MT Athletic Communications
Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 8:56 pm

Middle Tennessee fans will not be the only anxious people to see the Blue Raiders when they take the field for their first scrimmage of the preseason Saturday.
Players, particularly veterans, also are eager to see what lies ahead when they conclude their first day of two-a-day practices with Saturday's scrimmage at 4:30 p.m. in Floyd Stadium.

While several veterans have had shining moments through the initial stages of preseason camp, youngsters also have turned a few heads.

"We have some good young guys coming in here who can play but it's really difficult to tell much until we get in full pads and scrimmage," quarterback Dwight Dasher said. "I will be able to tell much more about some things after the first scrimmage."

It is obvious the Blue Raiders appear to be quickly picking up first-year coordinator Tony Franklin's exciting up tempo offense. Middle Tennessee's offense has looked crisp during long portions of practice and the execution has been there for the most part.

"We are getting there but we still have a ways to go," said senior receiver Desmond Gee. "I like our offense and everyone is getting on the same page but as we keep working and competing throughout camp it's only going to keep getting better. We have to continue to strive to become a better team each day and you do that with good practice habits."

Middle Tennessee's defense also has been sharp during the first week but Saturday provides their first opportunity to compete against the offense in full pads in game situations. Creating turnovers, not only to give the offense better field position and more opportunities, but also to become a better scoring defense is a focus.

"We want to create turnovers but we also want to have a chance to score off of those turnovers," linebacker Danny Carmichael said. "Part of that is staying off the ground and being solid. I have seen some good things in practice this week so far but we can still become a much better team. I believe Saturday's scrimmage will be a better barometer of where we are and how much we still have to get done during this camp."