Blue Raider Podcast | 10/30/2026

[00:00:00] We're the Good Neighbor Network, FM 101.9 and AM 1450, Murfreesboro, FM 100.5, Smyrna, audio and video, streaming at WGNSRadio.com This is the Blue Raider Podcast on WGNS. It's your all-access pass to everything Middle Tennessee sports. Game recaps, player spotlights, and the latest from the heart of Blue Raider Nation.

[00:00:26] Now, here's your host, Jake Bolden. Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast. Today is presented to you by Blue Hub Nutrition. As you can see, we are live at Blue Hub Nutrition. I'm joined by Lady Raider, also USA freshman of the year, Blair Boggess. We're going to be catching up with her ahead of the season starting this coming Monday. Stick around for our final segment. We're going to be talking about football as they wrap up their midweek schedule.

[00:00:54] And, of course, we can't forget men's basketball. Their season also begins on Friday up in Lawrence, Kansas. But before we get into today's episode, I've got to remind you to follow us on our social medias, at Blue Raider Pod. We're on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, at Blue Raider Pod. And, of course, today's episode that is also live-streamed over on YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss another one of our weekly Friday episodes. And if you want to join into today's episode, our lines will be open at the end in our third and final segment.

[00:01:22] That phone number is 615-893-1450. If you want to join in and call in to our football segment of the show. As I said, we're live here at Blue Hub Nutrition, 1116 Old Las Casas Road, located... It's up for debate, a quarter mile from Murphy Center. But we know that Blair here is on a frequent basis. Blair, what are you having today? I have the Blair, which is the Fruity Pebble Protein Shake.

[00:01:47] I started getting it whenever I first started coming here, which has probably been about a year, maybe. And so I got it every time, and eventually it turned into the Blair. To the Blair? Blair went right. So she took, she stayed claim on it. So it's a protein drink. Are you, is it one of those always post-workout drinks for you? Yeah, well, it really depends on the day because I'll get the Blair or I'll get the other one I get. What is it called? The Baden Bougie. The Baden Bougie. Baden Bougie. Yep.

[00:02:17] And I'll get protein in it. So I'll have protein both ways. Always. Well, I'm drinking on the Cindy Lou, the strawberry daiquiri of it all. Sweet, cotton candy, delicious. I've also got a little boost of caffeine. So Blue Hub obviously has all the needs. If it's for energy's sake, if it's for protein's sake, they'll have your answer for you here at 1116 Old Las Casas Road. Blair, we're going to dive right into it. What a season. I mean, it's funny.

[00:02:42] I talked to you this time last year, and a lot of the big discussion was you come from a small school. How do you fit into the Division I? And, I mean, you really, I mean, how often do you really reflect on how good that year one was for you? Yeah, I do reflect on it a good bit. I know that this next season is a new season, so I can't really think about what all I did last season. I have to look ahead and know what I'm going to accomplish next season.

[00:03:07] So I don't think about it too much where it gets in my head, but I do realize it whenever I go home and I see all these people and they're bragging to me about how well I did and stuff. And that's just a really big part of my hometown and why I love where I live so much is because they're all always so supportive, and I really feel loved there. I was going to list all the accolades I could, but we have limited time on the show, so I'll try to limit it to some of those that I thought were noteworthy. Obviously, you were CUSA Freshman of the Year.

[00:03:36] You were first team All-CUSA, eight-time Player of the Week. You had 15 double-doubles, which was second amongst Division I freshmen. You had 22 double-figure scoring games, 18 double-figure rebounding games. One of the names that you were consistently chasing all season long was Ebony Rowe in regards to the program ranks. Do these numbers – and I know I had the opportunity to ask you in post-game press conferences, but do these numbers mean anything to you? I mean, what is the most important thing in Blair's mind? The win.

[00:04:04] I mean, at the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about our team. So as long as we get the win, I'm good. So really, I'm not too into the numbers and everything. I know you could easily get caught up in that. So I try my best to just give the glory to the Lord and just move on and win my game. How do you go about – how do you go about just avoiding the noise? Like, what is that mental focus, that mental block for you where you're just not – you're not necessarily worried about that, but it is the next game mentality?

[00:04:32] Yeah, well, I do live about 10 minutes maybe from campus, which I think is good because that gives me a little bit of an escape. It's not like I'm always here all the time. So whenever I go home, I'll shower, eat, play on my phone a little bit. So it's not always basketball, basketball, basketball because that's where you can get burnout and start not performing how you want to perform because, yeah, I think about it.

[00:04:56] I constantly think about it, but also have to have that mental break and that time where I can just relax, talk to my family, hang out with people. Was there a moment last year where you kind of felt settled in? Yeah. Yeah. Mid-season, well, after the first few games I got pretty comfortable. Every game I was building more comfortability. And so I think it was probably a few games in I was getting more comfortable every game.

[00:05:24] And I think this season I'll be pretty comfortable once, you know, the first few nerves of the first few games. Well, I think it's important, too, when you're coming in as a freshman because that's something we talked about a lot when you came on last year was how do you adapt to the lifestyle of being a college student athlete? How do you feel that part of your life has changed over from, say, where you were last year to now going into your first couple weeks of school? How have you adapted your lifestyle? Is it as hectic as it was? Have you found a flow to your daily life? I've definitely found a flow.

