career day rushing for 208
yards starting off the scoring with a two-yard run and closing it out
with a 56-yard dash. The special teams got into the act with a 94-yard
Damon Nickson kickoff return for a score to open the second half while
the defense got involved with a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown
from Justin Rainey. Casey McGahee caught a nine-yard touchdown pass for
the Owls and Charles Pierre ran for a four-yard score. Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee RB Eugene Gross
ran 21 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Rusty Smith, 18-30, 223 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Charles Pierre, 22-86, 1 TD Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 6-97 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks,
5-11, 71 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Eugene Gross, 21-208, 2 TD Receiving:
DeMarco McNair, 2-35 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
With the way Florida Atlantic's defense has
been playing lately, for Eugene Gross and the running game to crank out
271 yards (with Gross running for 208) and to control the game
throughout was impressive. This has been the Sun Belt's best team and
became bowl eligible with the win, and now it needs to get by Arkansas
State and Troy to win the conference title and go to New Orleans.
Oct. 28
Middle Tennessee 35 ... UL Monroe 21
Damon Nickson picked off four passes taking on 28 yards for a
touchdown as part of six forced turnovers by the Blue Raiders. The Ragin'
Cajun defense started off the scoring with a Michael Adams 79-yard
interception for a touchdown, and then the Middle Tennessee defense
started forcing mistakes giving the offense short field to work with.
Clint Marks threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Gee and ran for a
one-yard score, but MT didn't put the game away until late on a six-yard
Eugene Gross scoring run. Player of the game
...
Middle Tennessee S Damon Nickson led the team with six tackles and
became the first player in school history to pick off four passes in the
same game. Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint
Marks, 19-26, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Eugene Gross, 23-94, 1 TD Receiving: Taron
Henry, 5-85 UL Lafayette - Passing: Jerry Babb, 12-24, 182 yds,
1 TD, 4 INTs Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 16-90 Receiving: Derrick Smith,
5-70 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Now
Middle Tennessee is the team to beat in the Sun Belt after the win over
UL Lafayette. Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Troy are all good
enough to beat the Blue Raiders, but as long as the defense is playing
reasonably well, they'll have a chance to win all three. Clint Marks did
a nice, efficient job after bouncing back from the awful start. The more
he can loosen things up for Eugene Gross and the running game over the
tough final stretch, the better chance the offense has of starting to
explode.
Oct. 21
Middle Tennessee 35 ... UL Monroe 21
Down 21-14 at halftime, Middle Tennessee opened things up in
the second half scoring 21 unanswered points with Eugene Gross running
for a three-yard score, Desmond Gee taking a Clint Marks pass 54 yards
for a touchdown, and DeMarco McNair scoring his second touchdown of the
game on an eight-yard run with just over six minutes to play. ULM got
short touchdown runs from Erroll Hogan and Calvin Dawson, and converted
a turnover into a 32-yard J.J. McCoy touchdown late in the first half,
but sputtered in the second half.
Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee QB
Clint Marks complete 19 of 24 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns
with an interception. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon
Lancaster, 15-27, 184 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 12-72, 1 TD Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 3-62 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks, 19-24, 234
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Eugene Gross, 21-100, 1 TD Receiving:
Desmond Gee, 6-109, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... So
there's the offense. Freshman Desmond Gee came up with a wow performance
in the win over UL Monroe, but is was the running of Eugene Gross and
DeMarco McNeal, and the tight passing of Clint Marks, that led the way
to the great second half and the win. Still unbeaten in Sun Belt play,
the Blue Raiders have to keep up the offensive explosion to pull off
road showdowns at UL Lafayette and Arkansas State.
