MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL 9 2006 Season Preview New Beginning, New Era, New Attitude OFFENSE Battling for playing time as Marks’ backup in 2006 will Blue Raider Notables The Middle Tennessee off ense, which had a roller coaster be the much anticipated debut of Joe Craddock. A redshirt season in 2005, welcomes back eight starters and 23 total sophomore, Craddock was expected to push Marks a year lettermen in 2006. Led by the most accurate passer in the ago but a season-ending injury in fall camp ended his fresh- Sun Belt Conference and the fi fth-leading rusher, man year. the Blue Raiders have high hopes under new Craddock, out of Birmingham, Ala., is a player who can get out of trouble with his running ability National Television for the Blue Raiders coach Rick Stockstill and off ensive coordinator G.A. Mangus. and possesses a very strong arm. The only thing The Blue Raiders will play their fi rst nationally televised Craddock lacks is playing experience. football game of the I-A era and just the second in school The new off ense will be a multiple history when they host Louisville on October 6. The game, formation and multiple-scheme attack Also battling with Craddock for backup duties which will be that will take a wide-open approach. will be redshirt junior Patrick Jackson. The shown on ESPN2, “We want to be a balanced Macon, Ga., product has been a will be played off ense who keeps the member of the travel squad but in Nashville at defense guessing,” said has yet to see action in a game. the Coliseum. The last time Middle Tennessee played a Stockstill. “If we carry out During the spring, Jackson re- nationally televised game was in 1989 against Georgia our assignments, our off ense ceived the bulk of the backup Southern on ESPN in what was coined the Hurricane Bowl snaps because of Craddock’s due to the eff ects of approaching Hurricane Hugo. should dictate to the defense.” Lefthander Clint Marks, injury. Jackson made the most of his opportunity by What’s on tap for the Blue Raiders in ‘06 who became the fi rst signal- caller in school history to record completing 16 of 23 passes for Middle Tennessee and new Head Coach Rick Stockstill will 200 yards in the Blue-White play the most challenging football schedule in school his- back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons, will tory this year. Along with the always tough Sun Belt slate, direct the Blue Raider attack. Entering Spring Game. the Blue Raiders will step out of league action to take his senior year, Marks’ primary on Maryland (ACC), Oklahoma (Big 12), Louisville (Big veteran targets are versatile running Running Backs East), and South Carolina (SEC). Oklahoma, Louisville, and back Eugene Gross, receiver Taron The Middle Tennessee running South Carolina all made postseason play while Maryland Henry, and tight end Stephen game is an area where the Blue Raiders want fell one game shy. Preseason polls show the Sooners, Chicola. to see vast improvement in 2006. The Blue Cardinals, and Gamecocks all in the Top 25. For the second year in a row, Raiders averaged just 2.8 yards per rush and came up with only three 100-yard Stockstill puts together impressive staff Middle Tennessee enters a sea- After getting hired on December 12, 2005, Head Coach son searching for an improved rushing games by an individual the Rick Stockstill immediately went to work putting together running game. The Blue Raiders entire 2005 season. his fi rst staff . The results were more than impressive. The ranked last in the league a year Eugene Gross was nearly a one- ten-man staff has ago with only 109.1 yards a game man band a year ago for the Blue a combined 148 after struggling with injuries and Raiders. DeMarco McNair and Terry years of coaching inexperience. Jackson were lost for the year due experience, three “I think we have some talented to academics, then freshman Alex Super Bowl rings, players on the off ensive side of Suber was pressed into action but and four National the ball, but we have to improve lasted just three games before Championships in some areas,” said Stockstill. “We suff ering a season-ending injury. and has coached had too many penalties a year After those losses, the running in a total of 60 bowl games. ago and we have to work every game was left to Gross and an Diaz is one of the youngest day on taking care of the football. inexperienced Ralph King and Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz, who has spent nearly Turnovers and penalties can stop Clint Marks converted safety Ronald