Five key questions about MT

GoMiddle.com publisher Casey Bowman answers five key questions about Saturday's game from VandySports.com publisher Chris Lee.

1. Health, especially at receiver, seems to be a concern for MTSU heading into Saturday. Which players, who play key roles, will be either out or limited, and how effectively can the Blue Raiders plug those holes?

The injury bug certainly struck early this year for the Blue Raiders. They lost seniors Terry Pettis and Shane Tucker (who was transitioning from RB to WR) and RS freshman Joc Bruce (Tennessee transfer) during Fall Camp. Then, in the first half against Alabama A&M, they lost senior Demetrius Frazier. Of the four, the loss of Pettis hurts the most along with Frazier.

There were some unknown elements with Tucker and Bruce, so it's hard to really gauge the level of impact those injuries had, but the depth chart has taken a hit, no doubt.

I'll say this, though - if there were to be a position where the injury bug could hit, and be somewhat softened by the depth chart - it'd be the receiver position. MT has really done a solid job in recruiting that position over the last two-to-three years. While it's young, raw talent - it's talent nonetheless. It's a 'next man up' mentality with the coaching staff right now.

2. Quarterback Brent Stockstill threw for 4,005 yards last year, which was basically a deep ball away from Jameis Winston's all-time NCAA passing record for freshmen. I know it was just Alabama A&M, but opening the season 30-for-36 with 329 yards, five touchdowns and one pick is a pretty nice start to 2016. It seems to me that a lot of what makes MTSU go is an offense tailored to quick throws that he can execute; tell us more about that aspect of the Middle offense and what makes Stockstill special.

Yeah, I think the quick throw is a wrinkle of the offense that Stockstill has really mastered. A lot of it has to do with his release, which is very tight and clean. Compound that with Tony Franklin's playbook, which is tailor made for a QB like Stockstill, and you've got a recipe for success. Middle draws up quick routes that are designed to wear the defense out. It's snap, throw. Snap, throw. Snap, throw. The end result is a worn down defensive unit. And, just when the defense thinks they've figured something out to slow the offense down, they go over the top and hit you deep. When it's clicking, it's really a sight to see - and Brent Stockstill is the main reason behind it.

What makes Stockstill stand out, though, is that he's just such a student of the game and has an incredible work ethic to back it up. Being a coach's son definitely molded that mentality. He's grown up around football his whole life. It's what he knows and it's what he's comfortable with. He's reached that point where the game has started slowing down for him, which is a scary thought considering he's technically a sophomore.

3. I was a bit surprised to see Ole Miss transfer I'Tavius Mathers (seven carries, 62 yards) get fewer carries than Terrelle West (15-for-83). Is that the pecking order at tailback, or the product of a blowout? Who do you think leads MTSU in carries against Vanderbilt?

Definitely a product of the blowout, but also a bit by design. Having moved Shane Tucker to WR before the season, and consequently Desmond Anderson when Tucker went down, the coaching staff definitely wanted to get West in the mix to see how he reacted to some game action. He had suffered a pretty bad knee injury during his senior year of high school, so it had been a while since he had gotten some time on the field. That being said, I don't believe Mathers saw the field at all after halftime, so the score definitely dictated that.

Middle will always have a committee of running backs that they'll throw in. I mentioned the receiver position as being well recruited the past few years, but in reality, the best recruited position on the roster is running back, by far. So, the coaches don't really have a choice in the matter - they kind of need to feed as many backs as they can.

All that said, though, Mathers will get the bulk of the workload this season. West and Ruben Garnett provide a nice change of pace, and J'Vonte Herrod is a bruiser of a back who is best suited for goaline packages, but the workload will belong to Mathers so long as he's producing. He should definitely lead MT in carries Saturday, barring an injury.

4. What's Middle's feeling on what VU did to mostly shut down its offense from the second quarter on; does it feel that it missed some opportunities and is there anything about the approach that it might do differently this time around?

I think there were two main factors there. The first was definitely weather related, but that really doesn't tell the whole story. In reality, offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner got very conservative with his play calling as that game wore on. If you weren't there to actually see the scoreboard, and were just listening to the play by play - you would have thought Middle was up three scores with the way the play calling was going. There was a lot of discussion following the game about that. I think you have to give Vandy credit for the packages they put in and the schemes they showed. I think it caught Faulkner off guard a bit, and he saw it better to play it safe rather than make the big mistake.

As it turned out, that came back to bite MT big time. The offense only snapped the ball 12 times in the 4th quarter - four of which came after Vandy took the lead - and the defense simply gassed in the second half. Hard to say there were missed opportunities when the offense couldn't get the ball moving, especially in that second half.

As for this year, I don't think MT fans have anything to worry about when it comes to conservative playcalling. Tony Franklin is the antithesis of conservative. If MT gets up early in this game Saturday, there's not going to be any letting off the gas. Franklin will go for the kill, that much is certain.

5. MTSU gave up 26.6 points and 405 yards per game a year ago, and there was a feeling that the defense could struggle a bit with some of the losses in the secondary and at linebacker. The Blue Raiders pitched a shutout last weekend and gave up 92 total yards, but, Alabama A&M also ranks 245 of the 253 teams in Jeff Sagarin's rankings. Is there anything you can take away from that game and/or practices that leads to a belief that they'll be better, or worse?

Believe it or not, I think the defense is in much better shape than a lot of people believe it to be in. Obviously, losing guys like Kevin Byard and T.T. Barber definitely hurt, but I think MT got a lot deeper in the linebacker and secondary positions, and the defensive line will be the stalwart of the unit. The depth created more intense battles over the spring and fall, which I think really aided in the development of a lot of guys.

The biggest takeaway I took from that A&M game was just how much faster the linebacker corp is now compared to years past. D.J. Sanders, Darius Harris and Khalil Brooks are all great athletes, and they bring a different dynamic to the position that Middle hasn't necessarily had in recent years.

There's going to be some growing pains along the way this year, for sure - and one of those might just come this weekend given some of the athletes that Vandy has on the roster - but I think in the long run, the defense will be a stronger unit, top to bottom.

For Vanderbilt to win this game, it needs to _____.

For the Commodores to win this contest, they will need to win the game in two facets. The first is on defensive third downs. The Blue Raiders position themselves with very manageable third-and-short situations. Vandy will absolutely need to keep MT from converting and moving the chains in this one. Every extra snap MT takes is another opportunity to break open a big play, which I suspect Franklin and company will be looking for early and often.

The second factor will be around early points. If Vandy can find a way to break open a two-score game early in this one, that'll do wonders for their defense. MT is certainly dynamic on offense, but they're not immune to becoming one-dimensional when they fall behind. If Vandy can accomplish that, it'll go a long way in securing the win.

For Middle Tennessee to win this game, it needs to _____.

If the Blue Raiders are to win this game, they will need to create some turnovers, and moreover, they'll need to turn them into points. I personally see this game shaking out in a very similar fashion to the 2015 matchup. I think MT has the firepower to jump out and score some points early, but they'll need the turnovers to keep the momentum on their side while they go for the jugular. If they can do that, it could be a long day for the Commodores.