Know the Opponent: Middle Tennessee State

Over the course of six weeks, BGSUFalcons.com will break down the 12 opponents that BGSU Football will face during the 2017 season. The Falcons will play three of four non-conference games on the road, concluding with a contest at Middle Tennessee State. The game is slated for a 7:00 pm kickoff.

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A YEAR TO PREPARE
Bowling Green's history with Middle Tennessee State extends back just one year to when the Blue Raiders bested the Falcons, 41-21. As part of a home-and-home series, the Falcons will now travel to Murfreesboro and attempt to steal one at their place just like MTSU did one year prior. Last year's matchup was very close despite the final score. Bowling Green held the ball for 30 seconds longer than MTSU and the Blue Raiders outgained the Falcons by the slim margin of 436-433. The running back duo of Josh Cleveland and Donovan Wilson combined for three touchdowns on the ground, but quarterback James Knapke threw two interceptions in a torrential downpour. The Blue Raiders, on the other hand, scored three times each by way of the ground and the air. Play-caller and hometown kid Brent Stockstill – back now as a redshirt junior – threw for 278 yards and three TDs to secure an MTSU win.

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MICHIGAN STATE
SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTHWESTERN

FATHER AND SON
Both the head of the team and the offense are Stockstills – father, Rick, is the head coach and son, Brent, is the starting quarterback. Together they have compiled a 14-11 record in the two years they have been on the field together. (Note: 2015, Brent's freshman year, is not counted because he redshirted. The team went 7-6.) They have made two consecutive bowl appearances as well.

Brent, who was named the starting play-caller immediately after his redshirt year, put up monstrous numbers: in 13 games, he passed for 4,005 yards and 30 touchdowns. The accolades came rolling in. Brent was named Second-Team All-American and C-USA Freshman of the Year in addition to being added to the Manning Award Watch List. He fell just 53 yards short of Jameis Winston's NCAA freshman passing record (4,057). Last season was more or less the same, as his 3,233 yards and 31 touchdowns earned him spots on the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, and Manning Award Watch Lists. He was invited to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy. He missed the last three games of 2016's regular season with a broken collarbone but returned for MTSU's matchup with Hawai'i in the Hawai'i bowl and threw for 432 yards and four touchdowns.

Calling the shots from the sideline is his dad, Rick. He was a three-year letterwinner at Florida State where he served as a team captain and was named Honorable Mention All-America in 1981. He moved into coaching which he is now in his 34th year of. He has coached at Bethune-Cookman, UCF, Clemson, East Carolina, and South Carolina. He is most notable for the wealth of greats he has played under or coached alongside. These include the likes of Bobby Bowden, Tommy Bowden, Danny Ford, Ken Hatfield, Lou Holtz, Larry Little, Steve Spurrier, and Tommy West.

BULKING UP ON D
Though the MTSU defense has a new coach, the leadership amongst players will not be new. Linebacker D.J. Sanders finished 2016 with 66 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick. The effort earned him a spot on the All-CUSA Honorable Mention team. He enters his senior season having played in every game since his freshman year. Sanders especially gave the Falcons trouble in the matchup between the two teams last season. The voted-on "Permanent Captain" tallied 11 tackles (two for a loss), a sack, and a forced fumble.

Whereas Sanders controls the ball in the air, fellow linebacker Chris Melton specializes in controlling an opponent's ground game. The junior will hit the field in 2017 following a sophomore season during which he recorded a career-high, team-leading 102 tackles. He too was named to the All-CUSA Honorable Mention team.

A NEW LEADER ON DEFENSE
In January it was announced that Scott Schafer would be inserted into the position of defensive coordinator for MTSU. Shafer was ousted from his previous job as the head coach at Syracuse and opted not to seek a job for the 2016 season. Now, following a one-year break, he will take over a defense that ranked 90th out of 128 FBS teams in total defensive yards. The Blue Raiders surrendered an average of 445 yards per game that translated into an average 34.4 points against per game.

TRANSFER HELP
When he was coming out of high school in Alabama, defensive end Walter Brady announced a commitment to MTSU before flipping to Missouri. He started his freshman season at Mizzou and led the nation in sacks among freshmen with seven. After sitting out the 2016 season, Brady found himself looking for somewhere new to play. His decision to head back to his original college choice was more than welcome among the coaches. His seven sacks in 2015 would rank as the third most in MTSU program history. Five of the six defensive linemen who saw action last season have since graduated, so Brady's SEC experience will have to help make up for the lack thereof among the new starters.

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