Episode 19 feat. Austin Lewis

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[00:00:39] to discuss this week's episodes along with the latest news and updates around middle Tennessee.

[00:00:52] Welcome into the Blue Raider Podcast. I'm your host Jake Bolden and today is

[00:00:55] Tuesday, April 16th and we are wrapping up the Blue and White game over the weekend. And

[00:01:00] with me is a friend of mine and co-worker over at GoMiddle.com and I bring him in for his

[00:01:05] expertise on all things coaching side for MTSU football. It's Austin Lewis. Austin,

[00:01:10] how's it going?

[00:01:11] Man, it's going well. How are you doing today?

[00:01:13] Not too bad myself. We had an eventful weekend in Murfreesboro. I know unfortunately

[00:01:18] you weren't able to be there for the showcase that they had where we had all the sports

[00:01:22] going on. We had softball, tennis, baseball, soccer and then of course the Blue and White

[00:01:26] game that we'll get to talk about today. And I think there's a lot to be excited about

[00:01:30] that happened this past weekend.

[00:01:32] Yeah, if you're an MTSU fan, the spring practice season, if I can use that term,

[00:01:38] what about as good as you can imagine? The team got out healthy. There wasn't a significant

[00:01:43] injury that was reported. It looks like the offense got installed, the defense got

[00:01:49] installed. If you're a coach, if you're a fan, if you're a player, the spring practice

[00:01:54] went about as good as you can imagine. Best stay in the scenario for Blue Rider Nation.

[00:02:00] Absolutely. And I think you hit the nail on the head there with the fact that we got

[00:02:03] out healthy and that was one thing that Mason said at the start of his press conference

[00:02:07] was he's happy that we all got healthy. And you also said too, like Blue Rider

[00:02:10] Nation won. I think it was a great spring and as someone that's kind of been,

[00:02:16] I guess in the dark as far as what would change or how would this team look because we see a

[00:02:20] lot of the guys, a lot of our better players from last year, especially in the defensive

[00:02:23] side hit the portal. We have to pick up a lot of bodies in the portal. And so you're

[00:02:26] interested to see how things turn out. And from what we saw on Saturday, I feel really

[00:02:32] good about it. I mean, we can get through all the X's and O's and the personnels

[00:02:36] here. But really just the fact that the defense didn't look completely lost. That

[00:02:40] was my biggest fear. We still look, I would say we're a little undersized, but

[00:02:45] when you compare the defensive line relative to the offensive line, they're

[00:02:48] going to look a little small. But they were able to get after all the quarterbacks.

[00:02:52] They did a good job of mixing up the personnel from both offense and defense.

[00:02:56] I think Mason did a great job of challenging his guys, but still made a

[00:02:59] competitive game. Obviously they had a little bit on the line with the steak

[00:03:02] dinner, but it's all in good fun. And I think again, I had a lot, I think

[00:03:06] there's a lot to be excited about. And really as far as what you're looking

[00:03:11] at, what are some takeaways from the spring game?

[00:03:13] You know, so for me as a fan slash coach slash guy who loves just the game of

[00:03:20] football. The big thing I'm taking away and the big thing that Middleton to see

[00:03:25] fans need to take away is the offense got installed, the defense got

[00:03:29] installed. Mason got to see what he has as head coach of the blue

[00:03:35] writers. You really can't tell all the ins and outs of your roster

[00:03:40] until you see him on the field with some pads hitting each other.

[00:03:45] And you got to see that with spring practice. You've got to install the

[00:03:49] offense and now the coaches can get back together and go, you know what?

[00:03:55] We need offensive line or we need defensive line.

[00:03:57] We'll probably talk about that more detail here in a second.

[00:04:00] Or we're really good at running outside zone or we're really good at

[00:04:04] running an inside zone. We're really good at screens or we're really good at

[00:04:10] dropback passes. You get to see that and that allows you as you go into

[00:04:14] fall camp to start game planning your season and start putting together how

[00:04:19] you're going to attack opponents come fall camp and even maybe work on a

[00:04:25] couple of things, fine tune a couple of things to make sure you're a

[00:04:27] well rounded competitive team when the fall comes here in just a few

[00:04:32] months.

[00:04:33] Right. And I think one of the big question marks we had for Mason when we

[00:04:36] spoke to him was about the quarterback situation. We thought body

[00:04:39] auto might be in for a little bit of a battle with Luther Richardson and

[00:04:42] now we have Roman Gogliano that's kind of made an appearance that he was,

[00:04:46] he got first reps there on the white team's first drive, which

[00:04:49] impressed me as a freshman. He looked a little hesitant in there.

[00:04:52] I think one thing about him is he has the tools. He has a size to

[00:04:56] be a good division one quarterback, but he just doesn't have the

[00:04:58] experience. So in today's game, he's going to have five years to

[00:05:02] kind of fine tune those things. And he's only a year behind

[00:05:04] Richardson, but Richardson as we have spoken about a nauseam about

[00:05:08] the guys, he definitely has the tools. He has the vertical

[00:05:10] threat that you're looking for for division one quarterback, but

[00:05:13] then ultimately going back to body auto. I mean, the guy went 15

[00:05:17] to 16 over 200 yards in the spring game for a guy that

[00:05:19] didn't play every single drive. Those are masterful numbers.

[00:05:23] And if you look at two of the roster, I won't get to in

[00:05:25] detail, but Mason put the better secondary on the white

[00:05:29] defense. So he had to face a better secondary on purpose. And

[00:05:31] again, I think Mason obviously has his ways of making that

[00:05:34] happen. So but I was impressed with him. He one thing I love too

[00:05:38] about Bode Reader's offense is release relative to what we've

[00:05:41] had in years past is it's it is a much more of a vertical

[00:05:44] threat than what we see of a lateral threat. Not that that's

[00:05:47] a problem, but we've gotten away from the air raid. We

[00:05:50] actually went under center a few times. We utilize 12

[00:05:55] personnel. The tight ends are going to be such a huge

[00:05:57] threat this year, which is why when you see Holden Willis

[00:05:59] there listed as a tight end over from a wide receiver, but

[00:06:03] there were times where Willis was outside the numbers. So he's

[00:06:07] not like he's going to be used strictly in a tight end or a slot

[00:06:10] receiver situation. He put him outside the numbers. So I still

[00:06:13] I don't know if that's necessarily him, you know,

[00:06:15] playing around with Willis as a flex receiver tight end type.

[00:06:18] But the fact is, is we're still I feel I feel great. Like

[00:06:22] I feel like there's something new we're going to see at

[00:06:24] Floyd's dating this year. And again, I think body auto is

[00:06:27] kind of the clear cut number one. And we saw that as

[00:06:30] evidence on Saturday.

[00:06:32] I think the fact that Nick sees this opportunity not to just

[00:06:37] compete for the QB one spot, but sees control that that is his

[00:06:42] spot that if he is healthy this fall, it's his spot is the best

[00:06:46] case scenario. There's an old saying among football coaches

[00:06:49] that if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have a

[00:06:52] quarterback. And now going into fall camp Mason knows he

[00:06:56] has Nick Brody knows he has Nick, Nick commanded the offense

[00:07:01] in a superb way 15 of 16 200 plus yards in splitting time. That

[00:07:07] was our phenomenal numbers. And so that's, that's a reason for

[00:07:12] hope for blue writer fans as they start to look ahead to the

[00:07:16] fall season. But you talk about the backup quarterbacks and

[00:07:21] and Roman being a little hesitant. That's to be expected

[00:07:25] he's a true freshman, you know, four months ago, he was sitting

[00:07:28] in a high school chemistry class trying to break down

[00:07:31] chemical equations or whatever you do in high school

[00:07:34] chemistry that I slept through. Now he's breaking down

[00:07:38] division one defenses. And that's a step and that's going

[00:07:43] to help him not only this fall if he has to play, but next

[00:07:48] fall and the fall after that because he has two or three

[00:07:52] years in the system. And he's going to be a better quarterback

[00:07:55] because of its experience this fall. And so everything you

[00:07:59] saw on the offensive side is so promising even holding will

[00:08:04] wills you pointed him out. That's the tied in position now,

[00:08:08] the tide in 20 years ago was an in line guy right next to

[00:08:13] the offensive tackle. And you are going to run him on a

[00:08:16] route here and there unless you were Frank Weicheck or

[00:08:19] Shannon Sharp. But if you watch the Kansas City Chiefs

[00:08:23] today, you watch some of the tight top tight ends in the NFL

[00:08:26] today, they're split out wide just as much sometimes as they

[00:08:30] are attached to the offensive line. And so it's going to be

[00:08:34] really fun this fall to see how holding will will us is

[00:08:37] used. And because you can see a situation where holding

[00:08:41] will that will us is split out wide. But another tight end

[00:08:45] is tight. And so how did defenses play that? And how does

[00:08:50] Brody use that come this fall? It's going to be a really

[00:08:53] interesting storyline to watch.

