Oct 30, 2014
4:21:59pm
4:21:59pm
Position comparison BYU vs MTSU
Quarterback
Middle Tennessee: Austin Grammer, 155-230, 1893 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT. Grammer has had a good season throwing the ball so far, although the team seems to live and die as he goes. In MTSU's three losses this season, he has thrown just 3 TDs to 5 INTs. In their five wins, he has not thrown a single INT. He averages only about 30 attempts per game, as MTSU runs a fairly balanced offense, however, given BYU's weakness against the pass, look for him to test the BYU secondary early and often. He is also a decent running QB, and has 5 TDs on the ground, although he only averages 3.4 yards/carry
BYU: Christian Stewart, 94-167, 992 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT. Stewart has been solid, if not spectacular since Taysom Hill went down. He's shown flashes of real talent, and, for the most part, makes good decisions with the football. The key for Stewart to have a good game is to get into a rhythm early, as slow starts by him against UCF and Boise State were partially to blame for those losses, although he led an impressive comeback effort against UCF which ultimately fell just short.
Edge: MTSU
Running Backs
MTSU: Middle Tennessee's approach towards the running game is somewhat similar to BYU's, in that they prefer a "running back by committee" approach. They have 3 or 4 different guys that are very capable, although their two biggest threats are Reggie Whatley, who is averaging 7 yds/carry, and Shane Tucker, who leads the team with 6 TDs. Both have ripped off long runs and possess good speed.
BYU: There's no denying that BYU has real talent at the running back position. Between Jamaal Williams, Algernon Brown, Paul Lasike, and Adam Hine, you have a stable of backs that combine speed, agility, and power. The problem with BYU's running back corps is the same as much of the rest of the team, namely, injuries. Jamaal will not be 100% this Saturday, but expects to play regardless. Brown will be sidelined, but luckily Hine appears to be healthy and back in the lineup. Even though they're not fully healthy, MTSU's front 7 have been suspect this year, and BYU should be able to move the ball on the ground.
Edge: BYU
Receivers
MTSU: Middle Tennessee doesn't have a go-to receiver, as Grammer prefers to spread the ball around. In fact, seven different receivers have touchdowns this year. Their leading receiver, Marcus Henry, has 26 receptions for 360 yards, good for an average of 13.8 yards per catch. He also has 3 TDs. The top three receivers are good sized, all of them being 6'1", and although none of them are burners, they're perfectly capable of bringing in long balls, as five of them have a catch of 50 yards or more.
BYU: BYU has two really good receivers in Mitch Mathews and Jordan Leslie, who, combined, have 975 yards on the season and six touchdowns between them. The problem is that there's a big drop off in production after them. After Leslie (464 yards) the next leading receiver is Colby Pearson, who only has 12 receptions for 191 yards. The good news is that MTSU's secondary is bad. BYU's receivers should be able to get open and bring in some catches for good yardage.
Edge: MTSU
O-line
MTSU: This is an area of strength for the Blue Raiders. Their line is somewhat small, with none of their starting five being over 300 pounds, and their smallest weighing only 275. Despite that, they are only surrendering 2 sacks per game, and are very good at run blocking. This does not bode well for BYU, who has had a lot of trouble generating any kind of pass rush this year.
BYU: The O line has struggled mightily in pass protection this year, giving up on average 3.25 sacks per game, putting them at 112th in the nation. However, they are bigger across the board and are helping the running backs to 190 yards per game and 4.42 yards per carry.
Edge: The most difficult call of all the position groups, I have to give it to MTSU by a hair, simply because BYU's pass rush has been so bad. MTSU
Front 7
MTSU: Middle Tennessee's front 7 has been average this year, they get 2.5 sacks per game, and allow 4.27 yards/carry. They allow 179.9 yards rushing per game, which is 85th in the FBS. BYU matches up well against MTSU in this aspect and should be able to move the ball on the ground.
BYU: BYU has some very good players on the front 7. Fred Warner, only a freshman, has been impressive this year, and Alani Fua has also impressed when healthy. One of the most puzzling moves this year, however, has been the move of Bronson Kaufusi from DE to OLB. He has been much better on the line, and struggles with edge contain from the linebacker position. However, as a whole, the BYU defense has been very good against the run so far this year, they're currently 20th in the nation, surrendering only 113.3 yards per game.
Edge: BYU
Secondary:
MTSU: There's no other way to put it, MTSU's passing defense has been bad this year. They give up 275.6 yards per game, which puts them at 112th in the FBS. This is in part to their DBs playing very aggressive defense and often selling out to try to get INTs. They've intercepted opposing teams 11 times, which puts them tied for 11th best in the country. Their best player on defense is their safety, Kevin Byard, who currently has 5 INTs on the year and is a danger to take any pick he gets to the house.