Oct. 6
Louisville 44 ... Middle Tennessee 17
Louisville overcame an early 10-3 deficit with two long
touchdowns from Mario Urrutia taking a slat pass 68 yards for a
touchdown in the first quarter and grabbing a 25-yard pass for a score
with eight seconds to play in the second. A ten-yard Kolby Smith run
gave the Cardinals a 37-10 lead to put the game well out of reach. MTSU
got in the end zone first on a 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown
early in the first and got a seven-yard Clint Marks touchdown pass late
in the fourth. Player of the game ... Louisville WR Mario Urrutia
caught four passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing:
Clint Marks, 17-33, 167 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Eugene Gross, 13-50. Receiving:
Bobby Williams, 4-27 Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell,
17-32, 340 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Allen, 7-70, 1 TD. Receiving:
Harry Douglas, 5-63 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Middle
Tennessee moved the ball a little bit on Louisville and was able to keep
the chains moving, but once the floodgates opened up, Clint Marks and
the passing game couldn't keep up. The defense did a good job early, but
it wore down as the game went on. The overall team speed and athleticism
couldn't come close to staying with the Cardinals, but things should
slow down in a big way in over the next several games in Sun Belt play.
Sept. 30
Middle Tennessee 35 ... North Texas 0
The Middle Tennessee defense held North Texas to 103 yards of
total offense while the offense scored in each quarter starting out with
two Eugene Gross touchdown runs in the first. The first score was set up
by a J.K. Sabb forced fumble which was returned to the NU 26. Gross ran
it in from 15 yards out. Bobby Williams caught a four-yard touchdown pass
in the second and DeMarco McNair and Desmond Gee added showing scoring
runs in the second half. The MT defense came up with six sacks. Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee LB J.K. Sabb
made eight tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and forced one
fumble Stat Leaders: North Texas- Passing:
Woody Wilson, 4-12, 42 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 12-53. Receiving:
B. Jackson, 2-28 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks,
13-18, 154 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Eugene Gross, 20-88, 2 TD. Receiving: J.
Grigsby, 3-71 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The defense came up with a perfect game
against North Texas getting its first shutout on the road in Sun Belt
play. J.K. Sabb and the defensive front swarmed over the Mean Green
offense all game long getting into the backfield time and again. Clint
Marks did exactly what he was supposed to do on offense with an
efficient day keeping the chains moving enough to control the ball for
40:41. The D won't have the same success against Louisville next week,
but this game has to be a confidence boost after getting bombed by
Oklahoma.
Sept. 23
Oklahoma 59 ... Middle Tennessee 0
Oklahoma dominated from start to finish outgaining Middle
Tennessee 462 yards to 95 and blowing out to a 45-0 halftime lead
highlighted by a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown from Zach
Lattimore and three Adrian Peterson touchdown runs. Paul Thompson was
brilliant throwing three touchdown passes to three different receivers
including an 18-yard play to Malcolm Kelly in the first quarter to start
off the touchdowns. Reggie Smith capped things off with a 61-yard punt
return for a score. Middle Tennessee gained 22 rushing yards and seven
first downs. Player of the game ... Oklahoma QB Paul Thompson
complete 13 of 18 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Oklahoma- Passing: Paul
Thompson, 13-18, 257 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Adrian Peterson, 27-128 yds, 3 TD. Receiving:
Malcolm Kelly, 5-164, 1 TD Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks,
3-9, 40 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: DeMarco McNair, 9-37. Receiving: Bobby
Williams, 2-37 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Middle Tennessee had no prayer whatsoever
against a fired up Oklahoma team out for blood. There's nothing positive
to take out of this game, and it has to simply be chalked up to a
strange, unavoidable circumstance. Now the real work begins with a date
at North Texas to resume Sun Belt play. The D has to get back to the
level it was at before the Sooner debacle, and Clint Marks has to find a
passing touch again in a big hurry.
Sept. 14
Middle Tennessee 44 ... Tennessee Tech 0
Middle Tennessee had no problems
after a rocky first half scoring 41 second half points helped by three
Tech turnovers. Clint Smith threw two touchdown passes and Eugene Gross
ran for a one-yard score to put the game away, and the defense got in
the act with a 40-yard fumble recovery for a score from Lonnie Clemons.