[00:08:56] Right, absolutely. Yeah, him and they call him TK to her

[00:09:00] and suit earth. He was impressive. He got a lone

[00:09:03] touchdown for the white team. Slade Alexander was another

[00:09:05] young guy that got quality minutes there. So again, with

[00:09:08] the type of with the type of threats that the tight ends

[00:09:10] are, I think it's obvious in the personnel type that he's

[00:09:13] choosing not only do they need to be blockers, but they also

[00:09:15] need to have great hands and he's got a good grouping of

[00:09:19] tight ends that have just that it also makes you excited about

[00:09:22] upcoming tight end signings that we know about. But with this

[00:09:26] crew in general, there's a lot to be excited about but

[00:09:28] outside of those past catchers, I was really, really

[00:09:30] impressed with a Mari Kelly yet five catches for over 100

[00:09:34] yards and he's the transfer in from Auburn. And I was, you

[00:09:36] know, he's fortunate enough to come into the press

[00:09:37] conference afterwards. And you know, I kind of asked him

[00:09:41] a question about him having to chip on his shoulder and him

[00:09:43] making a name for himself here. And he seems he seems happy

[00:09:46] about where he is. He's happy that Mason has kind of utilized

[00:09:48] him and and seeing him play, he has a body type that is just

[00:09:52] reminiscent of an NFL like I'm not going to say that he's

[00:09:55] going to be getting on the draft boards but he very well

[00:09:58] could put those numbers up given this offense. It's very

[00:10:00] vertical. He has great body control, great sideline

[00:10:04] aware awareness. We saw two great catches over the

[00:10:07] spring game again. I understand I don't want to make

[00:10:10] him out of a mole here here but it is the spring game. But he

[00:10:13] just has that playmaker ability in him that shows a lot of

[00:10:17] promise and I'm really excited about him. And there's a few

[00:10:20] other guys that kind of caught my eye but and really it's

[00:10:22] the running back position which is something that never

[00:10:24] has been highlighted for him to issue in years past with

[00:10:27] the with the air raid. We saw five, six guys get a good

[00:10:30] number of carries. We see some local guys who put up

[00:10:32] some good numbers over the spring game so but I really

[00:10:35] want to bring up a Mari Kelly just because if you

[00:10:38] haven't if you don't know you didn't see the game. He's a

[00:10:40] guy that's going to come up a lot this this fall given he

[00:10:43] stays healthy. There was so much to like about a more

[00:10:46] scary Kelly's film when he was signed. He was a guy

[00:10:51] that you see and you watch and it's like hot dog. This

[00:10:53] guy is an athlete and when he gets in space he's

[00:10:57] going to he's going to make some things happen,

[00:10:59] especially in conference USA and and you saw in

[00:11:03] spring practice. I mean he got highlighted there. I

[00:11:06] lost count. It seems like the number of times the

[00:11:09] football account posted film of something Kelly was

[00:11:12] doing in practice and so I'm really excited to see

[00:11:16] what he can do this season. He's a guy that I'm

[00:11:19] highlighting for me one of the interesting things

[00:11:22] that I saw is Josh Evans, a true freshman.

[00:11:26] 6'3", about 2.15 or so. He was listed as one

[00:11:31] of the starting receivers on the Blue offense.

[00:11:33] I am super excited to see what he does this season.

[00:11:38] Do they red shirt him? Do they not? You know with

[00:11:41] the Jemarian Carter and Omari Kelly being both kind

[00:11:44] of 6'1", 6'2", 180, 190 pound guys. Josh Evans at

[00:11:50] 6'3", 2.15 or so adds a different element,

[00:11:53] a physical element. And so if I can make some

[00:11:57] pro comps to some of these guys, what you see

[00:11:59] in Omari Kelly is kind of like an elite

[00:12:01] neighbors, a really good well rounded guy.

[00:12:05] But what I see in Josh Evans is more like that

[00:12:08] Roman Aduzzi guy for Washington who is just a

[00:12:12] physical specimen, really physical at the point

[00:12:15] of attack as a receiver. And so I think you see

[00:12:17] a diversity of types of receivers that Brody

[00:12:20] can use to attack the opposing defense.

[00:12:24] Gone are the days where it seemed like the

[00:12:26] receivers were all hobbits going out for passes.

[00:12:30] This is a vertical offense, as you said before,

[00:12:33] and the receivers are designed to play in a

[00:12:36] vertical offense. And so I can't wait to see what

[00:12:38] that offense looks like this fall.

[00:12:40] Right. Another name I want to add to that list

[00:12:43] and he's probably not much on anyone's radar

[00:12:45] is Cameron Lacey. He's the red shirt

[00:12:48] freshman from Tacola Falls, Georgia.

[00:12:51] He had three catch, if you look at the stats

[00:12:53] he had three catches for 54 yards, which is

[00:12:55] still pretty good numbers as far as yards

[00:12:57] per catch. But just one thing about him

[00:12:59] that just stood out to me is again, I had a

[00:13:01] more of an aerial view being up in the press boxes.

[00:13:03] He's very slippery. He's only five.

[00:13:04] He's only five eight 160 pounds.

[00:13:06] He reminds me a lot of Richie James, which

[00:13:08] we all know about his career panned out.

[00:13:10] So he's a guy that and again, when I'm

[00:13:12] interviewing on Marikelly, he's a guy that

[00:13:14] he he also threw his name in that had a

[00:13:16] saying guys have improved significantly over

[00:13:19] the spring. So I don't know how much PT

[00:13:21] as the wide receiving room is very

[00:13:24] veteran led. We've got a lot of guys there

[00:13:26] that are going to get a lot of PT.

[00:13:27] But a guy like Cameron Lacey, I look forward

[00:13:29] to his progression because again, I saw a

[00:13:31] lot a lot to like from him in the spring

[00:13:33] game. I know that there was a situation

[00:13:35] to like city is three catch 54 yards.

[00:13:37] But there was a situation where I know we

[00:13:39] were at the 50 some odd yard he got

[00:13:40] he slept he got he snuck his way through.

[00:13:43] I think he was down to the 20 wide open

[00:13:45] and then Gogaliano got sacked or he

[00:13:48] was scrambling and wasn't able to find him.

[00:13:49] But it's a situation where if you have

[00:13:50] a more experienced quarterback, that's

[00:13:52] probably a 30 yard pop, if not a touchdown.

[00:13:54] So he's a guy that again, I was really

[00:13:55] impressed with his skill type, his speed.

[00:13:57] Again, he's a little undersized, but I

[00:13:59] mean, in conference USA being 5A doesn't

[00:14:02] necessarily do you any harm.

[00:14:03] Maybe for NFL boards, but that's not

[00:14:06] what we're worried about. We're worried

[00:14:07] about winning conference USA games.

[00:14:09] So really, really happy with that.

[00:14:11] And then we're talking all this

[00:14:13] offense and not giving much credit to

[00:14:15] the defense because for the most part,

[00:14:17] you're still able to hold body out

[00:14:18] of to 20 points despite throwing

[00:14:20] for 200 yards and only playing really

[00:14:21] about two quarters worth of football.

[00:14:23] So the defensive side, a lot of transfers,

[00:14:27] a lot of veterans there that they added

[00:14:29] to the secondary.

[00:14:30] I still have my I guess my concerns

[00:14:34] about the defensive side of the ball

[00:14:35] because we saw so many bodies leave,

[00:14:37] but we have a lot of experience there.

[00:14:39] I was really impressed with James

[00:14:40] Maughan there at the Indiana transfer

[00:14:43] at the nickel position.

[00:14:44] He always seems to find his way

[00:14:45] there into the mix as far as making

[00:14:47] tackles and those kind of things.

[00:14:48] And you got Ricky Smith, who's

[00:14:50] the Purdue transfer there at Free Safety.

[00:14:53] There's a lot of a lot of skill.

[00:14:55] And then Chris Johnson, Riverdale guy,

[00:14:56] a local guy that got an interception

[00:14:57] there on an overthrowing pass.

[00:14:58] So it's just a situation of right place,

[00:15:00] right time for him.

[00:15:01] So you've got these guys who have been

[00:15:02] around the program or those that are

[00:15:04] new to the program.

[00:15:04] And the one thing that always concerns

[00:15:06] me is what's the chemistry like?

[00:15:07] I think you have the added benefit

[00:15:09] of having a new coach.

[00:15:10] So it's not like there's any sort of

[00:15:11] any you can understand this.

[00:15:13] There's not any sort of new word play.

[00:15:14] There's not any sort of new

[00:15:16] playbook language these guys have to learn

[00:15:18] because it's new for everybody at this point.

[00:15:19] You got a brand new coach.

[00:15:21] So with those guys, I saw

[00:15:23] a lot to like their buzzing around.

[00:15:25] They're making plays or making tackles.