[00:05:53] I am taking online classes right now, which makes it much better for my freedom to be able to go to the gym whenever I need to. I usually go in the mornings. I'll come back, have a bite to eat, do a little homework, go back for practice, weights, recovery, and all that. So I definitely love my online life right now. But it does require work, too. It's not like I don't do schoolwork. So you've got to find a happy medium. You and I are a lot alike.

[00:06:20] Like, are you still an exercise science major? No, I'm communications. Communications. So were you at one point exercise science? I think I thought about it whenever I came in. And I don't really know why I'm in exercise science. But I've been communications. Because that was where our commonality would be. I was a major at MTSU in exercise science. And now I host a podcast. But I was going to say, was it anatomy and physiology that scared you off of it?

[00:06:47] Because for me, going into my sophomore year is when that class got introduced. And that definitely trimmed a lot of the fat for the exercise science people. Yeah, I took that in high school. And I was like, no. So you're in communications. I mean, what is the end goal there? Or is it more or less kind of like, I'll figure it out as I go along? Yeah, I don't know exactly what I want to do. But I really do love social media and posting and being in front of the camera. I also like taking the videos, taking the photos.

[00:07:16] And if one day I would love to model, I would. I really would. That's always been a dream of mine. And I would just love to do that and do social media, posting, promoting, and stuff like that. So we'll see, you know, if I can make a career out of that. If not, I'll go back home and do what I can. What about, I mean, I would assume basketball would take precedent over modeling? Or is modeling more the long-term game? Well, basketball is definitely over modeling right now. But, I mean, eventually I'm going to stop playing basketball.

[00:07:46] So I've got to find it. Already game planning. Yeah. So you talked a little bit about going back to Waynesboro. It's a little dry for Murfreesboro, would you say? How far is that trip? About an hour 50 to two hours. How often are you making that trip? I go home pretty much every weekend. Okay. It's not a bad trip for me. And I enjoy my time in the car, listen to my worship music. And it's not bad. How much family you got in Waynesboro? Is the whole family there or is it close relatives? Both my parents. I have two siblings.

[00:08:14] I have two sets of grandparents and an uncle and now a brother-in-law. So, yeah. And my, well, my boyfriend's family lives in Lawrenceburg, which is about 30 minutes away. So they're close too. So I've got pretty much everybody right around me. How, your family is at every game. Is that right? Right. How close, I would say, when you're having those conversations, because I always see you on the court postgame. You're always having conversations with them.

[00:08:40] How quickly do those conversations, do they ever steer away from basketball or is it always basketball talk with your family? Well, they know that I like to talk basketball, but I also need to talk about other stuff. So they know my happy medium between let's talk about basketball. I am, when I go home, I do talk about basketball a lot. That's my dad and my mom are constantly asking me questions. But, I mean, this is my life right now. So, I mean, I've got to embrace it while I can. I can talk about other stuff at different times.

[00:09:09] So, right now it's basketball, basketball, pretty much. In regards to the conversations postgame, good game, bad game, are you one of those that bad game, we'll talk about this tomorrow, or are you one that likes to dive right into the tape immediately? Regarding my parents, they're very supportive of me. They know that I do get in my head a lot myself. So, they're one of those where it's like they don't put any negativity in me. They know when I know that I'm not performing well.

[00:09:38] So, they know I'm going to take that upon myself to fix it and my coaches to help me fix it. So, they're really just encouraging tomorrow's a new day. This little brother of yours, he's a sophomore now? Yes. Does he know how good his older sister is at basketball? I think he does, but he's pretty good himself. So, we don't really compete that much. We don't want to get each other hurt. But, I mean. Would it turn that physical between you two?

[00:10:08] Yeah, we've done it before. We've done it before, but that kind of quickly shut down after I was getting mad, he was getting mad. Sure, siblings. Dad was out there. Sure. I want to steer back a little bit to your life here on campus. Living situation. Are you a loner? Do you have a roommate that's a teammate? How does that work for you? I have two teammates that are both my roommates, so I really like living with them. It's Carson Swaney and Kirsten Verhulst.

[00:10:34] So, they've been really good roommates, and I love our living situation. We have our own room, each of us, and me and Kirsten share a bathroom, and Carson has her own bathroom. So, we're at Farmhouse Luxury Apartments, and I really like it there. We've got a pool, pickleball courts. How did you pick your roommates? I just fell into it. Okay. And I got really lucky. And then, more importantly, how did Carson get lucky enough to get the solo bathroom? She kind of just agreed to it.

[00:11:02] I mean, we were like, you can have it if you want it, and she was like, okay. So, it was just mutual agreement. Okay. Then, how does that dynamic work in the house? So, I played college sports. The first thing for men was the dishes. That was always the first battle. How does something like that work with the ladies? Well, we're women. So, I mean, we keep our house really clean, which I really like.

[00:11:25] It's, if you eat and you have something, you put it in the dishwasher, or you clean it immediately, basically, and then put it up or let it dry. So, our kitchen never really gets stacked up. It's always pretty clean. It's a lot easier said than done. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. When you're talking about guys. Well, basketball season is going to tip off next week when the women's basketball team hosts St. Louis. We're going to be learning more in-depth about Blair's teammates and just how high are the expectations for the 2026-27 season. We'll be back after this short break.

