MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE O:9 D:4

If you looked up SBC underachiever last season you would have found a picture of the MTSU Blue Raider slumped over holding its head in his hands. This squad was probably the most athletic club in the league, but killed itself with bad turnovers and penalties throughout the entire season. The higher ups had enough of the losing and decided to make a complete overhaul within the coaching staff. In now is Head Coach Rick Stockstill who’s been an assistant at Florida, Clemson, and South Carolina the last five seasons. He inherits an awfully talented offense that returns nine starters from last season, and gets back MTSU’s #3 ranked all time passer in Senior QB Clint Marks. Last year’s offense only averaged 19 PPG, but this year’s squad looks to be more balanced offensively so look for it to easily surpass last years mark. Defensively, the Blue Raiders lose some major players up front and aren’t very experienced within the LB corps. The secondary is a veteran unit and will no doubt carry the defense until the new guys get acclimated. The 19 PPG let up last season will be very hard for this inexperienced group to match. The schedule looks favorable overall, and this club should be ready to atone for last year’s poor effort. However, there are major holes that need to be filled and it’s not certain the new guys will be able to do the job.