Murfreesboro, TN – Week three has come and gone, with the Blue Raiders being dominated at home, 49-21. With that being said, there were some positives to look at. Shayne Pickering and I are here to analyze those and look at the other position groups.
Quarterback
Conner
Despite the 28-point shellacking, QB Nick Vattiato had a sensational day throwing the football. He finished his day with 456 yards, three touchdowns and a 77% completion percentage and showed that he could be one of the top throwers among G5 competition.
Grade: A
Shayne
Overall, Nick Vattiato had a strong showing, putting up 456 yards and three touchdowns. He nearly broke the record for most passing yards by an MTSU quarterback, but it wasn't enough in a game where the defense couldn't stop anybody. The three negatives came on two back-to-back drives. Not being able to get that extra push and lead Omari Kelly into the end zone ended up costing the team points as they could not score on four plays from the one and struggled to snap under center in the goal-line situation. On the next drive, he threw an interception inside the Hilltopper five.
Grade: B+
Running Back
Conner
Once again, the running game was non-existent for the Blue Raiders, partly because the MTSU offensive line couldn’t get a push for Terry Wilkins and Flip Credle. However, they didn’t impact the passing game, combining for just 61 total yards.
Grade: C-
Shayne
This run game just cannot accomplish anything so far this season and that was the case in this game yet again. If this continues, that is a significant problem for a team looking to establishing the run from the jump. Simply put, this unit has to improve.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver
Conner
Cam’ron Lacy and Myles Butler hauled in three catches apiece for over 40 yards, but Omari Kelly was the night's story. Kelly had a career game with nine catches for 239 yards (5 yards shy of the single-game program record) and three touchdowns.
Grade: A+
Shayne
Omari Kelly was the star of the show, recording nine receptions for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He should have had another one as well. Cam'ron Lacy continues to show flashes and Myles Butler continues to be a clutch receiver. The downfield passing attack was finally opened up so Gamarion Carter could continue to see more run against other conference teams.
Grade: A-
Tight End
Conner
Holden Willis continued his senior campaign with another good game. Willis was a solid blocker while catching four passes for 73 yards, further showing why he was All-CUSA First Team a season ago.
Grade: B
Shayne
Holden Willis put together another strong showing with four catches for 73 yards. He continues to be a focal point of this offense. Jacob Coleman also hauled in a reception and continues to see more action.
Grade: A-
Offensive Line
Conner
It’s the third week in a row where the Middle offensive line is getting zero push to give their talented running backs a chance to showcase what they can do. They also gave up three sacks but were solid in pass protection.
Grade: D+
Shayne
It is clear that this position group is built to protect the passer. This unit gets absolutely zero leverage when they attempt to create running lanes for rushers. The goal line mishaps was just depressing to watch. Even though they showed they can keep the quarterback up a fair amount, they were responsible for a pair of false start and holding penalities each as well as giving up three sacks.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
Conner
The trenches have been a big question for this Blue Raider squad all season, and they left us shaking our heads with an inconsistent performance. They completely shut the WKU run game down in the first three quarters but were dominated in the fourth quarter, finishing with 150 yards allowed. They also didn’t put much pressure on Western QB Caden Veltkamp.
Grade: D+
Shayne
This unit just doesn't have the pure size to establish the edge in a 3-4 base front, and that was evident against arguably the best offensive line in the conference. They shut down the run but with the opponent boasting an air raid offense, the Blue Raiders line could not getting any leverage in pass rush situations once WKU made a change at quarterback.
Grade: C-
Linebacker
Conner
The Blue Raider linebacker room did a good job of stopping the run for most of the night and was able to make a few plays that resulted in TFLs. Coverage-wise, they were nothing special, but they didn’t get cooked.
Grade: C
Shayne
The linebackers are always put in a tough spot against an offense like Western Kentucky. If the Hilltoppers offense is run correctly, your linebackers are usually taken out the game. They took away the run and played a decent game overall but you can tell they really need Parker Hughes and Drew Francis' playmaking and size.
Grade: C
Cornerback
Conner
This was ugly from the start, even with TJ Finley in. The corners were consistently torched all night and whiffed on many tackles, allowing the WKU receivers to get more yardage. Not much else to say about this group.
Grade: F
Shayne
This unit might literally be afraid of tackling in space. That was absolutely brutal to watch and could be the toughest film watch they will have of their careers. This was just an absolutely terrible showing by this unit. The only thing you can say is that no secondary can cover forever and they were asked to all game.
Grade: F+
Safety
Conner
This group wasn’t much better than the corners, they were torched all night. But another good game from John Howse IV saves them from getting an F as well.
Grade: D
Shayne
John Howse IV is one of the stars of this team. He prevented from this score from being EVEN worse on several occasions. With Brendon Harris, other strong safety options were just flat out not good. C.J. Johnson was put into the game and showed heart, finishing second on the team in tackles.
Grade: D
Special Teams
Conner
These guys weren’t given an opportunity to showcase their skills. Grant Chadwick only punted once but it was a 56-yarder, and Zeke Rankin went 3-for-3 on PATs to remain perfect on the year.
Grade: B
Shayne
The fielding of kicks was just atrocious and set a negative tone from the opening kickoff. The special teams unit put the Blue Raider offense in tough situations to begin drives routinely. Zeke Rankin hit all his extra points from the kicker position. Grant Chadwick continues to look amazing after having a breakthrough game last week, recording one punt for 56 yards that was only returned for three yards.
Grade: C-