[00:11:53] You're listening to the Blue Raider Podcast, presented by Blue Hub Nutrition. This is the Blue Raider Podcast on FM 101.9 and AM 1450 Murfreesboro, 100.5 Smyrna, WGNSRadio.com, and the Blue Raider Podcast YouTube channel. Now, back to your host, Jake Bolden.

[00:12:24] Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast, presented by Blue Hub Nutrition. Women's basketball takes off their season on Monday when they host St. Louis at the Murphy Center. We are joined by sophomore center Blair Boggess to preview their upcoming season. But first, if you're not already following the Blue Raider Podcast on your social media accounts, at Blue Raider Pod. We're on X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. And, of course, today's live stream over on YouTube, at Blue Raider Podcast. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss another one of our Friday episodes.

[00:12:52] And if you do want to call in, you'll have to wait until our final and third segment today. But that phone line will be open at 615-893-1450. We've got plenty of football talk upcoming. As the football team wraps up their midweek conference USA schedule. But I'm joined here with sophomore center Blair Boggess. We're out at Blue Hub Nutrition today at 1116 Olas Casas Road, located a quarter mile from Murphy Center.

[00:13:16] They're open Monday through Friday, 7 to 4, Saturday 8 to 2, and, of course, Sunday from 10 to 2 p.m. Blair, we talked about it last segment, a little bit about what you're drinking. But you did say you have a second drink that you also like to get when it's not the Blair protein drink. Yeah, I get the bad and bougie with hydration and protein. So I always need my hydration after practice sometimes. So I mix between those two. How has Blue Hub Nutrition kind of come a part of your daily routine as a student athlete?

[00:13:44] Yeah, I get pretty dehydrated, you know, with all the running. And it's really hot outside right now. So I just come in here and I ask her if I can get some hydration in me. And it fills me up for the night and tomorrow. So. Excellent stuff. And, of course, you can get more than just the protein and the hydration drinks. I, myself, I'm drinking the Cindy Lou. It's got added caffeine to it. So really all your needs in regards to nutrition can be answered here at Blue Hub. Again, that's 1116 Olas Casas Road.

[00:14:13] Diving back into our final segment here with Blair. Previewing this upcoming season, some of your teammates. Tell me about some of your new teammates. This time of year, it's always weird because some leave, some come. You're getting more freshmen. You're getting more transfers. It's a mixed bag when you're getting all these new additions. Tell me a little bit about some of these new teammates here. Some that you're excited to play with. Some that you're excited to see on the court on Monday. Yeah, I'm really excited to see all of them, to be honest. This is only our second week back from summer practices.

[00:14:43] So everybody is finally here. I'm really excited about Maya Kone and Aaliyah Blanchard and really all of them. But I'm excited to just play with some more people and just to have a good team this year. I really feel like we'll be good defensively and offensively. So I'm really excited about both of them. And Maya Cone, she's supposed to be a really good three-point shooter. And she's proved that these few weeks in practice. So I believe that we're going to do good this year.

[00:15:11] Who's been the biggest surprise for you so far? I don't really know that I've had a surprise. I feel like I really expected us to be a good team coming in. And I feel like we've kind of proved that in our few weeks of practice. I mean, we're going to keep getting better every week. But everybody's led up to my expectations. Is there anyone that's maybe sliding under the radar that maybe fans aren't talking about? I haven't really heard any fan talk. So I can't really say that there is any.

[00:15:41] Well, I'm personally interested to see how Maya Cone fits into this team. Because in you being the center and Cone obviously having a height advantage on you. But she has a dynamic, versatile skill set, wouldn't you say? What about her is so special that she is, I would say, a quality asset to this basketball team? Yeah, I'm actually playing more of the four this year. And then I will be playing some of the five. So I'm playing both. So she's just kind of learning how to play off of me.

[00:16:10] And I'm learning how to play off of her. She can pull that three in somebody's face. Or she can come off the dribble and get to the rim. So I think we're going to be a really good two-man game. How do you feel about, well, one, the five? Because I think a lot of people wrote off that you wouldn't beat the five last year. Obviously, you have someone like Nicole who has great height. But I think you just have such raw talents that prove that you can play really anywhere. How do you feel about, one, playing the five as much as you did last year? And then, consequently, I guess, playing the four a little bit more this year?

[00:16:40] Yeah, I mean, like I said, I'm here to do whatever my team needs. So I'm expecting to play both. I'm hoping Nicole and Elisa can come in there and give some minutes at the five. And that I can have some four minutes. So I'm just prepared to play both. And I'm excited to play both. I love both positions. Is there one that you do prefer? Not really because I'm really just now learning more about the four

[00:17:07] because I'm so 5-5-5 from last year. I don't know. I really like both. I'm interested to see how that transition is. And also you talk about Elise, another new addition to this program. How healthy is that competition in the center room? I mean, you guys have to guard each other in practice every single day. How healthy is that competition? Very healthy. I feel like we are just constantly encouraging each other. Yeah, we get upset and mad. We're really going against our practice guys.

[00:17:36] But, I mean, really, it's just you got this. You can do it. Because we know if you beat somebody down, it's hard to come back up. So we're just encouraging each other. And we want everybody to be their best. I want to go back to the addition of new players and the initiation process, if you will. Last year, you were a part of a unique group that had so many new freshmen come on campus. Now you're a part of the welcoming committee. What did you learn from that experience?

