The Day After

Middle Tennessee State is off to a fast start out of the gate in 2021. The Blue Raiders trounced the Monmouth Hawks in the season opener, 50-15.

Next up on the docket is Virginia Tech, on the road in Blacksburg.

Before we begin our coverage of that ballgame, let's take a look at the headlines from the Monmouth game.

Expectations Exceeded

So I took a stab this week, predicting the outcome for the the game between MTSU and Monmouth. Although I thought that ultimately MTSU would win, I thought the game would come down to the wire and be a wild, whacky, thriller.

This game was anything but a nail biting classic. The Blue Raiders simply throttled the Hawks and ran them out of the building.

Make no bones about it, this was a statement victory for the boys in blue. No, Monmouth is not the 85 Bears, but they are a solid FCS program. Like those 85 Bears, though, the defense was able to create takeaways.

There was a faction of MT faithful that were convinced that MT would sleepwalk through the first game of the season. That was absolutely not the case. This was the epitome of a statement win.

Still room for improvement

This was not a spotless and completely clean performance. There are areas that can certainly be improved. In other words, there are deficiencies that can be ironed and straightened out.

If MT is going to achieve their goals, they will need to improve their rushing attack. You do not want to become one dimensional to the point where the defense has the upper hand due to the lack of a rushing attack.

Signal caller Bailey Hockman seems to ooze potential, but the MT running back department needs to make strides or the scales may be tipped in the direction of the opponent.

Have a day, Jaylin Lane

I'll be frank, prior to the game I didn't think the player of the game candidate would be receiver Jaylin Lane.

That is not a knock on him, I just didn't think he would almost eclipse the 100 yard receiving mark. Lane showcased his speed and his ability to get separation from defensive backs.

This ability to get open down the field was evident, considering he averaged 22.8 yards per reception. His longest reception was recorded for 35 yards.

This game could serve as a large building block for Lane. If he can prove to be a consistent contributor, the MT offense could go to another gear.

On to Blacksburg

MT needed a momentum building win versus Monmouth, as they head to Virginia Tech on 9/11 next Saturday.

The Monmouth victory could be a shot in the arm and a confidence booster. The Hokies will be riding a high after defeating a top 10 team in North Carolina Friday evening.

Virginia Tech will likely have the upper hand in the talent department. If MT is going to hang with Tech on the road, they will need to out coach and out scheme the Hokies. I think the recipe will be to sustain long drives offensively, keeping VT's quarterback Braxton Burmeister on the sideline.