The Middle Tennessee defense has been bashed for nearly the entire 2024 season, and rightfully so, the unit is at the bottom of almost every CUSA team stat. One thing they’ve been bad at, in particular, is defending the run, giving up 193 yards per game on 5.1 YPC.
They must come ready to play this Saturday when one of the country's best QB/RB rushing duo, Quinton Cooley and Kaidon Salter, comes to town.
“Kaidon Salter, good player, he’s a productive dual-threat quarterback who can do it all. Their receiving core has been banged up, but when you have a running back but [Quinton] Cooley who can tote the mail, everything is at you,” says MTSU head coach Derek Mason. “They can run the football, take shots on play action, they’re a balanced offense.”
As Mason said, Liberty has a balanced offense but is led by the excellent rushing attack of Salter and Cooley, who both came off 1,000-yard seasons a year ago. Through seven games this year, they haven’t been as dominant as a year ago, but they still control the line of scrimmage on 5.8 YPC and 152 YPG between the two. The game plan for this week should be the same as Jax State a few weeks ago, containing the pocket and the run game, but that’s easier said than done when dealing with a Jamey Chadwell offense.
Last year, the Flames torched the Blue Raider defense as Salter put up 300 total yards while Cooley ran for 134 and three scores. MTSU lost several key pieces to their defense via the transfer portal, but they’ve shown flashes of being a productive defense over the past few weeks.
Following a masterclass on Saturday against the UTEP Miners, the Blue Raiders gained confidence, leading to a game that will make or break their bowl eligibility.
“It always comes down to the same things: we have to play our keys and have clean eyes to stay on top of it [Liberty run game],” said MTSU safety Xavier Williams. “We need to look at the UTEP game and clean up what we got wrong as a defense but also understand that each man must do their job every play. We must bring that mentality to practice so it carries over to the game.”
DUAL-THREAT STRUGGLES
Middle has generally struggled against the run but facing a quarterback who will pull the ball and run has been arguably the most challenging thing for them this year. They’ve only faced a genuine “dual threat” twice this season against Jax State and UTEP, but it’s been rough on both go-arounds.
Taking out sack yardage, the Blue Raiders have given up 276 yards and three touchdowns on 32 rushes in the last two weeks from QB runs alone. The root of those struggles has been a lack of setting the edge and letting an athletic runner get into open space. If MT can protect the edge against Liberty, it will throw a wrench in Chadwell’s gameplan.
A DEFENSE THAT’S GROWING
Everyone knew that there would be learning curves in Mason’s first year at the helm, but with him having a defensive background, many expected quicker results. It's taken a while with a mix of injuries and a scheme change, but the head coach believes the defense is growing and encouraged.
“We’re a young defense, but they’re growing up before our eyes, and young teams become old teams,” Mason said. “I’m encouraged by our direction; they’re starting to communicate better, learning to play with each other, and I like our trajectory. I’m excited to see where they go, but they have a challenge this week as they play one of CUSA’s top offenses.”
