The bulletin board: MT vs. Maryland

Need a little extra motivation for Saturday's non-conference clash with ACC foe Maryland?

For that we bring you the GoMiddle.com Bulletin Board, an exclusive feature compiling all the quotes, notes and facts you need to know to get you even more hyped up for the Blue Raiders' upcoming matchup with the Terps.

vs.

Saturday, September 6th, 6:00 p.m.

Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro (Tenn.)

Key Stats

* 11 of Middle Tennessee's 17 points in the season opener last week against Troy were scored by true freshmen.

* For the first time against Troy, Middle Tennessee lost a game under Rick Stockstill when forcing at least three turnovers.

* The Blue Raiders yielded 4.6 yards per carry against Troy in week one. Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott averaged 7.6 yards per carry in the Terrapins' week one win over Delaware.

* Saturday's game against Maryland marks the seventh contest the Blue Raiders have played against an ACC opponent as well as the fourth straight season they have taken on an ACC foe.

* Six different Blue Raider receivers caught passes against Troy last week despite unit leader Patrick Honeycutt not making a single reception.

* MT is 37-7 during the 1-A era when leading at the half but just 7-48 during the same period when trailing at the half. The last Blue Raider win that came after trailing at halftime was last year when MT overcame a 26-24 halftime deficit to beat Louisiana-Monroe. The last Blue Raider loss that came after leading at halftime was last year when MT lost to Louisiana-Lafayette after leading 21-14 at halftime.

* Middle Tennessee has lost consecutive home games in the same season only twice in the Division 1-A era (2003 vs. FAU/Temple and 2005 vs. North Texas/Akron/Louisiana-Lafayette)

The Series

* Middle Tennessee and Maryland will meet for the third time in history with the Terrpains holding a 2-0 all time series lead.

* The two teams played in 2000 and 2006.

* The Blue Raiders and Terrapins have never played in Murfreesboro.

* Maryland won the first meeting 45-27 and the second matchup 24-10.

* Saturday will mark the second meeting between Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen and Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill.

Connections

* The Middle Tennessee roster contains one player from the state of Maryland:

WR Andrew Banks (Clinton)

* The Maryland roster does not contain any players from the state of Tennessee.

* The Middle Tennessee coaching staff includes six coaches who have coached on some level in the ACC.

Quotes

* Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen in an interview with the Baltimore Sun on his concerns about playing the Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro:

"This is a game I worry about quite a bit. It's going to be a different environment. They'll be like this is their Rose Bowl."

* Friedgen in the Washington Times on his lack of enthusiasm for playing this game:

"We've been to Northern Illinois and we've been to Eastern Michigan and we had to pull that one out. Last year, I think we scored 14 points against FIU and went to sleep the rest of the game. Personally, I'd rather play somebody pretty good myself. Not that [Middle Tennessee] is not good. I would like to play a bigger team, I guess. I don't know. It is what it is."

* Maryland backup quarterback Josh Portis, who is expected to play significant snaps Saturday behind starter Chris Turner, on his debut action last week when he took four snaps and ran the ball all four times:

"It's going to come a time in a game that I'm going to have drop back and throw a ball. It's different because when I'm in there, the defense thinks I'm running the ball. It's a different game when I'm dropping back and everything opens up. Then the defense has to account for two things."

* Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill in his weekly press conference on whether or not there is more pressure on his team to capitalize on the opportunity to beat a Power Six conference team at home:

"To me there is not [any added pressure]. We want to beat Maryland at home Saturday and we wanted to beat them two years ago on the road. We don't spend a lot of time talking about Maryland because, to me, it's about us. We have to work and focus on improving as individuals and as a team. It would be nice to win at home but we are not putting any more emphasis on this game or added pressure on the players because I don't think that's how you approach it with your players."

* MT linebacker Danny Carmichael on his assessment of Maryland and expectations for what the Terrapins will try to do:

"They execute very well. They have a big offensive front and a very big receiver. I think they will come in and try to run the ball on us. We have to stop the run and try to make them one-dimensional. Maryland has always been pretty much a run team. Their offensive line has a lot to do with it and they are a big team. I just personally think they will come in here and try to run it down our throat."

Did You Know?

* This will be the 30th game Middle Tennessee has played against an ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10, or Big 10 opponent.

* MT punter David DeFatta has deadened a total of 29 punts inside the 20-yard line dating back to last season.

* This will be the first time in the 1-A era the Blue Raiders have opened with a second consecutive game at Floyd Stadium.

* MT kick returner Desmond Gee passed two former Blue Raiders on the school's all time kick return yardage in last week's game against Troy. His 67 kick return yards against the Trojans moved him into fifth place on the all time list, moving him past Demetric Mostiller and Damon Nickson.

* MT defensive tackle Trevor Jenkins has started a team high 26 games in a row.

* Under Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee has enjoyed six of its largest 11 attended games in program history.

* MT backup quarterback Dwight Dasher has not completed a pass in a game since November 10th, 2007 against Louisiana-Lafayette. He has thrown six consecutive incomplete passes and was 0-for-2 last week against Troy.