advertisement

Coach's son erases Middle Tennessee's issues at quarterback

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - College coaches are busy enough that being with family can be challenging. Now football is giving Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill the opportunity to spend some quality time with his son, his starting quarterback.

And Brent Stockstill is showing he's a pretty good one at that.

Brent earned the starting job as a freshman last season and wound up being named the Conference USA freshman of the year after throwing for 4,005 yards and helping the Blue Raiders rank 15th nationally averaging 311.7 yards per game. It was a debut that left his father feeling extremely proud.

"I know when he's done, just like this past year, you get so caught up in each week of the season, everything, when you had time to really look back and reflect on the year, you realize how special it was," the Middle Tennessee coach said. "And I know when he's done here in three years and I look back on his whole career, it will be a lot of extremely good memories. I've been fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity."

The Blue Raiders went 7-6 last season and lost to Western Michigan in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Stockstill the quarterback will have some more help with running back I'Tavius Mathers available after sitting out his transfer season. Stockstill the coach has six starters back on offense and five on defense as an early favorite to win the Eastern Division.

"We've got some holes obviously that we have to fill, but I like the nucleus of it," Stockstill said.

Here are some things to know about the Blue Raiders this season:

HELP THE QB: Mathers is expected to provide a big boost after returning to the area where he grew up. He was rated as the 20th-best running back nationally coming out of Blackman High and was part of Hugh Freeze's first recruiting class at Ole Miss. He spent three seasons with Ole Miss with his best season in 2013 when he ran for 563 yards.

SEASON OPENER: Focus will be a challenge against Alabama A&M on Sept. 3 because the Blue Raiders drive about 40 minutes up the interstate a week later to visit Vanderbilt.

KEY GAMES: If the Blue Raiders are to go to a 10th bowl game since moving to FBS, they will have to handle road games at Bowling Green on Sept. 17, North Texas on Oct. 1, FIU on Oct. 29 and Marshall on Nov. 12. They get to host Louisiana Tech on Sept. 24 and longtime rival Western Kentucky on Oct. 15. They also have another Southeastern Conference team on the schedule with a visit to Missouri on Oct. 22.

REPLACING BYARD: The Middle Tennessee defense has to find someone to step up at safety with Kevin Byard now in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted with the first pick in the third round. Byard had 19 career interceptions anchoring the secondary.

PREDICTION: The Blue Raiders have Tony Franklin back as offensive coordinator and went 10-3 during his lone season in that job in 2009. If he balances out the offense, Middle Tennessee should win the C-USA East and go to a sixth bowl as an FBS program.

FILE -- In this Aug. 7, 2015, photo, Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill watches as his son, quarterback Brent Stockstill, throws during NCAA college football practice in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The father-son combination gives the Blue Raiders plenty of reason for optimism. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2015, file photo, Middle Tennessee head coach Rich Stockstill watches his players during NCAA college football practice in Nashville, Tenn. The father-son combination of Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill and quarterback Brent Stockstill give the Blue Raiders plenty of reason for optimism. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill (12) throws the ball during the third quarter of an NCAA football game against Illinois, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. The father-son combination of Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill and quarterback Brent Stockstill give the Blue Raiders plenty of reason for optimism. (AP Photo/Bradley Leeb, File) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.