[00:15:27] And maybe it's a product of going up

[00:15:29] against guys like Omari Kelly and

[00:15:31] Gimarian Carter against body order

[00:15:33] that makes it so challenging for them.

[00:15:35] But there's still room for improvement

[00:15:37] there. And I don't know if there's

[00:15:38] something they look to address in this

[00:15:40] upcoming phase three is as

[00:15:42] Mason calls it for the transfer

[00:15:43] portal. But, you know,

[00:15:45] I still feel good about it.

[00:15:47] But if you give him another summer

[00:15:48] and a fall to kind of

[00:15:50] find their place in this defense,

[00:15:52] they could they could certainly be

[00:15:53] really good force in the fall.

[00:15:54] Yeah, I think you'll see as

[00:15:56] you said phase three,

[00:15:58] the they're going to attack

[00:16:00] defensive line. They're going to attack

[00:16:01] linebacker. They're going to attack

[00:16:03] the second try to shore up that

[00:16:04] defense because

[00:16:07] there's some room for improvement

[00:16:09] from a personnel standpoint.

[00:16:10] It's great to hear that James

[00:16:12] Maughn stood out at nickel.

[00:16:14] You want to see your nickel guy be

[00:16:15] a little feisty because he's going

[00:16:16] to have to come up sometimes and play

[00:16:18] run support. But he also has to be

[00:16:20] good enough to draw back

[00:16:22] in coverage.

[00:16:23] And so they're going to have to shore

[00:16:25] up because so much of the defense,

[00:16:27] in my opinion,

[00:16:29] honestly relies on those front four

[00:16:31] guys, those front three or four

[00:16:33] guys. And if those guys aren't

[00:16:35] getting pressure and they got to

[00:16:37] pressure, got to the quarterback

[00:16:38] some. But if they can't consistently

[00:16:40] get to quarterbacks with three or

[00:16:42] four guys, you're going to have

[00:16:44] to start blitzing.

[00:16:45] And when you start blitzing, that

[00:16:46] means you're leaving your corners out

[00:16:47] on islands and that creates

[00:16:49] problems. And so

[00:16:51] the better off your front four to

[00:16:53] your front five can be your front

[00:16:55] seven, as some people call it,

[00:16:57] the better off your defense will

[00:16:59] be. And I really expect a Mason

[00:17:01] will address or seek to

[00:17:02] address the

[00:17:04] front four to seven

[00:17:06] in the phase three,

[00:17:08] the transport Portals, they get

[00:17:10] a better clarity of what they have

[00:17:12] defensively and how guys fit

[00:17:14] in to their defense.

[00:17:16] You know, Mason's running more of a

[00:17:18] three down linemen base defense.

[00:17:21] Schaefer was more of a four down

[00:17:22] linemen and you're trying to see

[00:17:24] does that undersized defense

[00:17:26] then and Schaefer system

[00:17:29] fit as an outside backer

[00:17:31] rush edge in Mason

[00:17:33] system. And so now they have a

[00:17:34] better idea how guys fit

[00:17:36] within their specific system.

[00:17:38] What guys like Felix Hixin

[00:17:41] can do there in the nose and

[00:17:43] how guys are working together

[00:17:45] and layer layer that defense

[00:17:46] together.

[00:17:48] And so they can attack

[00:17:50] the portal. And I think I think they

[00:17:52] will. I think they're going to hit

[00:17:53] the portal hard to try to

[00:17:55] find a couple of guys

[00:17:57] to take that defense from good

[00:17:59] to great this year.

[00:18:02] Great being what they need to be

[00:18:04] to get to Boa eligibility to compete

[00:18:06] for a conference championship

[00:18:08] if that's their goal this year.

[00:18:10] Yeah, he did say afterwards

[00:18:12] that you know they're looking to get

[00:18:14] better up front.

[00:18:15] And I don't know that he's

[00:18:16] necessarily looking to find

[00:18:18] someone immediately that's going

[00:18:19] to that's going to start for him.

[00:18:20] But he did he emphasize the depth.

[00:18:22] He really wants the depth.

[00:18:23] And so you know every

[00:18:25] the way you put it was everyone has

[00:18:26] their ones everyone has their

[00:18:27] starters. But really it's what is

[00:18:29] that two and three do because

[00:18:30] especially when you're talking

[00:18:31] about defense of rotations

[00:18:34] you know your down your three

[00:18:34] down linemen aren't going to

[00:18:35] play you know a whole 12

[00:18:37] play drive. So what are those

[00:18:38] other guys going to be able

[00:18:39] to do for him. So I do

[00:18:41] expect us to get some news

[00:18:43] and some signings there

[00:18:44] if at both sides of the trenches

[00:18:46] I know that he's still trying to

[00:18:47] find we had we had a player today

[00:18:49] that ended the portal from the

[00:18:50] offensive line who had 16

[00:18:52] starts for us I believe in his

[00:18:53] career but it feels good about

[00:18:55] the offensive line but he wants

[00:18:56] to add depth there. And the

[00:18:57] defensive line as you already

[00:18:59] said is just something that he

[00:19:01] wants to strengthen with that

[00:19:03] and really the linebacker position

[00:19:04] as well. So I don't you

[00:19:06] know where his heads at as far

[00:19:07] as finding a guy's and he

[00:19:09] you know he'll always talk about

[00:19:10] finding guys that are blue collar

[00:19:11] guys that are they're looking to

[00:19:12] come to work every day and bring

[00:19:13] a lunch pail and I think that's

[00:19:15] a great attitude to have but as

[00:19:17] far as the intangibles like is

[00:19:19] you're looking for guys that are

[00:19:20] six six one plus or you know are

[00:19:22] those guys even in the portal

[00:19:23] that are coming into issue you

[00:19:24] know I don't know but I would

[00:19:26] expect to see some shake up

[00:19:27] there at the defensive line.

[00:19:29] Now you know we had a good

[00:19:30] bright spot there as far as

[00:19:32] James Stewart was was a defense

[00:19:33] of any of three sacks on

[00:19:34] record. I always I always get

[00:19:37] a little nitpicky on the sacks

[00:19:38] when it comes to spring game

[00:19:39] when it's touch because you know

[00:19:40] you can't always credit those

[00:19:41] but it does show that he's able

[00:19:43] to get pressure and that's a good

[00:19:44] thing. The offensive lines were

[00:19:46] mixed up pretty good for the

[00:19:47] most part I couldn't tell you

[00:19:49] who is starting five is going to

[00:19:50] be. And I think that he probably

[00:19:52] couldn't tell you concrete either

[00:19:53] given his comments about wanting

[00:19:55] to get better up front. So there

[00:19:56] still a lot to be learned about

[00:19:57] what he wants to do in the

[00:19:58] trenches. But if I had to put

[00:20:00] you know if I had to put my

[00:20:01] money where my mouth is I would

[00:20:02] be willing to bet that he's

[00:20:03] looking for bigger size. He's

[00:20:05] looking for a little bit more

[00:20:05] speed especially at the outside

[00:20:07] linebacker position because as

[00:20:08] you say he's looking for more of

[00:20:10] a four linebacker set where he's

[00:20:11] willing to throw you know he's

[00:20:13] willing to cover the low game as

[00:20:15] far as passing goes. He's not

[00:20:17] willing to put too much pressure

[00:20:18] but he does need someone that

[00:20:19] can cause some sort of pass rush

[00:20:21] because we saw remnants of that

[00:20:23] on Saturday. But is it enough.

[00:20:25] I you know I don't know I'm not

[00:20:26] I don't have that kind of good

[00:20:27] of an eye for football to tell

[00:20:29] you that I feel great about our

[00:20:30] defensive line but if we can

[00:20:31] create a pass rush you feel a

[00:20:32] lot better about the experience

[00:20:33] that we have in our secondary.

[00:20:35] Yeah when it comes to

[00:20:36] personnel it was very clear

[00:20:38] back in signing day whether it's

[00:20:40] December or February Mason

[00:20:43] prioritizes size and power.

[00:20:46] Like if you were to compare side

[00:20:48] by side the last couple of

[00:20:50] signing classes under coach

[00:20:52] doc and then a couple of

[00:20:53] signing classes that February

[00:20:56] December signing class under

[00:20:58] Mason by and large the players

[00:21:01] that Mason signed were bigger

[00:21:05] both height wise and weight

[00:21:06] wise then then they're comparable

[00:21:09] peers that stock signed and so I

[00:21:12] 100% expects Mason to

[00:21:15] prioritize getting a couple of

[00:21:17] guys who are just a bit bigger.

[00:21:19] I don't see him wanting to go into

[00:21:21] the season with a defensive

[00:21:24] end or an edge that's undersized.

[00:21:27] He wants to get that speed that

[00:21:29] power on the field as

[00:21:32] quickly as possible because in a

[00:21:34] three down line set you don't

[00:21:36] want to be undersized.

