Iceland12
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MTSU's defense is much improved under Shafer
Last week, three Vanderbilt touchdowns on its first three possessions distracted from the fact that in the second half of that game, MTSU's defense actually played pretty well. On Saturday, that trend continued in a big way. Syracuse's first three possessions went punt, safety, punt. It then forced a field goal after Syracuse began its drive at the MTSU 4 following a turnover.
At halftime, Syracuse's high-octane offense had mustered just 111 yards on 44 plays before finishing with 308 yards. MTSU had six sacks against Syracuse. Orange quarterback Eric Dungey had 328 yards in a win over Central Connecticut last week. He had just 182 against the Blue Raiders on Saturday..
MTSU offense finally starting to find a rhythm
It was pretty grim for a while there. Like, 0-for-20 on third down to start the season grim. But then Stockstill hooked up with James for a 28-yard touchdown on a third-and-10 late in the third quarter, and something clicked. MTSU followed the James score with consecutive touchdown-scoring drives. Stockstill completed touchdown passes of 48 and 10 yards to Ty Lee and Shane Tucker, respectively. The Blue Raiders, after committing three first-half turnovers, finally looked a bit like their old selves on the offensive side of the ball.
"We had a couple of three-and-outs, we couldn't get going, but then once we get the first first down, we felt like we were going to be able to move it," Stockstill said. "And that's what we were able to do in the fourth."...
Ty Lee at running back?
MTSU entered Saturday still without an established No. 1 running back, leaving the door open for others to step up. On Saturday, that was wide receiver Ty Lee, who had 18 carries for 50 yards, including a 14-yard scamper for a touchdown in the second quarter.
"I'm honored to run the ball for coach (offensive coordinator Tony) Franklin," Lee said. "He came to me earlier this week and asked me if I could run the ball for him. And I said, 'Yes sir. Anything you ask.'"...
Offensive line still very much a work in progress
The struggles of MTSU's offensive line were the storyline of its Week 1 loss to Vanderbilt. It allowed five sacks, four quarterback hurries and MTSU averaged only 1.9 yards per carry rushing. The unit still looked out of whack in the first half Saturday — "We couldn't protect," Rick Stockstill said. "We did a terrible job again in the first half" — but made some halftime adjustments, which helped lead the way to the Blue Raiders' second-half surge.
"I thought our offensive line, especially the second half, I thought they were a lot better the second half than they were the first half," Stockstill said "You see that on the touchdowns that we hit, on the last one to Shane, Brent gets through his third read, gets to the fourth read, so he's got a bit more time on there."
Reed Blankenship is the real deal
Blankenship, a true freshman, drew rave reviews from the MTSU coaching staff during training camp. His impact has already been felt through MTSU's first two games — he started the game at free safety — but no more than when he made a diving interception with 4:30 left.
http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/col...30-syracuse-23-5-things-we-learned/640795001/
Last week, three Vanderbilt touchdowns on its first three possessions distracted from the fact that in the second half of that game, MTSU's defense actually played pretty well. On Saturday, that trend continued in a big way. Syracuse's first three possessions went punt, safety, punt. It then forced a field goal after Syracuse began its drive at the MTSU 4 following a turnover.
At halftime, Syracuse's high-octane offense had mustered just 111 yards on 44 plays before finishing with 308 yards. MTSU had six sacks against Syracuse. Orange quarterback Eric Dungey had 328 yards in a win over Central Connecticut last week. He had just 182 against the Blue Raiders on Saturday..
MTSU offense finally starting to find a rhythm
It was pretty grim for a while there. Like, 0-for-20 on third down to start the season grim. But then Stockstill hooked up with James for a 28-yard touchdown on a third-and-10 late in the third quarter, and something clicked. MTSU followed the James score with consecutive touchdown-scoring drives. Stockstill completed touchdown passes of 48 and 10 yards to Ty Lee and Shane Tucker, respectively. The Blue Raiders, after committing three first-half turnovers, finally looked a bit like their old selves on the offensive side of the ball.
"We had a couple of three-and-outs, we couldn't get going, but then once we get the first first down, we felt like we were going to be able to move it," Stockstill said. "And that's what we were able to do in the fourth."...
Ty Lee at running back?
MTSU entered Saturday still without an established No. 1 running back, leaving the door open for others to step up. On Saturday, that was wide receiver Ty Lee, who had 18 carries for 50 yards, including a 14-yard scamper for a touchdown in the second quarter.
"I'm honored to run the ball for coach (offensive coordinator Tony) Franklin," Lee said. "He came to me earlier this week and asked me if I could run the ball for him. And I said, 'Yes sir. Anything you ask.'"...
Offensive line still very much a work in progress
The struggles of MTSU's offensive line were the storyline of its Week 1 loss to Vanderbilt. It allowed five sacks, four quarterback hurries and MTSU averaged only 1.9 yards per carry rushing. The unit still looked out of whack in the first half Saturday — "We couldn't protect," Rick Stockstill said. "We did a terrible job again in the first half" — but made some halftime adjustments, which helped lead the way to the Blue Raiders' second-half surge.
"I thought our offensive line, especially the second half, I thought they were a lot better the second half than they were the first half," Stockstill said "You see that on the touchdowns that we hit, on the last one to Shane, Brent gets through his third read, gets to the fourth read, so he's got a bit more time on there."
Reed Blankenship is the real deal
Blankenship, a true freshman, drew rave reviews from the MTSU coaching staff during training camp. His impact has already been felt through MTSU's first two games — he started the game at free safety — but no more than when he made a diving interception with 4:30 left.
http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/col...30-syracuse-23-5-things-we-learned/640795001/
No, Erik Bacharach. Central Connecticut State (of the NEC) has two wins since November 7th 2015. Those two teams were Bowie State and Sacred Heart. Syracuse having a laugher against CCSU does not make 2017 Syracuse a "high octane-offense".