[00:18:05] Again, being all freshmen, learning a little bit about the culture. And now you know what the culture is. And how do you share that with some of the new teammates? What is that process like for you meeting these new girls? I think it's just telling them things step by step. They don't know how early we have to be or what the expectation is, what time you need to be on the floor before practice. It's just those little things that maybe they don't think about that you need to tell them in the locker room or driving with them to your apartment or anything like that.

[00:18:32] I think it feels good to know that I am a year in and I do know these things, but also to realize they don't know this. So I've got to let them know and let them in on the stuff. How do you feel about your other fellow sophomores now? How they handle that transition? Because going from high school to a freshman in college is a big jump. But how do you think your group in particular handled that? I think we're handling it very good. I mean, I don't see a ton of difference between the fact that I think we're more confident and we kind of know what's going on now.

[00:19:02] We are comfortable with our school situation and when we need to be in the gym, we know the expectation. That leads me to my next one. What's the biggest noticeable change for you? I mean, it could be anything off the floor, on the floor, but from where you guys were at this point last year to where you are now, getting ready for your first game, what's the biggest change, I guess, program-wide? Program-wide, I feel like for each of the girls as you go into a new year,

[00:19:31] if you already know the offenses, that's a big thing. I have noticed as we've been learning the offense the past few days, I've been like, okay, I actually know this. And I feel like that's very big for all of us girls. Once you finally have a year under your belt of it, that makes it a lot easier. And so I think this program is going to do really good if we can just stay in it and play all the good together. Has there been a point of emphasis for you guys heading into this year, something that you all have talked about a lot? Yeah. Coach Matt has brought up own the standard.

[00:20:00] So that has been our thing this year, own the standard. Own what you can do. You can control yourself and your effort. And so I feel like that's really what we're all trying to do right now is own yourself, and then our whole team will come together. You're talking about Coach Matt. Has really anyone missed a beat with moving from Rick to Matt? Coach Rick is still around. Can't get rid of him. But we love him, though. So it's good.

[00:20:27] It's a little different, but I wouldn't say it's definitely not a bad different. But Coach Rick was good, too, so I can't really say any negatives. Does he still have his desk in his office? Is he still around all the time? He's around pretty often. He's at practice a lot of the time, but sometimes he does have other duties. He moved offices. He is now in Coach Tom's old office. And Coach Matt is now in Coach Rick's old office. And Coach Tom is now in Matt's old office.

[00:20:55] So there was a changing of the guard in terms of office. So does he ever kind of interject himself into practices ever? He knows. I mean, that Coach Matt is running the show now, but he definitely has an input. I mean, he's been the coach here for forever. So he does say a few things sometimes, and we respect it. We listen to it. It's interesting. Because I always assume, and you kind of put it, that nothing really does change. Obviously, you have a different coach, but Matt was always really involved with the program

[00:21:24] from the get-go. So I could only imagine that you still have a level of comfort with him. Yeah, for sure. I definitely do have a level of comfort. It's nice to know that I'm going to be two years in now after this season, and that I definitely will feel very comfortable, and we have a good relationship. So I'm excited to see that grow throughout the years. Absolutely. Well, we're going to wind down our time here, but I always love to, I guess, get a little lightning round action with you talking about your teammates. I want to know a little bit about the personalities that are in your team. So rapid-fire questions for you.

[00:21:54] And there's a good mix in here, too, of other things. But since topically we have Halloween coming up this weekend, what is your favorite Halloween candy? I really love cookies and cream bars. Okay. Yeah. That's kind of a, for Halloween candy, can you get those often? No, and that's the problem. But I mean, I don't go trick-or-treating now. Okay. What's your favorite Halloween costume that you've ever worn? That I've ever worn. One year I wore a Belle costume.

[00:22:23] I'm a very big Disney girl, and Belle is one of my favorite characters, so I did love that costume. You do, Belle. Okay. You have to pick two teammates of yours to be on a three-on-three basketball team. Who are you choosing and why? Who are you choosing? Choosing Maya Kone. Mm-hmm. Me. Mm-hmm. And either Aaliyah or Kirsten. Got to pick one. I'm going to go with Aaliyah. I love Kirsten, though. I don't know. But, yeah.

[00:22:53] I'll go with Aaliyah because, yeah. I don't know. That's hard. That's very hard. Pitting them against each other. So, if someone on your team, let's say Matt couldn't coach, Tom couldn't coach, you needed someone to step in and coach the team for a game. It can't be you. Who would it be? What teammate? A teammate. Oh, geez. Probably, I guess, Gracie Hamby. She's the fifth-year senior. She kind of knows. She's the energy of the team, isn't she? The energizer behind you? Yeah. Yes.

[00:23:23] She would be a good one. Who is the hardest to guard? Well, we don't really guard each other right now. We're guarding the practice players. But, if I was having to guess, if I would say either me, Maya, or Aaliyah. Who is the – I know the answer to this question, if I asked any of your other teammates, but who is the most competitive on your team? I'd say I'm pretty competitive. Yeah, it can't be you, though. So, who would it be? Aaliyah. Aaliyah is the most competitive?