[00:21:37] You've got to have guys who are a

[00:21:38] little bit bigger than your four

[00:21:42] down line sets generally speaking

[00:21:44] and so size is going to be

[00:21:46] important power is going to be

[00:21:48] important. That's why you're

[00:21:49] seeing guys like Felix

[00:21:52] it's going to be a starter this

[00:21:54] year or play significant reps for

[00:21:56] middle Tennessee because at 6 3

[00:21:58] 320 he's a guy you put

[00:22:01] at no stack and he's going to

[00:22:02] plug the end gap.

[00:22:03] He's going to be a space

[00:22:05] eater. It's just a matter of

[00:22:07] what do you do at the end

[00:22:09] position? What do you do at the

[00:22:10] Russ edge position?

[00:22:11] And I don't see Mason wanting

[00:22:14] to go into the season in an

[00:22:16] ideal world with a edge

[00:22:19] rusher that's 230 6 2 230.

[00:22:23] He may have to that may be what

[00:22:24] he has to play with this year.

[00:22:26] I see him wanting to get to 6

[00:22:27] 3 240 6 3 245 or 250.

[00:22:31] He's going to want to head that

[00:22:32] direction as fast as possible

[00:22:34] because he knows he needs those

[00:22:36] type of players those type of

[00:22:38] bodies to run his system

[00:22:41] effectively.

[00:22:43] Right, absolutely. Yeah. And

[00:22:44] we'll hopefully I know the

[00:22:45] portal opens for two weeks and

[00:22:47] we'll see some names that

[00:22:48] potentially pop up. They do a

[00:22:49] pretty good job as far as

[00:22:50] football goes is hearing who

[00:22:52] has interest where so those

[00:22:54] names will hopefully come to

[00:22:55] us quickly but I'll shift

[00:22:56] gears back to the offensive

[00:22:58] side. We're talking about the

[00:22:59] trenches and one thing that

[00:23:00] I was impressed with was I

[00:23:02] think the run game this year

[00:23:04] will it'll be a lot different.

[00:23:06] I couldn't tell you the last

[00:23:07] time MTSG rushed for over 100

[00:23:08] yards from the running back

[00:23:10] position. I know that we've

[00:23:11] had quarterbacks that

[00:23:12] scramble pretty well body

[00:23:13] auto being one of them and

[00:23:14] his help can simply get us

[00:23:15] over 100 yards a game but

[00:23:16] we've never it's never been

[00:23:17] something that has been a

[00:23:18] part of our game for years.

[00:23:20] But one thing that stood

[00:23:21] out to me again as I was

[00:23:22] saying earlier was the depth

[00:23:23] that we have at the

[00:23:24] running back position you

[00:23:24] have Frank P's in you got

[00:23:26] flip cradle those guys were

[00:23:27] excellent as far as those

[00:23:29] that we saw at the spring

[00:23:30] game we have Raymond banner

[00:23:31] who's a guy from Laverne and

[00:23:32] then we also had Jase Gardner

[00:23:34] both of which were on the blue

[00:23:35] team. So if you're keeping up

[00:23:37] at home for those housekeeping

[00:23:38] notes you got you had on the

[00:23:39] blue team you had body auto

[00:23:41] who threw for over 200 yards

[00:23:42] and then you have backups

[00:23:44] Raymond banner and Jase Gardner

[00:23:46] guys who aren't even listed as

[00:23:47] one two on the death chart

[00:23:48] they roll out almost 90 yards

[00:23:50] of offense from in the from

[00:23:51] the backfield so that's

[00:23:53] promising and I don't you

[00:23:54] know I'll give credit to

[00:23:55] banner and Gardner for being

[00:23:56] able to get the yards when

[00:23:57] they got those opportunities

[00:23:58] but also to most of our ones

[00:24:00] into running backs which is

[00:24:01] flip and flip in and Frank

[00:24:06] P's in when we didn't we

[00:24:08] limited their carries

[00:24:09] probably on purpose to limit

[00:24:10] the likelihood of injury but

[00:24:12] if you throw those guys

[00:24:13] into that position they

[00:24:14] probably also get 70 80 yards

[00:24:16] so that's promising because

[00:24:17] now you have made it as we

[00:24:19] keep saying you made your

[00:24:20] offense a lot more versatile

[00:24:21] if you have a vertical

[00:24:22] passing thread it opens up

[00:24:23] the run game when you're

[00:24:25] when you're more lateral

[00:24:26] like we've seen in years

[00:24:27] past you kind of neutralizes

[00:24:29] that threat because they're

[00:24:29] going to load the box and

[00:24:31] obviously you're not going to

[00:24:32] have any sort of outside

[00:24:32] run game at all so I feel

[00:24:34] really good about the running

[00:24:35] game as far as the running

[00:24:37] back room I saw a lot in

[00:24:38] the in the depth pieces and

[00:24:39] those guys are able to perform

[00:24:41] if you're really good about

[00:24:41] what you got there you want

[00:24:42] to with with P's in

[00:24:44] incredible.