BYU: BYU's secondary has been decimated by injuries this year, and it shows. They lost their best corner, Jordan Johnson, to an arm injury for the season, and have seen both of their starting safeties, Craig Bills and Dallin Leavitt, go down with injuries as well. Both have since returned, but Bills, in his first game back against Boise State, didn't look quite the same. BYU's secondary has been the weakness of this team all year, and their passing defense is currently ranked 117th out of 125 teams, giving up 305 yards per game, and only intercepting 6 passes all year.
Edge: MTSU, only because of the difference in interceptions.
Special teams:
MTSU: Their special teams are solid, if not spectacular. Their punter averages 39 yards per punt, while their kicker is 9 of 11 on field goals with a long of 42 on the year. As for kick coverage, they have not given up a return TD this year, on either kickoffs or punt returns, and are very good at bottling up returners and holding them to low yardage. On the other side of the ball, they have a dangerous returner who has returned two punts for touchdowns this year.
BYU: Scott Arellano has undeniably been one of the best punters in the country this year, averaging 44.6 yards per punt, with an astounding long of 76 yards. Trevor Samson has been good as well, knocking through 8 of 10 tries with a long of 41. On kickoff returns, Adam Hine possesses great speed and has already proven that he can take a kickoff all the way back. They have not been very good returning punts, most of the time opting to be safe and call the fair catch. As for kick return defense, BYU gives up almost 10 yards per return against punts but only 18.88 yards per kick return, which is 25th best in the country. They have not given up a return touchdown yet this season.
Edge: BYU
Coaching
MTSU: Rick Stockstill holds a current record of 56-52 in his 9th season as a head coach at MTSU. His best season came in 2009, when he went 10-3. He has won one conference championship. He has done a good job this year coaching his team to wins against teams of comparable talent, with his losses coming against Minnesota, Memphis, and Marshall, all of whom are more talented teams than MTSU.
BYU: The coaching for the Cougars has been atrocious these past three games, and defensive play calling has been an issue all year. Against both UCF and Nevada, the Cougars blew big halftime leads and allowed the other team to come back and win. Against Boise State, the Cougars were outclassed from start to finish and looked totally unprepared. Unless some big changes have occurred this past week, expect to see some questionable play calling again.
Edge: MTSU
Prediction- MTSU will be able to move the ball through the air in big chunks, making up for how tough it will be to move the ball on the ground. BYU will also move the ball up and down the field, through the air and on the ground. Ultimately, this game will come down to two things- coaching, and turnovers. BYU has struggled to make adjustments when necessary these last 4 games, and MTSU has been the better team at forcing turnovers. MTSU wins this one in a shoot out, 38-31.
Middle Tennessee: Austin Grammer, 155-230, 1893 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT. Grammer has had a good season throwing the ball so far, although the team seems to live and die as he goes. In MTSU's three losses this season, he has thrown just 3 TDs to 5 INTs. In their five wins, he has not thrown a single INT. He averages only about 30 attempts per game, as MTSU runs a fairly balanced offense, however, given BYU's weakness against the pass, look for him to test the BYU secondary early and often. He is also a decent running QB, and has 5 TDs on the ground, although he only averages 3.4 yards/carry
BYU: Christian Stewart, 94-167, 992 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT. Stewart has been solid, if not spectacular since Taysom Hill went down. He's shown flashes of real talent, and, for the most part, makes good decisions with the football. The key for Stewart to have a good game is to get into a rhythm early, as slow starts by him against UCF and Boise State were partially to blame for those losses, although he led an impressive comeback effort against UCF which ultimately fell just short.
Edge: MTSU
Running Backs
MTSU: Middle Tennessee's approach towards the running game is somewhat similar to BYU's, in that they prefer a "running back by committee" approach. They have 3 or 4 different guys that are very capable, although their two biggest threats are Reggie Whatley, who is averaging 7 yds/carry, and Shane Tucker, who leads the team with 6 TDs. Both have ripped off long runs and possess good speed.
BYU: There's no denying that BYU has real talent at the running back position. Between Jamaal Williams, Algernon Brown, Paul Lasike, and Adam Hine, you have a stable of backs that combine speed, agility, and power. The problem with BYU's running back corps is the same as much of the rest of the team, namely, injuries. Jamaal will not be 100% this Saturday, but expects to play regardless. Brown will be sidelined, but luckily Hine appears to be healthy and back in the lineup. Even though they're not fully healthy, MTSU's front 7 have been suspect this year, and BYU should be able to move the ball on the ground.
Edge: BYU
Receivers
MTSU: Middle Tennessee doesn't have a go-to receiver, as Grammer prefers to spread the ball around. In fact, seven different receivers have touchdowns this year. Their leading receiver, Marcus Henry, has 26 receptions for 360 yards, good for an average of 13.8 yards per catch. He also has 3 TDs. The top three receivers are good sized, all of them being 6'1", and although none of them are burners, they're perfectly capable of bringing in long balls, as five of them have a catch of 50 yards or more.