[00:23:53] Well, Kirsten's pretty competitive, too. Well, and I hear Kirsten, but Kirsten, whenever I had her on in the summer, she said it's got to be Blair. There would be no one else. Yeah. Who has the best taste in music? I like Carson Swaney's. She's got the best taste? She's got the country and the worship. Who's got the worst taste in music? I don't know. I don't really vibe with Jenna's that much. What does Jenna listen to? I don't know. She has a lot of that rap and stuff. Okay.

[00:24:23] I used to listen to that, but I don't know as much anymore. Okay. And this is important to you. Who has the best style on the team? Best style? I think Kennedy has pretty good style. Actually, Hamby does, too. Gracie Hamby does. I'd say Kennedy and Hamby. Okay. Who's got the worst? Oh, no. I'm not saying that. Don't want to put anyone on the spot. So, next question. If you're ever on a stranded island, what teammate are you taking with you? What's going on? We'll see.

[00:24:55] I'd probably take Aaliyah because I feel like both of us would be like, we're going to find a way to get out of here. High praise for the freshman. She's got a good head on her shoulders. Yeah, she does. What teammate would not survive on that island? Kennedy. Kennedy, she wouldn't be able to survive. Another newcomer as well. Someone on your team, if you could pick one player to take a skill from them, what skill or what player would you choose from and what skill would you take from them? I would take Kirsten and Zay's ball handling.

[00:25:24] Ball handling skills. Why should fans be excited about this upcoming season? I think this is just a whole new team. This is a whole new year. So, I'm going to say that I think we're going to bring the energy. We're going to bring the heat. We're always going to give our best effort. So, I'm excited to see how all of us mesh together. When fans watch you play this year, what is something you hope they say about you after they've watched you play? That she's humble.

[00:25:51] That I work as hard as anyone on the floor. And that I was just, was the best that I could be that night. I had this last question as what is the expectation? But you used the term earlier with Coach Matt that this standard. So, I want to know to you, from you, what is that standard for this team? What should the expectation be? Well, if you look in our gym, you see all those banners up at the top. And that's kind of just, that's the standard to get to the NCAA tournament. You know, and win a few games.

[00:26:21] We get to a few rounds in, you know. So, I feel like just knowing that's what the standard is. We're going to win a conference championship. We're going to get to the NCAA tournament. Absolutely. Well, that is sophomore center Blair Boggess. Again, the Lady Raiders, their season begins this Monday at home at the Murphy Center, just down the road here from Blue Hub Nutrition against St. Louis. Blair, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. And we will be back after the break. Again, we're getting more into football talk. And, of course, look ahead to men's basketball. First matchup against Kansas next week.

[00:26:51] You're listening to the Blue Raider podcast presented by Blue Hub Nutrition. Next on All Sports Talk, it's the Blue Raider Insider Report with Chip Walters of Exit Realty, Bob Lamb and Associates. Well, good afternoon, everybody. It's been a busy week in Blue Raider athletics with football wrapping up its midweek schedule, basketball getting ready for the regular season, and several Blue Raider teams heading into important weekend competition.

[00:27:17] We begin with football, where Middle Tennessee saw its two-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night at Floyd Stadium. The Blue Raiders fell to defending conference USA champion Kennesaw State 44-28, dropping middle to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in league play. Well, it was a disappointing setback for Derek Mason's squad, which had built some momentum with consecutive three-point wins over Delaware and FIU.

[00:27:44] The good news is that Middle Tennessee now gets a little extra time to regroup. The Blue Raiders are off this weekend before returning to Floyd Stadium on Saturday to face rival Western Kentucky. That's Saturday, November 7th, the week from now. Kickoff is set for 2-30, and with four games remaining, Middle Tennessee still has an opportunity to finish strong and reach bowl eligibility. And a special recognition for Blue Raider kicker Dominic Bourgeois,

[00:28:12] who was named one of the Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week following his performance in the win at FIU. Turning to women's basketball, Matt Insul's Blue Raiders wrapped up exhibition play on Monday night with an impressive 100-45 victory over Johnson University. Middle also defeated LeMoyne Owen 112-48 in its earlier exhibition outing. And with all the competition, it'll certainly get tougher when the regular season begins on Monday,

[00:28:39] and the Lady Raiders have shown plenty of offensive firepower in their preseason tune-ups. On the soccer field, Middle Tennessee closed out its regular season road schedule on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 shutout victory over Kennesaw State. The Blue Raiders now turn their attention to Western Kentucky, which visits Murfreesboro on Sunday afternoon at 5 at the Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium.

[00:29:06] In volleyball, Middle Tennessee split its two-match home series with New Mexico State last weekend, winning Friday's opener in straight sets before falling in a five-set battle on Saturday. The Blue Raiders are back on the road this weekend for a pair of Conference USA matches at Missouri State. Tonight's match begins at 6 with Saturday's contest scheduled for 1 o'clock. In golf, Middle Tennessee women wrapped up its fall schedule on Tuesday

[00:29:32] with a 10th-place finish among 15 teams at the Pat Bradley Invitational in Florida, posting a three-round total of 9-0-4. And there's championship competition on tap this weekend for the Blue Raider cross-country teams. Middle Tennessee heads to Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday for the Conference USA cross-country championships, where both the men's and women's squads will look to make their mark against the league's best. There's also tennis this weekend.