his entire coaching career learning from Florida State’s an off ense quicker than anything, Steed. Mickey Andrews and N.C. State’s Chuck Amato, is the 10th so fundamentals are a high Gross, who had a youngest coordinator in the nation at 32. Diaz also ranks priority in 2006.” fabulous spring that was as the sixth youngest defensive coordinator in the nation Following is a position-by- capped by a 158-yard and the youngest coordinator in the South. The youngest position look at the 2006 Blue rushing eff ort in the Blue-White Game, led the Blue Raiders coordinator in the nation is Rice’s Major Applewhite, who Raider off ense. in rushing and was fi fth in the Sun Belt with 724 yards en is 28. route to earning second team all-conference honors in 2005. Quarterbacks The Statesboro, Ga., native also tallied a career-best 13 rush- Marks chasing Counts in 2006 Senior Clint Marks took nearly every snap under center ing touchdowns to go with a personal-high 33 receptions to Quarterback Clint Marks enters his senior season within in 2005 and will enter the 2006 campaign having started in pace all Sun Belt backs. The senior led the league in scoring striking distance of becoming the school’s all-time lead- ing passer. The southpaw has 5,425 career passing yards, 21 consecutive games. The Fort Myers, Fla., native is coming and sits fourth all-time at Middle Tennessee in touchdowns which is 2,583 yards shy of breaking Wes Counts’ record off a year when he completed 66 percent of his passes and scored entering the 2006 season. mark of 8,007. Marks’ best year was 2004 when he threw threw for 2,083 yards and eight touchdowns. Also in the mix will be McNair and Suber. McNair, a junior for 2,749 yards. The Fort Myers, Fla., native enters 2006 The southpaw ranks third all-time in passing yardage at from Thomson, Ga., returns to the team after sitting out ranked third all-time behind Counts and Kelly Holcomb Middle Tennessee with 5,425 yards and is fi rst in completion the 2005 season. As a freshman, McNair had a 5.3 yards per (7,064). percentage. Marks had four straight 200-yard passing carry average and registered 71 yards on the ground in the games during one stretch of the season before ending the 2004 regular season fi nale against Troy. year with a 297-yard game against FIU. Suber, a sophomore from Tampa, Fla., is a cat-quick back 10 MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL 2006 Season Preview Front runners at the position will be Taron Henry, Pierre has played in four games each of the past three years and Eugene Gross Ingram, Jonathan Grigsby, and Bobby Williams. will be counted on for leadership in 2006. Henry, a local product from Riverdale High School, is Honeycutt and Taylor are two promising young receivers ready for a breakout season. The junior is coming off a career who sat out the 2005 campaign and will vie for playing year with 20 receptions for 192 yards, including a personal- time. Taylor opened some eyes in the Blue-White Game with best fi ve catches in the season four receptions for 64 yards, and fi nale against FIU. Henry, who Honeycutt added two grabs. caught four passes for 112 Franklin Dunbar The tight end yards in the Blue-White Game, position is the best it has been is listed as the starter at the “Z” during the I-A era with talented receiver position entering fall Stephen Chicola and Clinton camp. Corder leading the way. Both Ingram, who doubles as a are solid veterans who should track standout, looks the part thrive in the new system. at 6-4, 212 but has struggled Chicola, arguably getting into the lineup. The the top tight end in the Sun who Stockbridge, Ga., native has Belt Conference, is coming off is returning to battled injuries his entire career a career year in 2005, when the fold following and hopes to end his senior he hauled in 29 receptions for an injury in game year on a high note. He enters 231 yards. The junior’s 29 grabs three last year. Suber the fall as a starter at the “X” went down as the most by a had just 56 yards rushing receiver spot. Blue Raider tight end since and four receptions, but Grigsby, a former walk-on 1991. In a win over Troy on showed fl ashes of his big-play from Franklin, Tenn., saw the road, Chicola established a potential during his brief playing action in the last fi ve single-game record for a tight time. However, he will have to games of the season and end with nine receptions before recover from lost time as he did not collected three receptions fi nishing the year at FIU with participate in any contact drills during the for 50 yards.