[00:24:45] I think with the offense

[00:24:47] they're trying to run

[00:24:48] having it a good running

[00:24:50] game a solid running game

[00:24:52] a running game that you can

[00:24:53] trust to get good yards

[00:24:55] you know four or five six

[00:24:56] yards when you need it

[00:24:58] and then break off that

[00:24:59] explosive run one or two

[00:25:01] of those longer runs a game

[00:25:04] is going to be so helpful

[00:25:05] for this offense because once

[00:25:07] you establish that run

[00:25:08] threat that play action

[00:25:10] opens up and then you can

[00:25:12] do that play action to

[00:25:16] Frank and then run

[00:25:17] that crosser behind the

[00:25:19] linebackers as they've

[00:25:20] freaked up and you've got

[00:25:21] 15 yards every time

[00:25:24] and to your point

[00:25:26] they struggle running the

[00:25:27] ball the last couple of years

[00:25:28] and to see them have success

[00:25:30] in the spring game

[00:25:31] in the first spring game

[00:25:32] in the Mason era is a

[00:25:34] promising start

[00:25:36] to what could be a

[00:25:37] transitional time period

[00:25:40] and for middle fantasy

[00:25:41] football just to see

[00:25:43] backups have success

[00:25:45] when starters struggled

[00:25:47] in past years is a

[00:25:49] bright spot this spring

[00:25:51] and so the key for Mason

[00:25:52] is you on the offensive

[00:25:54] side you got to make sure

[00:25:55] your offensive line can block

[00:25:56] what are your top five

[00:25:58] can they run your run schemes

[00:25:59] and then you know finding

[00:26:01] those running backs and

[00:26:02] knowing how to use those

[00:26:03] running backs within your scheme

[00:26:05] to maximize the effectiveness

[00:26:07] of your run rushing attack

[00:26:09] and that's going to be key

[00:26:10] this season to get guys

[00:26:12] like Frank and cradle

[00:26:15] the opportunity

[00:26:17] give them a hole to run

[00:26:19] the last couple of years

[00:26:19] they haven't had holes

[00:26:22] and you even saw a comment

[00:26:24] this year in spring practice

[00:26:26] from one of the running backs

[00:26:27] like this year was the first time

[00:26:28] they were actually taught about

[00:26:31] how to read

[00:26:32] the openings and

[00:26:34] when to cut it back

[00:26:35] and when not to

[00:26:37] and so that's a reason for optimism

[00:26:40] that the running backs

[00:26:41] are learning how to read

[00:26:42] the holes and read

[00:26:43] the leverage of the defense

[00:26:44] and read the leverage

[00:26:45] of the offensive line

[00:26:46] to better attack

[00:26:47] the defense and to find

[00:26:49] that explosive play

[00:26:51] which again is going

[00:26:52] to help the offense in general

[00:26:54] absolutely and there's

[00:26:55] there's so much to be excited about

[00:26:57] and I say that to bring up

[00:26:59] our next point is our expectations

[00:27:01] I know we've

[00:27:02] this is your third time

[00:27:03] talking in two shoe football

[00:27:04] since the Derek Mason era has began

[00:27:06] I when we first had our discussion

[00:27:07] I don't know if you ever put a number to it

[00:27:09] but I said would be

[00:27:10] would be great at five wins

[00:27:12] the first year

[00:27:13] six would be incredible

[00:27:14] and after watching the spring game

[00:27:16] again and I know I keep saying

[00:27:18] I'm not going to make a big deal out of this

[00:27:20] but I feel really good

[00:27:21] I really do

[00:27:22] and if you told me that we could win six games

[00:27:24] I'd probably believe you now

[00:27:25] after watching what I saw on Saturday

[00:27:28] the biggest

[00:27:28] the biggest thing is how healthy

[00:27:31] are we going to be

[00:27:31] when we get to Tennessee Tech

[00:27:33] and then how healthy are we going to be

[00:27:34] when we come out of that

[00:27:35] three game non-conference gauntlet

[00:27:37] in Memphis we play Duke

[00:27:39] so like how are we able to

[00:27:41] get into conference play

[00:27:43] and of course you got to be able to steal

[00:27:44] five conference games

[00:27:45] I say steal

[00:27:46] you gotta be able to win

[00:27:46] five conference games

[00:27:47] on top of Tennessee Tech Games

[00:27:48] so right now

[00:27:50] as I sit in

[00:27:51] in the middle of April

[00:27:52] I feel pretty good about it

[00:27:53] I would say six is realistic now

[00:27:56] I don't want to put too much on Derek Mason's plate

[00:27:58] not that I think he's

[00:27:59] he's waiting on the Blue Reader podcast

[00:28:00] to hold his feet in a sort of fire

[00:28:02] but I will say that

[00:28:03] I expect six

[00:28:04] and I feel pretty good

[00:28:05] I feel like I feel like that's

[00:28:06] there's a good opportunity

[00:28:07] for that to happen

[00:28:08] yeah I think in the past

[00:28:10] I've said somewhere around five wins

[00:28:12] and that's more

[00:28:13] less a criticism of

[00:28:15] Mason and more of a criticism

[00:28:17] or concern about the schedule

[00:28:19] I mean when you're playing Ole Miss

[00:28:21] Ole Miss is going to be

[00:28:22] a top 10, top 15 program this year

[00:28:24] and so anytime you have

[00:28:25] one of those programs on your schedule

[00:28:27] it's it's it's oh boy

[00:28:30] especially one that you know

[00:28:31] is going to have a well coached

[00:28:33] offense with Wayne Kiffin

[00:28:35] your your

[00:28:38] you kind of know that games

[00:28:39] has a better chance of getting into a 45

[00:28:43] 10

[00:28:44] than it does to be a 20

[00:28:46] a 24

[00:28:48] Duke is breaking in

[00:28:49] a new head coach

[00:28:50] just like middle Tennessee

[00:28:51] so there's a little uncertainty with Duke

[00:28:53] with how they're going to look

[00:28:54] and what they're going to look like

[00:28:56] and with Memphis you know

[00:28:58] they're a good G5 program

[00:29:01] they've had some success in recent years

[00:29:03] and so where does middle Tennessee stack up

[00:29:06] and so my concern getting to

[00:29:08] magical six wins is more

[00:29:10] out of conference than in conference

[00:29:13] I think middle Tennessee will stack up well

[00:29:15] against FIU in New Mexico State

[00:29:17] in Tennessee State

[00:29:19] and Louis is going to tech

[00:29:20] I think they're going to be okay

[00:29:21] and they're going to stack up

[00:29:22] well it's the out of conference

[00:29:27] that I'm more I'd be worried about

[00:29:29] and then on top of that

[00:29:30] you got to find a way to steal a game

[00:29:32] from Western or Liberty

[00:29:34] right Western and Liberty have beat

[00:29:36] the tar out of middle Tennessee

[00:29:38] for the last several years

[00:29:39] and to be honest

[00:29:41] let's be middle Tennessee fans are tired of it

[00:29:44] they want to steal one of those games

[00:29:46] and can you do it

[00:29:47] both of those teams

[00:29:48] Western in Liberty are well coached teams

[00:29:50] those are going to be difficult games

[00:29:52] and so you've got to find a way

[00:29:54] to make sure you start off the year

[00:29:57] with a win against Tennessee Tech

[00:29:59] who's also breaking in a new head coach

[00:30:01] you've got to battle through some adversity

[00:30:03] with Ole Miss

[00:30:05] and then go through a three game stretch

[00:30:07] of Western Duke and Memphis

[00:30:09] before you get into the brunt

[00:30:10] of your conference schedule

[00:30:11] and that's going to

[00:30:12] that three game stretch

[00:30:14] can they go

[00:30:16] let's say one and two

[00:30:18] between Western Duke and Memphis

[00:30:22] can they get to let's say two and three

[00:30:26] before they get to the brunt

[00:30:27] of their college schedule

[00:30:28] the conference schedule

[00:30:29] and if they can

[00:30:31] I think there's a chance

[00:30:32] middle Tennessee could go bowling

[00:30:34] in year one of the day

[00:30:35] Derek Mason error

[00:30:37] but they've got to stay healthy

[00:30:39] and they need some balls

[00:30:40] to bounce their way

[00:30:41] and need Memphis or Duke

[00:30:44] to kind of take a day off

[00:30:48] Yeah, I don't

[00:30:49] I don't have a conference schedule

[00:30:51] Right, no I think you

[00:30:52] yeah that's perfect

[00:30:52] because that's kind of how I look at it too

[00:30:54] because and I forget about that Western game

[00:30:56] getting thrown up there at the top

[00:30:57] shame on conference you would say

[00:30:58] for making it happen

[00:30:59] but yeah, you're absolutely right

[00:31:01] that three game stretch

[00:31:03] would be vital to

[00:31:05] I guess the outlook on the season

[00:31:06] right because I mean if you're able to

[00:31:08] as you say pick up just one

[00:31:09] it could be anyone

[00:31:10] and thankfully for MTSU

[00:31:12] you got Western and Duke

[00:31:13] both at home

[00:31:14] so if you can just get one of those

[00:31:16] and you know

[00:31:17] I don't know that

[00:31:18] Memphis is pretty tough

[00:31:19] to be down there at the Liberty Bowl

[00:31:20] but you know

[00:31:21] stranger things have happened

[00:31:22] and MTSU

[00:31:24] you know years before

[00:31:25] Memphis became the G5 power that they are

[00:31:27] they had pretty good success down there

