| Raiders close home football schedule Saturday |
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Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 9:54 pm
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Middle Tennessee Coach Rick Stockstill talks to media reps.
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Middle Tennessee closes its home football schedule Saturday with North Texas as the Blue Raiders continue to try to win out and end the season at .500.
Coach Rick Stockstill's team is 4-6 and riding a two-game Sun Belt Conference win streak, having knocked off Western Kentucky, 21-10, last Saturday, one week after clipping UL-Monroe, 24-21.
Saturday's game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. in Floyd Stadium with recognition of the team's nine seniors, the lowest number in the nation, and a special salute to area veterans.
The Raiders close the regular season Dec. 3 at UL-Lafayette.
HIghlights from Tuesday's weekly football media luncheon included:
(From MT Athletic Communications)
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening comments:
"We are very excited about this week's game against North Texas. It's our last home game so it adds more meaning. North Texas is a dangerous team with a bad record. They have the capabilities of scoring a lot of points and racking up a lot of yardage if we are not ready to play."
Teams have had success throwing the ball against North Texas. Is this a game you can utilize your passing attack exclusively in order to win?
"I don't think so. I think that the teams who have been successful throwing the ball against North Texas have also been successful running the ball. Teams that have thrown the ball for a lot of yardage against them also have had good running games. I don't think we can throw the ball every down to win this game. We have to be able to run the ball well and have balance."
Your defense is described as a physical defense. Why is that?
"We haven't played as much man coverage this year as we have the previous two years and we have not blitzed as much. I think what people see in our defense is a group that plays hard and is aggressive. They are tough guys who play physical, play fast, on defense. We have blitzed more lately but we are a fast defense that plays very physical with a lot of emotion."
How do you guard against your team letting down against a 1-9 team giving up almost 49 yards a game?
"To me, their defense is not giving up 48 points a game. Their offense has a lot to do with it. They have turned the ball over a lot offensively and the games in which they have played well they have not turned the ball over. We have to create turnovers because when North Texas has not turned the ball over they have played well. We are not good enough to think we are that much better than North Texas to think we can just walk out there and win."
You have the smallest senior class in the country (nine scholarship players). Talk about the senior class and this being "Senior Day."
"The pregame show won't last as long with nine guys out there. I will not make a big deal about "Senior Day." We will play the game like any other game. I am appreciative of all nine of those guys and the three walk-ons and what they have accomplished. We are not going to talk a lot about it. They know it is their last home game and we don't need to remind them of that every day. They are good, hard-working kids, and they are committed to the program. They have made a difference here and I appreciate everything they have done for Middle Tennessee."
LB Danny Carmichael
On the aggressive defense:
"At WKU the plan was to get after them from the get-go. We had more blitzes in this week. We felt like if we could pressure the quarterback he would make some bad throws and made some bad decisions, and he did. We played with three down lineman the past two or three games. That gives you a chance for more blitzes and we have been more active."
On Senior Day:
"It is Senior Day and some of my real good buddies are seniors. They are close to me and we need to send them out with a win. Hopefully we can get it done."
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