We are three weeks into the season, and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders sit with a record of 1-2.
Here are the staff standings so far when it comes to picking MTSU games:
- Conner Smith: 3-0 on the season
- Rickey Fuquay Jr: 3-0 on the season
- Shayne Pickering: 3-0 on the season
- Connor Nute: 3-0 on the season
- Everhette Glenn: 2-1 on the season
- Jake Bolden: 2-1 on the season
- Matt Dossett (Publisher) 2-1 on the season
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Next up is a home contest against the Duke Blue Devils. Here are there staff picks!
Jake Bolden: Head of Blue Raider Podcast. 2-1 on the season
I firmly believe the frustration I have, along with many of you, is how we landed at 1-2. Heading into week 1, my prediction was this team would be 1-4 entering their bye week. I may have been overly optimistic after seeing a glimmering of hope with the way the offense moved the ball in Oxford and chalked the poor defense to Jaxson Dart… Unfortunately, the defense is bad. I firmly believe Duke may have one of the weaker offensive lines we will see this year, but can the d-line create enough pressure to make newcomer QB Maalik Murphy make poor decisions? Can they limit receptions from All-ACC wide receiver Jordan Moore? If the answer is yes to those, they may steal one on Saturday. They’ll still need to score against a strong Manny Diaz defense – can they rush for 100-plus yards? Too many questions, not enough answers.
Prediction:
Duke 26
MTSU 24
Everhette Glenn: Recruiting analyst. 2-1 on the season
I shot for the stars and didn’t even land on the moon with predicting a win over WKU. Duke comes into town this week and should be a better matchup for MTSU. While the Blue Raiders matchup better scheme wise, this is still a P4 team with plenty of talent. Duke has an excellent defense which will put pressure on the MT offense. The biggest concern is on the defensive side of the ball. MTSU has not been able to stop any offense so far this season. That trend will continue and I expect for Duke to win easily.
Prediction:
Duke 35
MTSU 17
Rickey Fuquay Jr: Analyst. 3-0 in the season
Middle Tennessee suffered a 28 to 0 deficit early and could never recover as Western Kentucky crushed the Blue Raiders 49 to 21 yesterday at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.MTSU steps back into non-conference play against Duke for HOMECOMING. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and will air nationally on ESPNU.The key for this matchup is can the Blue Raiders, which ranks worst in the Conference USA put up a much better performance against a Blue Devils offense that ranks 13th in the ACC in total yards per game.MTSU has lost their last three games on HOMECOMING. Duke will make it four in a row.
Prediction:
Duke 42
MTSU 17
Matt Dossett: GoMiddle Publisher. 2-1 on the season
Last week went off the rails for Middle Tennessee State as they were hammered by the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky. The Blue Raiders are below .500. with a 1-2 record and now turn their attention to the 3-0 Duke Blue Devils. Yes, the Blue Devils boast a 3-0 record, but in my opinion, they are not world beaters. They handled Elon, but barely won against the likes of Northwestern and UCONN.
This is a "get right opportunity" for the Blue Raiders. If they somehow defeat Duke, many will forgive Coach Derek Mason and company for laying an egg against hated foe Western Kentucky.
I think that Duke signal caller Maalik Murphy will cause some problems for MT. Murphy is completing around 64 percent of his passes and has eight touchdowns opposed to just three picks. The Blue Devils have formidable weapons on offense, and have a solid trio of receivers. Those guys are Jordan Moore, Eli Pancol, and Que'Sean Brown.
Their bell cow tailback is Star Thomas. Thomas packs a punch at over six feet tall and around 210 pounds. Peyton Jones is the backup running back and is more a speed guy, at 5'10 and 192 pounds.
At this point in time, the spread is -14 in favor of Duke. This is reasonable to me. Sometimes it is just about the Jimmies and the Joes opposed to the X's and O's. Across the board, I think that Duke has more talent and depth than MTSU.
Look for the Blue Raiders to play with some emotion and hang around in this one late.
In the end, Duke pulls away.
Prediction:
Duke 38
MTSU 23
Shayne Pickering: Head Recruiting and Football Analyst. 3-0 on the season
As Middle Tennessee takes on another Power Four opponent, the trenches will have to consistently come through all game which could be a lot to ask right now. However, they have shown they can stop the run outside of Ole Miss and if they can make Maalik Murphy beat them with his arm, they could keep it close. That would mean a makeshift secondary has to tackle in space, however, which they have not shown the ability to do.Duke boasts a strong defense at this point in the season, so the mental mistakes this offense has made can not happen.
They have shown the ability to make explosive plays happen and that will have to continue against the ACC opponent.All in all, I think this game could be closer than last week just with how Duke likes to play, but the Blue Raiders will have to eliminate the mental mistakes if they want to have a chance at winning this game.
Prediction:
Duke 30
MTSU 16
Connor Nute: Analyst. 3-0 on the season
It’s Homecoming week in the Boro and what better way to celebrate than with some Blue Raider Football! The Blue Raiders are ready to welcome the Blue Devils of Duke to Floyd Stadium and have some concerns to address.
For starters, the defense (specifically the secondary) continues to be a concern. Last week, the MTSU defense allowed 631 total yards, 481 of those coming in the passing game. It's worth noting the secondary is missing some key pieces, notably safety Brendon Harris and corner Tyrell Raby, that could help limit the passing game. In order to keep Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy in check, this secondary must come together and find away to stop the air attack.
The X-Factor in the Blue Raider offense to me is Omari Kelly, last week bringing in 3 touchdowns and 239 yards on 9 catches. I’d predict the Middle offense to continue this hot streak and feed Omari, as without Frank Peasant, this offense is dormant.
Overall, I feel the defensive struggles are going to be too much for the Blue Raiders, allowing Murphy and the Devils from Durham to take charge and walk out of Murfreesboro victorious. Until the defense sees a major change in mentality and work ethic, it will continue to struggle.
Prediction:
Duke 28
MTSU 17
Conner Smith: Football and baseball analyst. 3-0 on the season
First off, it’s homecoming so the energy from fans and players will be at a high level. With them having that excitement I expect this game to be close in the first half and then Duke pulls away in the second half.Maalik Murphy and Jordan Moore are a talented QB/WR duo that will torch this injured MTSU secondary.I do think Nick Vattiato has a big day but it’s not going to be enough as the injuries pile up and the overall talent difference from Duke to Middle is very different.
Prediction:
Duke 34
MTSU 17