MTSU held Tech to ten rushing yards. Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee DB Reggie
Doucet made three tackles and two interceptions. Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee- Passing:
Clint Marks, 10-20, 106 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Desmond Gee, 7-61, 1 TD. Receiving:
Bobby Williams, 3-51 Tennessee Tech - Passing:
Lee Sweeney, 13-27, 125 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Derek White, 7-14. Receiving: Brent
McNeal, 3-41 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The Blue
Raiders turned up the defensive pressure and beat up Tennessee Tech, but
it has to get up to a far better start. Clint Marks didn't do nearly
enough to keep thing moving, and the running game only kicked it in once
the defense came up with great field position. Against Oklahoma next
week, and more importantly at North Texas the week after, the offense
has to be far sharper right off the bat.
Sept. 9
Maryland 24 ... Middle Tennessee 10
Maryland was outgained 321 yards to
271, but still coasted with two touchdown runs from Lance Ball, a
one-yard score from Sam Hollenbach and a 37-yard Dan Ennis filed goal
for a 24-3 lead late into the third quarter. Middle Tennessee moved the
ball, but could only manage a 42-yard Colby Smith field goal until late
in the third quarter when Eugene Gross ran for a two-yard score. Two
Blue Raider fumbles proved costly early and the Terp offense was helped
right off the bat by a big opening kickoff return by Josh Wilson. Player of the game ... Maryland RB Keon Lattimore ran
13 times for 86 yards and caught two passes for 20 yards. Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee- Passing:
Clint Marks, 22-41, 216 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Eugene Gross, 13-74, 1 TD. Receiving:
Bobby Williams, 7-71 Maryland - Passing:
Sam Hollenbach, 11-16, 139 yds
Rushing: Keon Lattimore, 13-86. Receiving: Josh
Haynos, 3-45 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Middle
Tennessee controlled the clock and the yards against Maryland, but it
couldn't produce points and it struggled to finish off drives. Three
turnovers proved to be way too costly and there wasn't a consistent
enough passing attack to threaten the Terps after the initial push. The
offense has to find itself against Tennessee Tech if the team is going
to have any prayer of staying with Oklahoma in two weeks.
Aug. 31
MTSU 7 ... FIU 6
FIU took the opening drive 80 yards capping off with a 12-yard
Julian Reams touchdown run, but Chris Patullo missed the extra point
which turned out to be the difference. MT's offense only managed 175
yards, but it came up with one great drive going 82 yards in ten
plays finishing up with a 33-yard Eugene Gross touchdown run with a
minute left in the first half. Neither team was able to do much
offensively in the second half with field position proving to be
critical. Player of the game ... FIU LB Keyonvis Bouie made 13
tackles and one tackle for loss and DE Antwan Barnes made four sacks
in a losing cause. Stat Leaders: FIU- Passing: Josh Padrick,
21-38, 132 yds Rushing: Julian Reams, 13-80, 1 TD. Receiving:
Samuel Smith, 11-66 MT - Passing: Clint Marks, 10-17, 79 yds,
1 INT
Rushing: Eugene Gross, 18-76, 1 TD. Receiving:
Taron Henry, 4-39 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Middle Tennessee has was too much returning
experience to only come up with 175 yards of total offense and seven
points against a team like FIU. The defense appears to have picked
up where it left off last season and did a great job of bending, but
not breaking, after FIU's opening drive of the game. To be even
remotely competitive next week at Maryland, the offensive line has
to do a much better job of protecting Clint Marks.
While the Blue Raiders haven't been a disappointment on a big time
scale, they've had the talent and production to not just win a Sun
Belt title, they've had everything in place to win several.
Instead, there have been four straight losing seasons with no New
Orleans Bowl appearances in the five years as a Sun Belt member. The
program started off its conference life on a strange note going 8-3
in 2001 only to miss out because it lost to a North Texas team that
went 5-6.
How frustrating was last season under former head coach Andy
McCollum? All four Sun Belt losses last season were by a touchdown
or less. MTSU lost to UL Monroe in the final :43 and to UL Lafayette
with 1:04 to play. There was a 45-7 pasting of eventual league
champion Arkansas State, and a win at Vanderbilt that would turn out
to be the bowl killer for the Commodores. The defense only allowed
18.73 points per game, but the offense often couldn't take advantage
struggling to average just 19 points per outing.
