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| | Monday, September 6 | |||||
| 1998 Record: 5-5 (played I-AA in 1998) | 1998 statistics | 1999 schedule Head coach: Andy McCollum Returning starters: 13 (offense 5, defense 7) Outlook After 82 years of football, Middle Tennessee State is finally taking the step up to Division I-A. A member of the I-AA Ohio Valley Conference last season, MTSU starts anew as a I-A Independent. Nineteen-year head coach Boots Donnelly stepped down, and former MTSU player and coach Andy McCollum came aboard to start the newest chapter in Blue Raider football. McCollum has a reputation as a solid recruiter and served as Baylor's defensive coordinator. To play with the big boys, McCollum knew his team had to get bigger -- literally. His first recruiting class featured 14 linemen, several of them junior college imports. The schedule isn't too rough, with four I-AA holdovers and four I-A Independents giving MTSU ample chances for victories. But for a team which had missed the I-AA playoffs for four years running, it will take some time to adjust to the speed of I-A football. OffenseThe Blue Raider offense is young but has some experience. Sophomore Wes Counts started every game at quarterback last season, showing poise and intelligence belying his age. Counts threw for 1,541 yards and 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He'll run an offense which the coaching staff hopes other teams can't get a handle on, with multiple sets and a potentially wide-open passing game. On the end of Counts' passes will be fellow sophomores Kendall Newson and Hansford Johnson. Newson grabbed 30 balls for 415 yards last season. The third receiver will either be Rashaad Craft or David Youell. Neither played in '98 -- a hamstring injury kept Craft on the JV squad and Youell redshirted. Tyrone Calico, a big target at 6-4, looks to take over at split end. The depth at this position means MTSU should have no worries throwing four or even five wide receivers on the field at the same time. Senior running back Kelverrick Green returns and has shown some big-play potential. He gained 259 yards against Tennessee-Martin last season, more than half of his season total of 587. The line bulked up thanks to as many as four junior college transfers who could start. The lone returning starter is right tackle Barry Hall, who has I-A size (6-6, 302 pounds).
It's a good sign if: The offensive playbook truly is wide open. To better combat the size it will invariably face along the line, MTSU has switched to a 3-4 alignment in hopes it can make up the difference in speed. McCollum wants an attacking defense. That's not an easy task to pull off without the athletes, and this sort of scheme always puts pressure on cornerbacks. Only one full-time starter returns in the secondary, safety Mario Kelso. The corners will be junior Korey Conner and senior Geno Henderson, who transferred from Memphis. The good news for this defense is the linebacking is strong. Keith Pauldo earned All-OVC honors last season by leading the team with 78 tackles. Isaiah Brown, who started four games last year before going down with a hip flexor, also returns. At 190 pounds, Brown will need to capitalize on his speed to succeed as a rush end. Kenta Sadler and Eugene Shaw will man the inside positions, although both sat out last season due to academic problems. Like the offensive line, the defensive front has been helped by junior college transfers. The four new defensive linemen McCollum brought in average 283 pounds. Senior Jeff Thomas returns at right end and Martez Phelps is back at left end. Wes Stephens, who started seven games last season but was held out of spring ball because of a shoulder injury, paced the team with nine tackles for loss and will push Phelps for playing time. It's a good sign if: This defense can hold its first two opponents, Mississippi State and Arizona, under a combined 100 points.It's a bad sign if: There aren't enough athletes to make an attacking style of defense work. Special Teams Three-year starter Keegan Ray returns to handle the placekicking duties. He sits at eighth on the school's all-time scoring list with 170 points. Ray has connected on 66 percent of his field goals in his career, including a 50 percent mark from beyond 50 yards. David Lill regained the punting job after a strong spring; Joey Burstyne had started five games as punter in '98. -- Greg Collins |
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