The Day After Rundown: Troy (Pt. 1) Edition
Troy embarrassed MT on Saturday in front of roughly 7,000 fans at Floyd Stadium. For the second game in a row, MT was routed by a team Vegas predicted them to compete with. The line was as low as Troy -2.5 before kickoff yesterday afternoon.
Here are Tyler Pellom's observations:
MT has not been ready physically:
Simply put, it's obvious this team has not been prepared physically to compete on the Division 1 level. We don't know how many players were unable to go through a full fall-camp due to COVID, MT officials have decided not to release that information, but it's clear a lack of strength and condition work has played a huge role for the Blue Raiders through two games.
It was reported by the ESPN broadcast that star safety Reed Blankenship had to be quarantined for 44 days throughout the summer and fall camp. Blankenship never caught COVID, but apparently most of his roommates did and he had to be quarantined due to contract tracing.
If Blankenship had to be away from the team for that amount of time, it's safe to say other players have had to go through similar procedures. And if that's the case, it makes sense as to why this team looks so underconditioned.
Maybe MT officials should be more transparent about COVID related issues as a means of mitigating some of this, publicly at least. It doesn't provide a full excuse - but it would provide an explanation for part of the issue.
Someone besides Asher O'Hara is going to have to be able to run the football:
I believe this issue a direct correlation to the strength and conditioning issues, but the offensive line hasn't been able to sustain a running game push. Through two games, the Blue Raider offense has totaled 162 rushing yards and QB Asher O'Hara has accounted for 63 of those yards. Basically, the entire rest of the offense is averaging 50 yards rushing per game.
The inability to rush the football has meant the Blue Raiders have been unable to sustain drives and win the time-of-possession battle. Which, of course, has put a strain on the MT defense - which played pretty well in the first half against Troy with multiple sacks and turnovers. But once you get tired, the offense starts dictating the terms of engagement, and stops become much harder to get.
"You can't really say that we did anything good offensively and we're just not a very good offensive football team right now," Rick Stockstill said after the game.
"We haven't been able to score these last two games and in this day in age, you have to score and if you don't you're not going to win games. We just need to play better in all phases."
A divided fanbase becomes more divided:
I don't have to tell anyone this, it's obvious on social media and the GoMiddle forum, but the majority of the fanbase is very upset and wants blood. A 4-8 campaign last season, on top of being outscored 89-14 through two games this season has put many MT fans over the edge.
Predictably, Rick Stockstill's former players are coming to his defense on social media. Many are arguing Stock is held back by MT's administration and facilities and that he's the only reason MT has found *any* success over the last 15 years. Stock is a great man and role-model for his players, and it's understandable those guys want to stand up for someone they care about.
This has irritated fans who say they root for the program first and care about it more than any singular coach. Those folks believe Stock has squandered opportunity and should be replaced to give another coach an opportunity. They feel the program has grown stagnant - and while Stock is a good coach and good man - something major has to be done to turn the program around.
The truth is somewhere in the middle. Fans are rightly upset about results, and players are right to say the problem isn't strictly coaching.
This kind of squabbling and fighting between former players, beloved alumni and the common fan does nothing but hurt the program as a whole. Players complaining about facilities, the athletic department and fan support, while having kernels of truth throughout, only makes the job for the current players and coaches harder.
Fans attacking former players and the current coaching staff, again, only hurts the program. Prospective recruits see these attacks and use them to determine whether or not MT is a viable option. Current players see you in their mentions, and as young adults, it can be tough for them to ignore. All this does is make it harder for them to justify the work they are putting in on and off the field.
Here's what I know to be an absolute fact: Rick Stockstill and his entire coaching staff are not happy with the current state of the team and program. And I also know everyone on campus is working hard and trying their best to right the ship. To suggest otherwise would be asinine. This matters to them far more than it matters to you, even if you don't feel like it. Losing isn't fun for anyone - especially those on the inside giving their blood, sweat and tears for it.
My advice:
Root for the team as hard as you want (or don't want) on gameday. But picking fights with former players solves no problems and only creates more.
I know you believe the only way to affect change is to be vocally upset - but any decision on the program's future will only be decided on the football field. Either this team will turn it around, or AD Chris Massaro will have some tough decisions to make at the end of the year. My opinion is we would all be better served to try and enjoy what we can this season - if the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that this can all be taken away in the blink of an eye.