[00:29:59] The Blue Raider men are hosting the Buck Bolden shootout in Murfreesboro while the women's team is competing at a UTR Pro Tennis Tour event in Rome, Georgia. So a busy weekend across Blue Raider athletics with championship competition, conference matchups, and the anticipation of basketball season all taking center stage. Coming up on Monday, men's basketball will open up against Fisk. That is a 10.30 a.m. tip-off for the Education Day game.

[00:30:29] And there will be somewhere around 8,000 youngsters from across Rutherford County that will be there. Also at 6.30, women's basketball will open their regular season. Also at Murphy Center against the Billikens of St. Louis. So make your plans to be there. Okay, the Derek Mason Radio Show. We're going to tweak the time a little bit on Monday. We'll go from 5.30 to 6.30 at the Boulevard, get you out of there, and over to Murphy Center for Women's Basketball.

[00:30:58] That's it. Everybody have a great and safe weekend. We'll talk to you on Monday. And remember, all treats, no tricks this weekend. Happy Halloween. This is the Blue Raider Podcast on FM 101.9 and AM 1450 Murfreesboro, 100.5 Smyrna, WGNSRadio.com, and the Blue Raider Podcast YouTube channel. Now, back to your host, Jake Bolden.

[00:31:33] Welcome back into the Blue Raider Podcast. Today's special episode presented by Blue Hub Nutrition. And once again, thanks to the team over there for having me in to interview Blair Boggess at the Women's Basketball Program. If you missed the last two segments, no need to worry. Every week, we re-upload all of our episodes over on our Spotify, Apple Podcasts, at Blue Raider Pod. Or, of course, if you're listening to today's live stream, as we do every Friday at 5 p.m.,

[00:32:00] you can catch that re-upload on YouTube as well. And again, a reminder to make sure you're following the Blue Raider Podcast anywhere on your social media accounts. We're on X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, at Blue Raider Pod. And thanks again to Blair Boggess for taking the time to join us this week to talk about her Lady Raiders basketball program as they have their first real matchup this upcoming week against St. Louis at home at the Murphy Center. That tips off at 6.30 p.m. I had two exhibitions these last couple weeks.

[00:32:30] Got to see a little bit of the Lady Raiders basketball program. There's definitely a lot to be excited about. Blair showed out in her last exhibition on Monday against Johnson where she scored 25 points, 12 rebounds at just 24 minutes of play. So she's obviously, I would say, in good midseason form and really looking forward to St. Louis. Other players, too. I'm giving you a quick preview. There's so much to get to in this final segment. But Zay Whitfield dropped 13 points on 6 of 8 field goals,

[00:32:59] shooting a Maia Kone with back-to-back double-digit scoring performances in the two exhibitions as well. So St. Louis rolling in. Matt Insul has been very complimentary of the Billikens, saying that they are a good basketball program. They certainly lost what I would argue is a tough exhibition matchup. So I don't necessarily put St. Louis on the same playing field as the Blue Raiders, but I thought the same thing last year when Tennessee State rolled into Murphy Center

[00:33:26] and gave Rick Insul all he wanted in his last regular season home opener. So you always want to get that first one underneath your belt, get it out of the way. I think St. Louis is a formidable opponent. I don't think that MTSU can afford to sleepwalk. But if anything was evident in those two exhibition matchups is that this team is good. This team is better than they were last year, although they are missing some pieces. I think that they have gained a lot in these new additions.

[00:33:53] So this women's basketball team, a lot to really be looking forward to. And it all starts on Monday again at 6.30 p.m. at the Glass House against St. Louis. And as we get into our final segment here, a little bit different, obviously, with the player interview at the start. So we've got a lot to get to. So I normally do my Blue Raider recap in our first segment, but I'm going to get to it right now. Already touched on women's basketball. What else happened this last week in the Blue Raider world of athletics?

[00:34:21] Well, women's volleyball, they got a split series at home this last weekend against New Mexico State. They swept on Friday 3-0, and then they lost the Saturday match 2-3. Really a heartbreaker in that fifth set. They looked like they were going to win it in that fourth set, but came up just short. Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors go to Jocelyn Reed, who had 17 kills. And Saturday's loss. Women's soccer, they finally snapped their little slide with a 3-0 win down at Kennesaw on Sunday.

[00:34:50] Hannah Murphy with the hat trick. Three goals gets her up to seven total goals on the season. And more importantly, this team is now off the chopping block, and they are in fifth place in Conference USA going into Sunday's matchup at Kennesaw. They were tied for eighth, and only the eight of the ten teams actually make the Conference USA tournament. So winning on Sunday, it really needed to happen because you have your last regular season match this coming Sunday

[00:35:17] when Western Kentucky comes down to Murfreesboro in 100 miles of hate season finale. And I would think, again, I haven't watched too closely to the Conference USA soccer scene, but sitting in fifth place and with the point structure, I do think that even if they lose to Western Kentucky on Sunday, that they would still have a spot into the Conference USA tournament. So I think the hard job is done.

[00:35:43] Now you're obviously fighting for a little bit of seating and pole position because Western Kentucky is currently the three seed going into that Conference USA tournament in a week after this week. So a lot at stake still, but I think the big thing is off the back for Aston Roden and the Blue Raiders soccer team. You had women's golf wrap up their fall season at the Pat Bradley Invitational down in Miami. The team finished 10th out of 15 teams.

