Conference Champions: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2006 MIDDLETENNESSEE 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl 2009 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2006 Motor City Bowl GAMEEIGHT Middle Tennessee (3-4) vs Marshall (4-2) Game 8 • Thursday, October 24, 2013 • Floyd Stadium (30,788) • Murfreesboro, TN VS QUICK HITTERS This will be the annual Blackout game where MT will INSIDE THEMATCH-UP wear all black uniforms. MT has forced 20 turnovers through seven games which MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS ranks second nationally. 2013 Record: 3-4 (1-2 in C-USA) 2013 Rank: nr/nr Over the last 12 games, the Blue Raider defense has Last Game: L, 34-7 vs North Texas come up with 19 interceptions. The team has 10 picks in 2013 by seven diff erent players. MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD Kevin Byard has set his personal-best in tackles for two 2013 Record: 4-2 (2-0 in C-USA) straight games with 15 stops vs ECU and 17 at UNT. 2013 Rank: nr/nr RB Jordan Parker has topped the 100-yard rushing mark Last Game: W, 24-23 vs FAU six times in his last 11 games. Leighton Gasque is fourth all-time at MT with 14 sacks. SERIESINFORMATION PLAYERTOWATCH Overall Record: Marshall leads 2-0 The 2013 campaign is the 99th season of football in the #20 Kevin Byard Games in Murfreesboro: First Meeting history of Middle Tennessee. Sophomore Kevin Byard has set his career-high in Games in Huntington: Marshall leads 2-0 MT ranks second in C-USA in sacks with 18. tackles for two straight games with 15 and 17. The safety 2013 is the 15th season of FBS (1-A) football for MT as has 62 total stops and shares team lead in interceptions HEADCOACHES its fi rst season was 1999. and pass breakups. Middle Tennessee WR Kyle Griswould has caught at least one reception in Rick Stockstill (Florida State ‘79) Record at Middle Tennessee: 46-48 (8th Year) 29 straight games, which is third most all-time. MT-MARSHALL SERIES NOTES Overall Record: 46-48 (8th Year) Logan Kilgore is ranked fourth all-time in passing yards Thursday’s game will mark the third meeting between Record vs. Marshall: 0-0 at MT with 6,428 yards. the two schools on the gridiron. The series, which began Logan Kilgore needs 8 touchdown passes to break the in 1992, is led by Marshall, 2-0. Marshall school record of 50 established by Wes Counts. The only two meetings in the series both happened Doc Holliday (West Virginia ‘79) Record at UM: 21-22 (4th Year) DT Jimmy Staten, P Josh Davis, and OL Josh Walker have during the I-AA Playoff s in 1992 and 1994. Overall Record: 21-22 (4th Year) played in a team-best 43 career games. Record vs. Middle Tennessee: 0-0 Consecutive Starts Leaders: Kyle Griswould 22, Logan Kilgore 20 and Josh Walker 19. BROADCASTINFORMATION Television Fox Sports 1 (Justin Kutcher (pxp), Petros Papadakis (analyst), WESTERN CAROLINA NONE W, 45-24 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/MT leads 3-2 Joel Klatt (analyst), Kristina Pink (sideline) A29 NORTH CAROLINA ACC Network L, 40-20 S7 CHAPEL HILL, NC/KENAN STADIUM (63,000)/UNC leads 1-0 Local Radio MEMPHIS CSS W, 17-15 Network: Blue Raider Network with Chip Walters (pxp) S14 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/MT LEADS 17-8-1 and former MT & NFL quarterback Kelly Holcomb (analyst) FLORIDA ATLANTIC CSS W, 42-35 ot S21 BOCA RATON, FL/FAU STADIUM (30,000)/MT LEADS 7-3 BYU ESPNU L, 37-10 MEDIAINFORMATION S27 PROVO, UT/LAVELL EDWARDS STADIUM (63,470)/BYU LEADS 1-0 Middle Tennessee EAST CAROLINA FSN L, 24-17 Mark Owens (Twitter: @markowens5) O5 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/ECU LEADS 1-0 Office: 615-898-5057 | Cell: 615-631-9520 NORTH TEXAS NONE L, 34-7 [email protected] O12 DENTON, TX/APOGEE STADIUM (30,850)/UNT LEADS 8-5 Russell Luna (Twitter: @rdluna) MARSHALL FS1 6:30 PM CT Office: 615-898-5270 | Cell: 615-900-7837 O24 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/MARSHALL LEADS 2-0 [email protected] UAB FSN NOON CT BIRMINGHAM, AL/LEGION FIELD (72,000)/UAB LEADS 2-1 Live Stats: GoBlueRaiders.com N2 FIU FCS 3 PM CT N9 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/MT LEADS 5-3 SOCIALMEDIA SOUTHERN MISS CSS 2:30 PM CT Game Hashtag: #UMvsMT N23 HATTIESBURG, MS/ROBERTS STADIUM (36,000)/MT LEADS 1-0 Twitter: @MTAthletics UTEP CW58 TBA Facebook.com/BlueRaiderAthletics N30 MURFREESBORO, TN/FLOYD STADIUM (30,788)/FIRST MEETING Instagram: MTAthletics Conference Champions: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2006 THIS’N’THAT WHO’SUP?WHO’SDOWN? The Blue Raider defense ranks 30th nationally in red Press Box zone