Murfreesboro, TN – It’s been a roller coaster for Coach Derek Mason and his Blue Raiders this year. They’ve dealt with inconsistent play, injuries, young guys having to step up, and more through the first four weeks of the 2024 season.
There’s plenty of sample size with who MTSU has played, so here are five takeaways from Middle Tennessee football this year.
1. The offensive line is improved but still forcing Nick Vattiato to play backyard ball
The line has improved from last year, but it was nearly impossible to be as bad as that group in 2023. However, that doesn’t mean they’ve been great. They’ve already given up 12 sacks, tied for the fifth most in the nation amongst all FBS schools. Six of those 12 came against the Duke Blue Devils, but this unit hasn’t been as good as most had hoped.
Now, part of that reason is due to injuries from starters Julius Pierce, J’Shun Bodiford, and Marcus Miller, forcing inexperienced guys to step up. But Mason is a no-excuse type of guy and has preached that even though injuries have plagued the offensive line, they must be better.
Before the Duke game, they were averaging two sacks a game, which isn’t bad, but they’ve been disappointing with run blocking. Even after a good performance on Saturday (168 yards on 40 carries), the team is still averaging a measly 3.1 YPC, the 16th worst in the nation.
The offensive line is banged up, but they must be better for MTSU to achieve their goals in Mason’s first year.
2. Holden Willis is that guy, one of the best players in CUSA
Holden Willis had sky-high expectations heading into the 2024 season. After all, he was on the All-CUSA First Team in his first year as a Blue Raider, so many wondered how he would develop with Nick Vattiato in year two. He’s lived up to those expectations thus far and looks to be one of the best weapons in the conference.
So far, Willis has racked up 258 yards and a touchdown on 15 receptions, which ranks No.1 among tight ends in CUSA. The redshirt senior has been a reliable blocker and opens holes for his running backs, including the block that allowed Frank Peasant to score the game-winning TD in week one.
He’s a guy who screams repeat First Team All-CUSA and potentially a fringe All-American honorable mention. Mason says they haven’t found him enough and he’s already on pace for nearly 800 yards. If they can protect the quarterback and look his way more often, he could have a stellar senior campaign. But that falls into the almighty “if game,” so it will be interesting to see how they use Willis going forward.
3. The offense is highly talented but not consistent or polished
We’ve seen the highs of this Middle Tennessee offense (514 yards against WKU) and the lows (four turnovers that lost MTSU the game against Duke). They haven’t been consistent whatsoever; it’s like Jekyll and Hyde, drive to drive. They can go on a five-play TD drive and look like a well-oiled machine, then go three-and-out on the next five. It’s not a talent problem. MTSU is led by Omari Kelly, Flip Credle, Vattiato, and Willis, with several P4 transfers to round it out.
Turnovers have been the Achilles heel for this group and even cost them the Duke game.
“We lost by 28, but we had four turnovers, all inside our 30-yard line. If we don’t make those mistakes, that ballgame is very different,” says Mason. “You want another opportunity and wish you didn’t make those mistakes, but you did, so from then on, you’ve got to roll with the punches.”
If consistent, this offense is one of the most dangerous in CUSA, if not the entire G5, But they’re not. Mason believes it’s when, not if, this unit finally shows up and plays consistent football, but it’s time they do so, for they could be 1-4 after this weekend and needing to win five of their last seven games to be bowl eligible.
4. Mistakes continue to set the Blue Raiders back and cost them ballgames
I’ve already talked about the Duke game, and that was self-explanatory, but it stems back further than that. Simple tackling and angle issues killed them against Western Kentucky and allowed the ‘Tops to have their way with that secondary. And even in week one, there were issues; Middle didn’t play a full 60 minutes and nearly let the FCS Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles beat them.
Granted, they’ve made serious blunders, but MTSU is mistake-limited football away from being 3-1 and a few plays from 0-4.
For a season with so much promise, fans aren’t upset that they’re losing games to Ole Miss, WKU, and Duke, but it’s how they’re losing. It’s becoming a weekly question of how will MT hurt themselves this time, which is disappointing considering the talent on the roster.
It's a lot easier said than done, but MTSU must minimize errors to have the season they want, which ends in a bowl game victory.
5. The Injury Bug continues to bite Middle Tennessee, making it challenging to see what the actual 2024 Blue Raiders look like
To look at the players who have spent time on the sidelines due to injury this year is ridiculous; it’s one of the worst situations in the country; here’s a list of everyone who’s missed time.
- Julius Pierce
- J’Shun Bodiford
- Marcus Miller
- Drew Francis
- Parker Hughes
- Frank Peasant
- Jekail Middlebrook
- Tyrell Raby
- Trevon Ferrell
- De’Arre McDonald
- Brendon Harris
- Devyn Curtis
Eleven starters and a depth running back have been injured this year. That’s discouraging if you’re around that program because you don’t want to deal with injuries, and we haven’t seen what this team can do with a healthy team. Even in the season opener, MTSU saw four starters leave the game or not even suit up.
I’d be very interested to see how this team would’ve looked had they all been together, but we may not see it this year.
Even with these injuries, Mason sees it as an opportunity to improve, like when true freshman Ammarien Bailey had the second most tackles (7) against No. 5 Ole Miss. Young guys turn into old guys, so the headman at Middle loves to play them. However, you want to win football games, and it’s tough to do so when you’re asking your young players to step into the spotlight this early in their careers.
We have seen a slow improvement weekly from different position groups. Still, Middle Tennessee will have a significant test on Saturday when they take on the Memphis Tigers in the Liberty Bowl. Kickoff is at 6:30 PM CT on ESPNU.