[00:36:11] I think more importantly, they did defeat the host school FIU. So obviously good to get a win over your Conference USA opposition. Bradley Krause was the team individual leader tied for 26th place at eight strokes over par for the three-round tournament. And then we already touched a little bit on women's basketball. And I want to go ahead and get into what is upcoming this week for all of MTSU athletics. Women's volleyball at Missouri State. Big matchup for them.

[00:36:40] They're currently sitting in third place. Missouri State is in second place. With only three weekend series remaining, you're really playing for second place up in Springfield. So they play today at 6 p.m. and tomorrow at 1 p.m. as that doubleheader trip up there to Springfield, Missouri at Missouri State. Cross country, they are competing for their championship in Huntsville, Alabama tomorrow as well on the 31st.

[00:37:05] So all eyes there as we see Keith Froman and that men's team in particular can bring home the gold as they typically do in those areas as well as the individual champs. Already touched on women's basketball in their matchup against St. Louis. That's coming up on Monday at 630 if you can't make it to the glass house. Although I highly recommend you be there. It will be viewable on ESPN+. And then also men's basketball. They have their first exhibit, what we call an exhibition, but because it starts after the season's start of the second.

[00:37:35] This one is an official matchup, but they play Fisk University on the second on Monday in their Education Day game at 1030 a.m. That'll be one of the first games to tip off in the country on Monday. But, of course, always a fair warning for those that are going or plan to go to the game. It is the Education Day. Lots of kids. I believe it's Rutherford County students, fourth and fifth graders will be there. They are loud. And so, obviously, it's a great atmosphere for those kids to experience Blue Raider athletics.

[00:38:03] But always be wary to the fan making the trip to that first matchup. And then, of course, you've got more matchups to come later in the week, both women's basketball. Women's, they're on the road at Memphis. And men's basketball is the big matchup at Kansas. But we'll obviously have a lot more about that in next week's Friday episode.

[00:38:24] And now that gets me to the final, what we're going to really talk about in this final segment is the weekday CUSA finale against Kennesaw State, where the football team just really laid an egg. And I don't really know how, I hate to end the episode after a great interview with Blair. I'm looking forward to basketball season because those that listen to this show know I'm a basketball guy.

[00:38:47] But football has certainly created a new level of expectation this year because they've already gotten to four wins, exceeding three wins that they had last year. And my hopes are certainly heightened because of where they sat in the scene of Conference USA. I think this conference collectively is pretty much down. I mean, when you're defending champion, Kennesaw State was one and six. And they were winless in Conference USA, including a loss to a really, really bad Missouri State team. In my opinion, a bad Missouri State team.

[00:39:18] You thought this is a game that you could get underneath your belt. You beat the defending champion. You can really, again, set the tone. You're on a three-game Conference USA win streak. You would have the opportunity to be playing for bowl eligibility against your biggest rival in 10 days when Western Kentucky comes to town. And it just fell flat. I thought the offense for the first two quarters and one drive looked fine.

[00:39:48] I know at times drives would stall. They'd have a dumb penalty, maybe an unfortunate play call, another fourth down that wasn't converted. But everything was working. The big mark I've had on them all season is how bad they are on third down. And they were excellent. I think they were 7 of 8, 7 of 9 going into the half on third down, only trailing by two.

[00:40:09] Despite giving Kennesaw State great field position on special teams, you really thought that things were going in the right direction. All you needed was a defense to start stacking some stops together. The offense keep doing their thing, and you would eventually come out on top. And they came out on that opening drive in the second quarter. And in four plays, they almost got to 30 yards. And then that's when the pick six happened.

[00:40:34] And when Roman threw that pick six, from that point on, it was an uphill climb. And the Blue Raiders, it was insurmountable, to say the least. It's disheartening because the scoreboard wasn't indicative of how well the defense played. I know I'm going to breeze through a recap on this because I don't want to harp, really. And luckily, this was the week we had the Blair Bogus interview.

[00:40:56] But you had four drives that were Kennesaw started inside the Blue Raider 45-yard line. And really, only one of those was at the 45. The rest of them were inside the 35-yard line, well within field goal range. And Kennesaw scored 28 points on all four of those drives. You have a bad kickoff coverage that the kicker had to make the stop.

[00:41:21] You have a bad punt coverage where the punter had to make, well, the punter didn't make a stop. But the punter had to slow him down enough for someone else to make a tackle. You have a pick six. And then you have another interception late that was returned to the five-yard line that was a touchdown one play later. So you gifted Kennesaw 28 points. A team that arguably, you know, I thought Ricky Collins, as bad of a quarterback as he has been all season.

[00:41:48] And I've obviously, I was at the camp last week where I thought that he's not a good enough quarterback, but he's mobile enough that he would be the best fit for Kennesaw to play MTSU. He played the best game I've seen him play all season long. I mean, that's what you have to do if you want to win games in Conference USA. I mean, that's a team across the way that's fighting for their bowl eligibility lives. I mean, they have to win their last four games to make a bowl game. They're sitting at two and six.