defense. David Bibee, Safeties Senior Dearco Nolan’s three-sack performance against Joe Cauthen, Defensive Line Rick Mallory, Off ensive Tackles/Tight Ends FAU ranked as the second-most ever in a game at MT. Mike Polly, Running Backs 2013C-USASTANDINGS Junior Reggie Whatley has 1,192 career kickoff return East Division C-USA Overall yards and is one of just seven players in school history Sidelines Marshall 2-0 4-2 Rick Stockstill, Head Coach East Carolina 3-1 5-2 to reach 1,000 yards. His total ranks him third on MT’s Steve Ellis, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks all-time list. Tyrone Nix, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers FIU 1-1 1-5 UAB 1-1 2-4 MT quarterback Logan Kilgore made his fourth straight Geep Wade, Off ensive Line Justin Watts, Wide Receivers Middle Tennessee 1-2 3-4 season opening in win over WCU and is one of seven Buster Faulkner, Off ensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks FAU 1-4 2-5 current signal-callers nationally to have that distinction. Southern Miss 0-2 0-6 Kilgore joined Kolton Browning, ULM; Taylor Martinez, the Herd will mark Middle Tennessee’s 23rd nationally Nebraska; Taylor McHargue, Rice; Aaron Murray, Georgia; televised broadcast under Rick Stockstill. MT has played West Division C-USA Overall Corey Robinson, Troy: and Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois. on ESPN four times, ESPN2 eight times, ESPNU eight times, Tulane 3-0 5-2 Rice 3-0 5-2 For the fi rst time in the FBS era (since 1999), MT scored ESPN3 (twice {counted when ESPN brings entire produc- North Texas 2-1 4-3 on the fi rst play of the season in win vs WCU. tion}), the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports Net. Tulsa 1-1 2-4 Under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have been in- LA Tech 1-2 2-5 volved in 12 games that were decided in the fi nal minute BARBER LEADING DEFENSE UTSA 1-2 2-5 UTEP 0-3 1-5 of regulation or overtime (3 in 2011). Sophomore T.T. Barber is having a special season lead- Head Coach Rick Stockstill is third on the school’s all-time ing the Blue Raider defense. Barber ranks 10th nationally wins list with 46 victories. in tackles per game (10.9) and ninth in solo stops (6.4). C-USASCHEDULE MT has won the opening coin toss 17 times over its last Barber, who has double digit tackles in four of last fi ve THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 31 games, including fi ve of last seven on the road. games, is on pace for 130 tackles this season which would Marshall at Middle Tennessee 6:30p MT has scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the crack MT’s top six on the single-season list. game 22 times under Stockstill. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 UTEP at Rice 2:30p The Blue Raiders are 5-1 under Rick Stockstill in one SINGLETARY MAKING PLAYS Tulsa at Tulane 2:30p point games. In three straight games, sophomore Jared Singletary UAB at UTSA 4:00p In 94 games under Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders are came up with some big plays from his corner position North Texas at Southern Miss 6:00p +24 in turnover margin. for the Blue Raider defense. At UNC, Singletary scored Louisiana Tech at FIU TBA MT was +10 in turnover margin in 2012 and are +5 in his fi rst career touchdown on a 25-yard fumble return, Florida Atlantic at Auburn TBA 2013 to rank 18th nationally. then answered with two sacks on Memphis’ potential THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 MT had 18 plays of 45 or more yards last year and has game-winning drive the following game. At FAU he had an Rice at North Texas 6:30p three this season. interception with 1:42 to play that led to Reggie Whatley’s The 49 points at Georgia Tech in 2012 went down as the 64-yard TD run. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 most on the road for MT since putting up 66 in a win at Southern Miss at Marshall 11:00a Connecticut on Nov. 4, 2000. NATION’S BEST TURNAROUND The longest off ensive drive in the Rick Stockstill era was Following a 2-10 season in 2011, Middle Tennessee 2013 HONORS 9:33 at North Texas in 2006. It resulted in a TD. bounced back with vengeance last season and owned the T.T. Barber: Named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Middle Tennessee has scored 30 or more points 36 times nation’s best turnaround. The Raiders’ +6 win total from on Oct. 2 under Rick Stockstill, including 6 times in 2012. The most 2011 joined Ohio State and Kent State for the biggest win Kevin Byard: Named First Team Preseason All-C-USA 30-point games in a season under Stockstill is nine (2009).