[00:31:28] so anything could really happen there

[00:31:29] but yeah, if you could still one

[00:31:31] of that three game set

[00:31:32] you got to assume Tennessee Tech

[00:31:34] and you got a pretty good easy start

[00:31:35] to conference USA for the most part

[00:31:37] I mean you're gonna have a week

[00:31:38] and a half break before that Louisiana Tech

[00:31:39] and then you've got that really weird conference USA

[00:31:41] scheduling where you go Thursday

[00:31:42] to a Tuesday five days is ridiculous

[00:31:45] but again you have the benefit of that

[00:31:46] Kennesaw State game being at home

[00:31:48] so you know

[00:31:49] yeah that's a great synopsis of what's

[00:31:52] was it Hanford, Eric Mason

[00:31:53] as far as what they need to do

[00:31:54] because if you can come out of non-conference

[00:31:56] well plus the WKU game

[00:31:57] if you can come out of non-conference

[00:31:58] at two and three

[00:31:59] yeah I would say you're gonna get four

[00:32:02] out of those last

[00:32:03] last handful of games

[00:32:04] so

[00:32:06] I mean that's where I feel

[00:32:07] we're at right now

[00:32:08] five, six wins

[00:32:09] you still feel confident in that

[00:32:11] I still that I think that's the most likely scenario

[00:32:14] and there's always the chance

[00:32:15] you get to fall camp

[00:32:16] and someone blows blows a knee out

[00:32:19] you get to week one or week two

[00:32:21] and in the worst case scenario

[00:32:23] and you're looking at a team

[00:32:24] that's injury riddled

[00:32:25] and you're just get us through the season

[00:32:29] those situations happen

[00:32:30] I'm a Titans fan

[00:32:32] and I saw that happen

[00:32:33] to the Titans a couple of years ago

[00:32:35] that just happens

[00:32:36] that's football

[00:32:38] but in a normal year

[00:32:40] where most of your players stay healthy

[00:32:42] and you get a couple of good solid pickups

[00:32:45] in the portal in phase three

[00:32:48] I think there's chance

[00:32:49] there's a there's potential

[00:32:50] to get five, six wins this year

[00:32:53] I try to get the bowl eligibility

[00:32:55] that's the game

[00:32:56] and the reason why bowl eligibility is so important

[00:32:59] I know we middle Tennessee fans

[00:33:01] even myself kind of picked on Cook's Doc a lot

[00:33:05] for just boasting and bowl eligibility

[00:33:07] but the key for bowl eligibility

[00:33:09] for Derek Mason is momentum

[00:33:13] because he tells his recruits

[00:33:15] well year one

[00:33:18] we went to a bowling

[00:33:20] on top of that

[00:33:21] bowling

[00:33:22] going bowling gives him another week or two to practice

[00:33:24] which is another week or two to give reps

[00:33:26] to younger players

[00:33:29] which aids the development for 2025 and 2026

[00:33:34] depending on which bowl

[00:33:35] you could almost get

[00:33:38] another 15 practices

[00:33:41] not quite

[00:33:42] but you're looking somewhere between 10 and 15 practices

[00:33:44] depending on the bowl

[00:33:46] that's almost another spring practice of reps

[00:33:49] for the young players

[00:33:50] which is gonna help the future of the program

[00:33:53] as Mason seeks to build on the foundation

[00:33:56] that stock left him

[00:33:57] build on the foundation of 2024 his first season

[00:34:01] and take the program into 2025 and 2026

[00:34:06] that's the key

[00:34:07] building momentum

[00:34:09] building on that foundation

[00:34:11] right yeah no that's perfect

[00:34:13] that's a great analysis on the situation

[00:34:15] and I mean

[00:34:17] I would assume that's his goal

[00:34:18] six wins is just to get there

[00:34:20] and as you say all coaches kind of allude to the fact

[00:34:22] of getting those two to three extra weeks of practice

[00:34:24] and then not only that

[00:34:26] in our special case at MTSU we go to Hawaii

[00:34:28] or we go to Bahamas it's always a great selling tool

[00:34:30] to kids to save you come here

[00:34:31] you're gonna get a tropical vacation at Christmas

[00:34:33] so

[00:34:35] we'll shift our gears now over to women's basketball

[00:34:38] I know that we had a lot of exciting news this last week

[00:34:41] we had the signing of Macy Pfeiffer

[00:34:44] and then we had Carson Swainey a couple weeks ago

[00:34:45] but then as we're recording this this afternoon on a Monday

[00:34:49] we just got the news of Alina Areke from Texas Tech

[00:34:52] is now transferring to Lady Raiders

[00:34:53] and to set the stage for you as far as her

[00:34:56] she's from UTEP two years prior

[00:34:58] where she was defensive player of the year

[00:35:00] she gave us a lot of problems

[00:35:01] she was a good score

[00:35:03] it was 12 points a game

[00:35:05] five and a half rebounds a game

[00:35:06] she's a threat

[00:35:07] and she's gonna be a great number four

[00:35:09] when she plays on the other side of the block

[00:35:11] from Anastasia Boulder-Rava

[00:35:13] Yeah, she's gonna be a fantastic addition

[00:35:17] to the women's basketball team

[00:35:19] you know they've lost a couple players this off season

[00:35:21] graduation to the portal

[00:35:23] but she fits what they need at the four

[00:35:27] she has the athleticism

[00:35:29] she has the defensive prowess

[00:35:31] if you're a middle Tennessee fan

[00:35:33] looking forward to next season

[00:35:36] yeah you hate the portal losses

[00:35:38] you always hate to see good players go

[00:35:41] but if you're a middle Tennessee Lady Raiders fan

[00:35:44] getting her and getting the commitment from Macy Pfeiffer

[00:35:48] that's a phenomenal start to your off season

[00:35:52] if I'm that in so if I'm Rick in so if I'm

[00:35:55] someone on the Lady Raiders staff

[00:35:56] I'm probably doing cartwheels

[00:35:58] a week or two into the off season

[00:36:00] going I'm happy with that

[00:36:02] if you would have told me a week ago

[00:36:04] this is where we'd be

[00:36:05] I would have taken that

[00:36:06] and so this is a fantastic start

[00:36:09] and I gotta believe

[00:36:11] they're gonna be looking to the portal

[00:36:13] for a couple other players who could come in

[00:36:15] and make an impact next season

[00:36:17] I've got some guesses

[00:36:19] on who it may be

[00:36:20] I've got some fingers crossed on a couple

[00:36:24] that I'm hoping it may make their way

[00:36:27] to Murphysboro to to make

[00:36:29] next season just as magical as this season was

[00:36:33] yeah I feel a lot of promise there

[00:36:34] and if anyone that's following us over at go middle.com

[00:36:37] can can see kind of the list that I compiled

[00:36:39] in one of our forums there about players that were

[00:36:42] that are on my eye anyway

[00:36:44] if I was a recruiting coordinator

[00:36:46] which just goes to show that I do know what I'm talking about

[00:36:48] because Alina was at the top of my list

[00:36:50] she was number one

[00:36:51] so I kind of have an idea of what's going on

[00:36:53] but I thought you know to credit Matt Insell

[00:36:56] I think that she was a target last season

[00:36:58] and she kind of slipped through the fingers

[00:36:59] and went you know saw greener grass

[00:37:02] at a power four conference at Texas Tech

[00:37:04] didn't get the playing time that she thought she deserved

[00:37:06] and now she's back here

[00:37:08] and I think that's all our benefit

[00:37:09] and you know as you talk about there's

[00:37:11] I do think that they're gonna look to add

[00:37:13] maybe one more piece to the guard position

[00:37:15] maybe two but I still think that they're looking

[00:37:17] for that number one point guard

[00:37:19] and I know Jada Harrison is one

[00:37:20] that everyone keeps looking at

[00:37:21] and she had a great high school career

[00:37:23] the only question mark for her

[00:37:24] is coming off of that injury

[00:37:26] how healthy is she gonna be

[00:37:27] so that could be something that

[00:37:28] they're still kind of

[00:37:30] they're still playing it by ear

[00:37:31] but you feel good if you can get someone

[00:37:32] that's experienced to go in there at the guard position

[00:37:34] and make a as you say an immediate impact

[00:37:37] so I keep saying this

[00:37:39] that they can find the right guard

[00:37:41] they could move into that top 16 seed

[00:37:44] that we keep talking about all spring

[00:37:46] where we thought the girls got cheated

[00:37:48] that they already are forced to be reckoned with

[00:37:50] in conference USA with the way the lineup sits

[00:37:52] right now without that guard being added

[00:37:54] but if they can find a guard that

[00:37:56] is a true one of great elite passers

[00:37:58] like we saw with Savannah Wheeler

[00:38:00] you know you'd love to add some size there

[00:38:01] because that's kind of where our downfall was

[00:38:03] in the tournament

[00:38:04] but you can find that number one

[00:38:06] true number one guard

[00:38:08] to kind of compliment now your dominant front court

[00:38:10] this team could really go places

[00:38:12] and now we've got the depth that everyone

[00:38:14] kept saying it would be our downfall

[00:38:15] we they only play six girls well

[00:38:18] now we've got a whole