All the frustrations and all
the near misses meant the end of the McCollum tenure and the beginning
of the Rick Stockstill era in what'll be an interesting experience
until the new coaching staff gets its feet wet. This is Stockstill's
first head coaching gig after spending time as an assistant at Clemson,
East Carolina and South Carolina over the past several years. He's known
for being a top recruiter and a nice developer of offensive talent, and
he has some good prospects to work with.
Senior QB Clint Marks has been the starter for two years and has more
than enough experience to handle himself well and be just the type of
leader to carry the offense between coaching staffs. Bobby Williams, if
he gets out of the doghouse after being suspended for spring ball, should be one of the Sun Belt's best receivers. Eugene Gross leads a
small, quick backfield running behind a big, decent offensive line.
The defense won't be the killer it was last year after losing seven top
starters, but it's not going to fall off the map with several good
prospects ready to step in and linebacker J.K. Sabb and corner Bradley
Robinson to build around. If the offense comes though with a better
season, the D will be good enough to win the Sun Belt title with.
And that's the measure of success for Stockstill ... Sun Belt
championships. The league is even, but it's not good enough to not be
taken by storm if a program get hot. A little more luck in close games
and a few better bounces here and there and MTSU will be the league's
new star.
The Schedule: It's
tough with the biggest games on the road. North Texas, UL Monroe, UL
Lafayette and Arkansas State should be among the Sun Belt's best
teams, and all four are away from Murfreesboro. The non-conference
slate isn't going to be fun playing at Maryland, at Oklahoma and at
South Carolina to go along with a home date with Louisville and a
layup against Tennessee Tech, so there will be little margin for
error if MTSU wants its first winning season since 2001.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior QB Clint Marks. The left-handed senior
saw his production dive last year with no running game to balance
things out. There should be a 50/50 split of the workload, and
that'll only help Marks by giving him more options to work with. If
MTSU wins the Sun Belt title, Marks will likely be the Player of the
Year.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior LB J.K Sabb. The former JUCO All-American
came in and rocked right away leading the team in tackles and
tackles for loss. He's a great sized playmaker on the weakside and a
fearsome pass rusher.
Key
player to a successful season: Junior CB Roy Polite. The secondary
was one of the rocks of last year's team, and it will be again as
long as Polite has a big year. The junior has been a quality reserve
with good size and nice skills. Now he'll have to be a big producer
with everyone looking to stay away from Bradley Robinson on the
other side.
The
season will be a success if ... MTSU wins the Sun Belt title.
Finishing second means nothing in this league. It needs to get by a
nasty conference draw and has to survive three two-game
road trips, but the team should be good enough to beat anyone on the
slate outside of Maryland, Oklahoma, Louisville and South Carolina.
Key
game: Sept. 30 at North Texas. The Mean Green is better than last
season's 2-9 disaster. One of those wins was a 14-7 clunker against
the Blue Raiders pushing the record between the two to 5-0. MTSU
needs this Sun Belt road opener coming off an almost certain blowout
at Oklahoma and a near-certain blowout against Louisville coming up
the following week.
2005
Fun Stats:
- First quarter scoring: MTSU 48 - Opponents 19
- Fourth down conversions: MTSU 9 of 12 (75%) - Opponents 3 of 15
(20%)
- Interception return average: Opponents 24.4 yards on seven
interceptions - MTSU 9.1 yards on 14 interceptions
The Last Time MTSU…
…played in a bowl game…1964 (Grantland Rice Bowl vs. Muskingum)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2004 (Utah State)
…was shutout…2000 (Florida)
…scored 50 points…2005 (UL-Lafayette)
…went undefeated…1965
…won a conference title…2001 (tie, Sun Belt)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Dwone Hicks)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Kerry Wright)
…had a first-round draft choice…never