[00:42:13] So if they lost in Murfreesboro, then their season is, at least from a postseason perspective, is over. You went from Conference USA champions to not going to a bowl game. I digress. But Ricky Collins played arguably the best game that he has played all season long against MTSU. And on the flip side, it felt like Roman played, I mean, he would agree, probably the worst game he's ever played at MTSU. And again, it's not for what he did in the first two quarters.

[00:42:43] It was that second half. Just the rhythm on offense just wasn't there. You were able to run the ball effectively. You almost got to 200 yards. I mean, you ran for a season-high 248 last week against FIU. You really were on pace to do the same, but you got into passing situations late in the game that kind of ended any opportunity or any necessity to run the football. But the passing game just stalled. It's almost inexplicable what happened.

[00:43:11] But four big plays, like I said, the two kick returns and the two pick sixes. I mean, if you take those plays out of the game, I mean, I don't think there's any question that MTSU was the better football team. But when you gift the opposition four touchdowns, it's tough. And back to my point earlier, the defense did everything they could. And I hate that they're probably going to get the black eye looking at that scoreboard, and they're going to look at the scoring defense,

[00:43:36] and it's going to really put a big number up on them, even though one was a pick six, but the other one was right at the five-yard line. It didn't really give much of a chance. But they created two turnovers, two turnovers on the plus side of the field in field goal range. And MTSU was only able to get three points out of it. But I hate it for Bourgeois, who missed his second field goal of the season well within his range, just pushed it or hooked it a little bit left.

[00:44:05] But I'm not going to pin the game on a field goal miss. But the special teams and the offensive effort wasn't there. Yeah, you lose it because of the details, the small little – and it's funny. What Mason always says, it's the details. And truthfully, that's exactly what it was on Wednesday night. There's just the little things that got out of control, and it snowballed, and it felt like a blowout. And it is on paper 44 to 28.

[00:44:35] You even had a late touchdown that made it look a little bit better. So without that inside two-minute touchdown, it's 44 to 20. But you were only a few plays away from really taking that game in control and in stride and running away with it. But, again, I'd been up to Kennesaw game. I said that I was always going to give the opposition benefit of the doubt because this team never really found ways to win football games.

[00:45:01] And, of course, going into Kennesaw, I said, well, this team has proven to me they found ways to win football games. And even there for a little bit with the two turnovers, you thought they're going to find a way to win this football game. And the offense just sputtered. And, really, you hate to have that sour taste in your mouth 10 days removed from the biggest game of the year when Western Kentucky comes down to Murbysboro. It's a down year for the Hilltoppers.

[00:45:27] And we're going to preview a lot more of that game in next week's episode. But the toppers are down. You've got to win. I mean, for a multitude of reasons. One, we're still – bowl eligibility is still a thing. You've still got four games left. In my opinion, three of those four are winnable. Liberty – you've given Liberty trouble, so you might catch them slipping.

[00:45:53] But I think the last three of the four, Western Kentucky, Sam Houston, who just fired their coach this week, and New Mexico State are very winnable football games. But it makes it very difficult to get to bowl eligibility if you lose to Western, presumably lose at Liberty and Lynchburg, and then you have Sam Houston on the road. I think that's a win no matter what.

[00:46:15] But New Mexico State, who is kind of a fringe bowl eligibility team who could potentially find their way playing for bowl eligibility in that final week matchup here in Murfreesboro. So there's a lot of eyes on that one, but it starts with a win. And Kennesaw should have been the easiest of the five who, granted, has been on the butt end of a really tough non-conference schedule up to Wednesday because their Conference USA schedule gets ridiculously easy from this point forward.

[00:46:43] But you didn't take care of business. Now it gets harder, but there's still enough time. You need two wins over the next four games. It's possible, but you've got to turn this page. You can't fester on this too much. So myself as a fan, extremely disappointed. But I think objectively, you were just four plays, five plays away from taking control of that football game.

[00:47:08] And unfortunately, a team that was very opportunistic against Delaware and against FIU, they just weren't on Wednesday. It was arguably, outside of the Kansas game this year, arguably the worst I've seen them play, particularly the offense. So luckily, you've got 10 days to reset your system and turn your attention over to, again, what I think is the biggest game of the season up to this point.

[00:47:36] It feels like I'm saying that every week, but this one definitely, you get an opportunity to snap a seven-game losing streak. I believe it's 10 of the last 11 they've lost to Western Kentucky. So for a multitude of reasons, you've got to win this one. Bodie Reader returns to town. I mean, there's so much. But we're going to be talking all about that 100 Miles of Hate game in next week's episode. So you don't want to miss it. Again, a reminder, make sure you're following the Blue Raider podcast over on our YouTube page.

[00:48:06] Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss our next Friday weekly upload. And, of course, we have the postgame pressers, as we will on Saturday against Western Kentucky, on all of our social media accounts, on X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. But once again, I want to thank Blue Hub Nutrition for having us and Blair. And if you missed that, don't miss our re-uploads, as we do on Spotify and Apple Podcasts every Monday is when those get re-uploaded.

[00:48:32] We're going to be turning it over to the Friday Night Thunder pregame show, where they're going to be highlighting the mid-state football. And, of course, Brian Barrett and John Dinkins, their pregame show for the Rutherford County game of the week. That pregame is at 6.30 p.m. They're going to be at... We'll be right back.