[00:38:20] pin of seven eight nine girls

[00:38:23] that we can rotate and play 25 30 minutes a night

[00:38:26] and much like last season anyone could score 20 points a night

[00:38:29] and that is a huge factor

[00:38:30] when it comes to conference USA play

[00:38:32] yeah anytime you have multiple scores

[00:38:34] multiple people you can rely on

[00:38:36] it's harder for basketball coaches to gain

[00:38:39] game playing

[00:38:39] because if you double Savannah Wheeler

[00:38:41] well someone else can step up and score 20

[00:38:44] and that is so much harder

[00:38:46] to to defend

[00:38:48] for basketball coaches

[00:38:49] and especially in a sport

[00:38:51] that you don't have a week

[00:38:52] generally speaking to game plan

[00:38:54] and to watch film and to kind of think about

[00:38:57] how are you going to attack

[00:38:59] and so having multiple people on the team

[00:39:02] that are not just great at defense

[00:39:05] but also can like the

[00:39:08] like to scoreboard up and

[00:39:09] and so

[00:39:11] getting that point guard I think is going to be

[00:39:13] finding that person for next season

[00:39:15] who can come in

[00:39:17] and kind of quarterback that offense

[00:39:20] in whatever way that that looks

[00:39:22] and maybe it's a score

[00:39:25] that's really good at passing

[00:39:26] but maybe it's more of a pass

[00:39:27] or who's more of a facilitator

[00:39:29] and that's what Matt and Rick are going to have to

[00:39:31] sort out as they

[00:39:32] as they hit the portal

[00:39:33] and hit the high school ranks for players

[00:39:35] for next season is

[00:39:37] do we want more of a

[00:39:38] portal or do we want a high school girl

[00:39:39] do we want

[00:39:40] a score

[00:39:41] or do we want a facilitator

[00:39:43] do we want

[00:39:44] are we okay going

[00:39:44] someone who's 5556

[00:39:46] or do we

[00:39:47] do we want to try to get a little longer

[00:39:50] to prevent maybe

[00:39:51] what happened last year

[00:39:52] and so they've got some decisions

[00:39:53] to make as they hit the portal

[00:39:56] but after last year

[00:39:58] you got to believe that

[00:40:00] that's an awesome recruiting pitch

[00:40:01] because they can say look

[00:40:03] we went toe to toe with Louisville

[00:40:04] and we middle Tennessee has beat Louisville

[00:40:06] I think two or

[00:40:08] two years in a row

[00:40:08] or two years in the past three years

[00:40:10] they beat Tennessee

[00:40:12] this middle Tennessee lady Raiders

[00:40:14] and not many programs

[00:40:16] in women's basketball could say

[00:40:17] they slayed

[00:40:18] two women basketball giants this year

[00:40:21] middle Tennessee did

[00:40:23] and that's going to help with recruiting

[00:40:26] to the point where opposing teams know

[00:40:30] that middle Tennessee is for real

[00:40:31] I mean think back to the LSU player

[00:40:33] who leaned over to her coach

[00:40:35] at the selection show

[00:40:36] and basically said middle Tennessee

[00:40:38] is going to beat those girls

[00:40:40] middle Tennessee has a reputation

[00:40:43] and now it's time for middle Tennessee

[00:40:45] to live up to it

[00:40:46] to raise the bar

[00:40:48] to go to not just one round

[00:40:50] but two or three rounds

[00:40:52] make it just a sweet 16

[00:40:53] make it to the lead eight

[00:40:55] and that's going to require some recruiting

[00:40:57] and that's what they're doing right now

[00:40:59] yeah and they're doing a great job of it

[00:41:01] yeah and I'm excited

[00:41:02] and a lot of people should be excited

[00:41:04] and there's news over on the men's side as well

[00:41:06] and as like I said I alluded

[00:41:07] go to go middle.com to check out

[00:41:09] some of those pages

[00:41:11] Oliver Baltz is heading up the men's transfer portal

[00:41:13] we had the addition of Alec Oglesby

[00:41:16] the Stetson transfers

[00:41:17] so big news there great shooter

[00:41:19] kind of more of a shooting guard type

[00:41:20] but then back to the lady writers

[00:41:22] you've got you know my my list

[00:41:23] it's over there go middle.com as well

[00:41:25] and for those that aren't members

[00:41:26] it is free to view

[00:41:27] at a bare minimum

[00:41:28] but of course subscribe

[00:41:29] get in on the conversation

[00:41:31] and all that good stuff

[00:41:32] and Austin as we

[00:41:33] as we sign out here

[00:41:34] give the people a plug of your socials

[00:41:36] and where they can find your stuff

[00:41:38] yeah you can find me on

[00:41:40] Twitter or X

[00:41:41] or whatever the app is currently being called

[00:41:44] at Austin Lewis TN

[00:41:46] that's the best way to find me

[00:41:48] follow me

[00:41:48] if you got any questions

[00:41:50] shoot me a DM

[00:41:51] I'd be happy to interact with you

[00:41:53] reply to the messages

[00:41:54] just talk Blue Rater Ball

[00:41:56] or just go to go middle.com

[00:41:58] and sign up it's free

[00:42:00] just to sign up

[00:42:01] enjoy the discussion

[00:42:02] it's it's really fun

[00:42:03] I've been part of that

[00:42:04] community I think now

[00:42:05] for about 15 years

[00:42:06] and I probably wasted

[00:42:08] way too much time

[00:42:09] on go middle.com

[00:42:10] but it's fun to be a part

[00:42:12] of that community

[00:42:12] and just talk

[00:42:14] talk ball

[00:42:14] with the Blue Rater Nation

[00:42:16] on go middle.com

[00:42:18] right and this

[00:42:18] this is the time of year

[00:42:19] to do it we got all the speculation

[00:42:20] going on with recruiting

[00:42:22] and and and we got spring ball

[00:42:23] as we just talked about today

[00:42:24] and then you got all this

[00:42:25] transfer portal stuff

[00:42:26] so you're missing out

[00:42:27] if you're not already

[00:42:28] at go middle.com

[00:42:29] but Austin it's been

[00:42:30] it's been great as always

[00:42:32] and hopefully we'll touch base

[00:42:34] again as we get closer to fall

[00:42:36] sounds good man

[00:42:36] it's been a pleasure

[00:42:38] thanks

[00:42:40] welcome into the Blue Rater

[00:42:41] wrap up portion of the episode

[00:42:43] where I go over a week in review

[00:42:44] of Blue Rater athletics

[00:42:46] first we will begin with

[00:42:48] baseball as they

[00:42:49] took a trip up to Nashville

[00:42:50] this last week on Tuesday

[00:42:52] and they played the 13th ranked

[00:42:53] Vanderbilt Commodores

[00:42:54] they dropped that contest

[00:42:56] by a score of one to 14

[00:42:58] Kale Vinson goes three for three

[00:42:59] with a run RBI

[00:43:02] a double and a home run

[00:43:03] the lone run of the game

[00:43:05] and then I will give a shout out

[00:43:06] to Jackson Underwood

[00:43:07] who pitched three innings

[00:43:09] only giving up two hits

[00:43:10] and no runs

[00:43:13] then on the weekend

[00:43:13] the Raiders drop

[00:43:15] two of three to New Mexico State

[00:43:18] on Friday they lose that contest

[00:43:19] 12 to 15

[00:43:20] the bullpen gives up

[00:43:22] the lead in that one

[00:43:23] and then on Saturday

[00:43:24] they are able to hang on

[00:43:25] by a score of 10 to 9

[00:43:26] as a part of the Saturday showcase

[00:43:28] and then on Sunday

[00:43:29] they lose the finale

[00:43:30] one to nine

[00:43:31] Briggs Rutter on Friday night

[00:43:33] hit for the cycle

[00:43:34] for the third time

[00:43:35] in program history

[00:43:35] so we continue to see

[00:43:37] great success

[00:43:38] from Rutter

[00:43:39] on all facets of his game

[00:43:40] not only catching

[00:43:41] but especially behind the play-in

[00:43:43] a lot to be said about

[00:43:44] what the

[00:43:44] plate production was able to do

[00:43:46] in two of those three contests

[00:43:47] against New Mexico State

[00:43:48] scoring 12 on Friday

[00:43:50] and 10 on Saturday

[00:43:51] but unfortunately

[00:43:52] you're only able to pick up

[00:43:53] one win on the weekend

[00:43:55] so frustrating

[00:43:56] we talked about last week

[00:43:58] on baseball talk

[00:43:59] with Connor Smith

[00:44:00] about the bullpen

[00:44:01] struggling

[00:44:02] Vanderbilt was kind of already

[00:44:03] a far-fetched idea

[00:44:04] but you'd love to at least

[00:44:05] gotten two from New Mexico State

[00:44:07] and you had your opportunity

[00:44:08] on Friday

[00:44:09] and the bullpen let you down

[00:44:11] and typically

[00:44:13] on Sundays

[00:44:13] when MTSU has great production

[00:44:15] at the plate

[00:44:15] but they weren't able to

[00:44:16] replicate that

[00:44:17] this week so

[00:44:19] but we move forward

[00:44:20] so this week

[00:44:20] they got two in-state opponents

[00:44:21] starting tonight

[00:44:22] against Austin Pee at home

[00:44:23] that first pitch is at 6 p.m.

[00:44:25] and then viewable on ESPN Plus

[00:44:27] and then on Wednesday

[00:44:28] they'll place

[00:44:29] they will face

[00:44:30] Tennessee Tech

[00:44:31] also at home

[00:44:32] and that first pitch

[00:44:32] also at 6 p.m.

[00:44:33] and viewable on ESPN Plus

[00:44:36] and then lastly

[00:44:36] they will wrap up the weekend

[00:44:38] in Huntsville, Texas

[00:44:39] as they face Sam Houston State

[00:44:41] that first pitch

[00:44:42] on Friday

[00:44:43] is at 6 30 p.m.