BYU: BYU has two really good receivers in Mitch Mathews and Jordan Leslie, who, combined, have 975 yards on the season and six touchdowns between them. The problem is that there's a big drop off in production after them. After Leslie (464 yards) the next leading receiver is Colby Pearson, who only has 12 receptions for 191 yards. The good news is that MTSU's secondary is bad. BYU's receivers should be able to get open and bring in some catches for good yardage.
Edge: MTSU
O-line
MTSU: This is an area of strength for the Blue Raiders. Their line is somewhat small, with none of their starting five being over 300 pounds, and their smallest weighing only 275. Despite that, they are only surrendering 2 sacks per game, and are very good at run blocking. This does not bode well for BYU, who has had a lot of trouble generating any kind of pass rush this year.
BYU: The O line has struggled mightily in pass protection this year, giving up on average 3.25 sacks per game, putting them at 112th in the nation. However, they are bigger across the board and are helping the running backs to 190 yards per game and 4.42 yards per carry.
Edge: The most difficult call of all the position groups, I have to give it to MTSU by a hair, simply because BYU's pass rush has been so bad. MTSU
Front 7
MTSU: Middle Tennessee's front 7 has been average this year, they get 2.5 sacks per game, and allow 4.27 yards/carry. They allow 179.9 yards rushing per game, which is 85th in the FBS. BYU matches up well against MTSU in this aspect and should be able to move the ball on the ground.
BYU: BYU has some very good players on the front 7. Fred Warner, only a freshman, has been impressive this year, and Alani Fua has also impressed when healthy. One of the most puzzling moves this year, however, has been the move of Bronson Kaufusi from DE to OLB. He has been much better on the line, and struggles with edge contain from the linebacker position. However, as a whole, the BYU defense has been very good against the run so far this year, they're currently 20th in the nation, surrendering only 113.3 yards per game.
Edge: BYU
Secondary:
MTSU: There's no other way to put it, MTSU's passing defense has been bad this year. They give up 275.6 yards per game, which puts them at 112th in the FBS. This is in part to their DBs playing very aggressive defense and often selling out to try to get INTs. They've intercepted opposing teams 11 times, which puts them tied for 11th best in the country. Their best player on defense is their safety, Kevin Byard, who currently has 5 INTs on the year and is a danger to take any pick he gets to the house.
BYU: BYU's secondary has been decimated by injuries this year, and it shows. They lost their best corner, Jordan Johnson, to an arm injury for the season, and have seen both of their starting safeties, Craig Bills and Dallin Leavitt, go down with injuries as well. Both have since returned, but Bills, in his first game back against Boise State, didn't look quite the same. BYU's secondary has been the weakness of this team all year, and their passing defense is currently ranked 117th out of 125 teams, giving up 305 yards per game, and only intercepting 6 passes all year.
Edge: MTSU, only because of the difference in interceptions.
Special teams:
MTSU: Their special teams are solid, if not spectacular. Their punter averages 39 yards per punt, while their kicker is 9 of 11 on field goals with a long of 42 on the year. As for kick coverage, they have not given up a return TD this year, on either kickoffs or punt returns, and are very good at bottling up returners and holding them to low yardage. On the other side of the ball, they have a dangerous returner who has returned two punts for touchdowns this year.
BYU: Scott Arellano has undeniably been one of the best punters in the country this year, averaging 44.6 yards per punt, with an astounding long of 76 yards. Trevor Samson has been good as well, knocking through 8 of 10 tries with a long of 41. On kickoff returns, Adam Hine possesses great speed and has already proven that he can take a kickoff all the way back. They have not been very good returning punts, most of the time opting to be safe and call the fair catch. As for kick return defense, BYU gives up almost 10 yards per return against punts but only 18.88 yards per kick return, which is 25th best in the country. They have not given up a return touchdown yet this season.
Edge: BYU
Coaching
MTSU: Rick Stockstill holds a current record of 56-52 in his 9th season as a head coach at MTSU. His best season came in 2009, when he went 10-3. He has won one conference championship. He has done a good job this year coaching his team to wins against teams of comparable talent, with his losses coming against Minnesota, Memphis, and Marshall, all of whom are more talented teams than MTSU.
BYU: The coaching for the Cougars has been atrocious these past three games, and defensive play calling has been an issue all year. Against both UCF and Nevada, the Cougars blew big halftime leads and allowed the other team to come back and win. Against Boise State, the Cougars were outclassed from start to finish and looked totally unprepared. Unless some big changes have occurred this past week, expect to see some questionable play calling again.
Edge: MTSU
Prediction- MTSU will be able to move the ball through the air in big chunks, making up for how tough it will be to move the ball on the ground. BYU will also move the ball up and down the field, through the air and on the ground. Ultimately, this game will come down to two things- coaching, and turnovers. BYU has struggled to make adjustments when necessary these last 4 games, and MTSU has been the better team at forcing turnovers. MTSU wins this one in a shoot out, 38-31.
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