[00:44:44] Central Time

[00:44:45] and then Saturday at 3

[00:44:47] and then lastly Sunday at 1

[00:44:49] all three of those games

[00:44:50] will be viewable

[00:44:51] on ESPN Plus

[00:44:54] Lady Raiders softball

[00:44:55] they go one and three on the week

[00:44:56] beginning with a home win

[00:44:58] against Lipscomb

[00:44:58] by a score of 4 to 3

[00:45:00] shout out to Anzi Blevins

[00:45:02] who goes one for two

[00:45:02] with a run and two RBI's

[00:45:04] including a home run

[00:45:05] in that match

[00:45:07] and then they get swept

[00:45:08] by the Conference USA Leader

[00:45:09] Liberty Flames

[00:45:10] at home

[00:45:12] losing Friday's contest

[00:45:13] by a score of 1 to 6

[00:45:15] then on Saturday

[00:45:16] 1 to 5

[00:45:17] and then Sunday

[00:45:18] 3 to 4

[00:45:19] they're closest to the matches

[00:45:20] and drop that one

[00:45:21] in extra innings

[00:45:22] if I had to give my player

[00:45:24] the weekend

[00:45:24] it would go to Mary Martinez

[00:45:25] despite going 0-1

[00:45:27] and two appearances

[00:45:28] on the weekend

[00:45:28] she did throw

[00:45:29] 12 innings

[00:45:30] giving up just 10 hits

[00:45:31] and four earned runs

[00:45:34] will continue their play

[00:45:35] this week

[00:45:36] as they face Tennessee State

[00:45:37] at home

[00:45:38] on Wednesday

[00:45:38] that first pitch is at 6 p.m

[00:45:40] and viewable on ESPN Plus

[00:45:42] and then they will go to

[00:45:43] Bowling Green this weekend

[00:45:44] to continue their Conference USA season

[00:45:46] Friday's first pitch is at 6 p.m

[00:45:48] Saturday will be at 1 p.m

[00:45:50] as well as Sunday

[00:45:51] also at 1 p.m all games

[00:45:52] are in Bowling Green

[00:45:55] Minstennis wrapped up

[00:45:56] their regular season

[00:45:57] with two home wins

[00:45:58] starting on Sunday

[00:45:59] with a win over Tulane

[00:46:00] by a score of 5 to 2

[00:46:02] Devils picked up a 2-1 victory

[00:46:03] and then it was Ray Queen

[00:46:04] Kamarowski

[00:46:05] Matsuoka

[00:46:06] and Kroslak

[00:46:07] all picking up singles wins

[00:46:08] for a 5-2 victory

[00:46:09] over the wave

[00:46:10] and then on Monday

[00:46:12] they've finished up

[00:46:12] their regular season finale

[00:46:14] against UNC Asheville

[00:46:15] defeating the Bulldogs

[00:46:16] 4-0

[00:46:17] Devils picked up their 2nd one of the week

[00:46:19] followed behind Ray Queen

[00:46:21] Matsuoka and Kuwaito Ramos

[00:46:23] all getting a sweep

[00:46:24] in singles for the 4-0 win

[00:46:27] Minstennis will now begin

[00:46:29] their Conference USA Tournament

[00:46:30] Championship that's hosted here

[00:46:32] in Murfreesboro

[00:46:33] they are the one seed overall

[00:46:34] and they will face the four seed

[00:46:36] New Mexico State

[00:46:37] in the first round of the tournament

[00:46:39] and it is only just a 14 tournament

[00:46:41] so you're only looking at two matches

[00:46:42] to move on

[00:46:43] and like I said they will be in

[00:46:45] Murfreesboro at the Outdoor Tennis Complex

[00:46:47] and that first round matchup

[00:46:48] against New Mexico State

[00:46:49] is at 10 a.m. on Saturday

[00:46:52] so make sure you stop on by

[00:46:54] and pull your Raiders through

[00:46:55] as they look to pull off another

[00:46:58] Conference USA Championship this weekend

[00:47:01] The Lady Raiders Tennis

[00:47:02] also finished up their regular season

[00:47:04] going 1-2 on the week

[00:47:06] they lost a road contest

[00:47:07] to Western Kentucky

[00:47:08] by a score of 1-4

[00:47:10] Devils lost 0-2

[00:47:11] and it was Garakani

[00:47:13] that had the lone singles win

[00:47:15] and then they faced Sam Houston State

[00:47:18] winning 4-1 over the Lady Bearcats

[00:47:21] Devils picked up their point

[00:47:22] and then Payer picked up the other

[00:47:24] singles point

[00:47:25] and then you picked up two points

[00:47:26] via 4-5 due to Sam Houston

[00:47:28] not having enough players

[00:47:29] so kind of a cheap one

[00:47:31] but a win's a win

[00:47:32] and it is good that the

[00:47:33] again the Devils

[00:47:34] was able to pick up their points

[00:47:36] so can't be too disappointed with that

[00:47:38] and it's always good to end on a

[00:47:39] winning note as you move towards

[00:47:41] your Conference Championship

[00:47:42] and the ladies they will travel to

[00:47:44] Miami for their tournament

[00:47:45] a lot more representation from

[00:47:47] Conference USA

[00:47:48] with nine full Conference members

[00:47:50] all participating there in Miami, Florida

[00:47:52] The Lady Raiders are the sixth seed

[00:47:54] and they will face off against

[00:47:55] three seed Jacksonville State

[00:47:57] and they will begin at 1 p.m.

[00:47:59] Eastern Time this Friday

[00:48:03] Next you've got golf

[00:48:04] the men are in the Mazi Oak Collegiate

[00:48:06] that is in Mississippi right now

[00:48:08] as we stand on Recording Day

[00:48:10] on Tuesday

[00:48:11] Tuesday morning they are at 12th

[00:48:14] they are at 12th place out of 14 teams

[00:48:16] and shout out to Owen Stamper

[00:48:18] who is currently at four strokes under par

[00:48:20] at Tide for 11th overall

[00:48:22] and then Luke Perkins in the five spot

[00:48:24] is at one stroke under par

[00:48:25] and Tide for 25th

[00:48:27] Then the Lady Raiders

[00:48:29] they are taking part of

[00:48:30] the Conference USA Women's Championship

[00:48:32] down in Magnolia, Texas this week

[00:48:34] that they kicked off their round on Monday

[00:48:36] and they are currently sitting

[00:48:37] in 7th out of 7 teams

[00:48:39] but there is still plenty of time

[00:48:40] to make some move up the leaderboard there

[00:48:43] shout out to Lauren Gilchrist

[00:48:45] who currently is sitting Tide for 13th

[00:48:47] at two strokes over par

[00:48:51] Lastly outdoor track and field

[00:48:53] they came back from California

[00:48:54] at the Brian Clay Invitational

[00:48:56] a lot to be spoken for

[00:48:57] is what happened out there in California

[00:48:59] but I'll just name off the top

[00:49:00] Finisher's here you have

[00:49:02] Hepta Mugeta who goes 8th in the 5k

[00:49:04] and on the women's side

[00:49:05] you have Odelia Jeb Chumba

[00:49:06] who also finishes it on the podium

[00:49:09] in 5k with a fifth place finish

[00:49:11] and then Eleanor Toe who finishes first

[00:49:14] in the 1500 meter race

[00:49:17] I appreciate everyone tuning in

[00:49:19] for the Raider Wrap Up portion of the episode

[00:49:20] and I will also like to congratulate

[00:49:22] all the Blue Raider fans

[00:49:23] that were able to come out to

[00:49:25] Blue and White Game on Saturday

[00:49:27] It certainly was a great showing

[00:49:28] I believe the announced attendance

[00:49:29] was over 2100

[00:49:31] A lot to be thankful for

[00:49:32] I know that all the players

[00:49:33] as a part of their press conference post game

[00:49:36] made the comment that they were thankful

[00:49:37] that the fans came out

[00:49:38] they were thankful that their family came out

[00:49:40] as well as some students that came out

[00:49:42] I think the marketing team did a great job

[00:49:44] of having everyone entertained at all fast

[00:49:47] it's not even just for the football

[00:49:48] but for everything that was going on

[00:49:50] on the concourse level

[00:49:51] the games that were being played at halftime

[00:49:52] I think MTSU did a great job

[00:49:54] executing the spring game

[00:49:56] executing the excitement

[00:49:57] that we have for football right now

[00:49:58] and I hope that we continue to see

[00:50:00] this execution from the marketing side

[00:50:02] that you see this execution

[00:50:03] for the people at Murfreesboro

[00:50:04] because it's great to build momentum

[00:50:06] as we move towards the fall

[00:50:07] there's a lot to be excited about

[00:50:08] and as I said in my talk today with Austin

[00:50:11] that there's a lot to look forward to

[00:50:13] coming this fall

[00:50:13] so your continued support

[00:50:15] continuing to buy those season tickets

[00:50:17] is going to go a long way

[00:50:18] as far as seeing this team succeed

[00:50:19] seeing Derek Mason succeed

[00:50:21] and all these young players as well

[00:50:23] so again I appreciate hats off

[00:50:25] to the Blue Raider fans

[00:50:26] that put their money where their mouth was

[00:50:27] took the time out of their Saturday

[00:50:28] to go watch a quick little spring game

[00:50:30] and see what we got coming for this fall

[00:50:33] well that'll do it for us

[00:50:34] I appreciate everyone listening in this far

[00:50:36] don't forget to follow the show

[00:50:37] on all of our social medias

[00:50:38] at Twitter and Instagram at Blue Raider Pod

[00:50:41] of course if you are listening

[00:50:42] to this on your favorite streaming service

[00:50:44] don't forget that we do have a visual presentation

[00:50:46] over at YouTube at Blue Raider Podcast

[00:50:49] as well as TikTok

[00:50:50] Blue Raider Pod for TikTok

[00:50:52] but and I always forget to plug my own personal stuff

[00:50:55] at JakeMP also at Twitter and X there

[00:50:58] if you think about it give me a shout

[00:51:00] and of course as me and Austin spoke about

[00:51:02] in the episode go to GoMiddle.com

[00:51:03] where you can join in on all the discussions

[00:51:05] on our forum where we talk

[00:51:06] all things recruiting off season

[00:51:08] talk about the transfer portal

[00:51:09] that's coming up for football

[00:51:11] again talk about those pickups

[00:51:13] that we had from basketball

[00:51:14] both men's and women's side

[00:51:15] we got you covered all the bases

[00:51:17] for MTSU Athletics

[00:51:18] so if you're a real MTSU sports fan

[00:51:21] by all means sign up for the free membership

[00:51:22] go over there check out what we're talking about

[00:51:24] over there and if you're willing

[00:51:26] sign up get a membership

[00:51:27] get in the conversation

[00:51:28] join us over there at GoMiddle.com

[00:51:30] but until next week I appreciate everyone

[00:51:33] tuning in and Go Blue!