Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: A slow start and a slew of injuries slowed the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in 2007 and prevented them from defending their Sun Belt Conference title. Middle Tennessee, which earned a share of the 2006 SBC championship, kicked off the '07 campaign with four consecutive losses, including a season-opening 27-14 setback to eventual co-champions Florid Atlantic. A 47-6 pounding of Florida International got the team into the win column, although it suffered a heart-breaking 23-21 setback to ACC foe Virginia the following week. Still, the team built off the narrow miss at UVA and ripped off four consecutive wins, including a 21-7 triumph at Memphis. At an even 5-5 overall and 4-1 in conference, Middle Tennessee finally appeared to be the team many expected. With the aspirations of a SBC title still alive, the Blue Raiders let down in a big way, losing 34-24 at home to UL-Lafayette in their second-to-last game of the season. The setback all but dashed the team's title hopes, which were eventually crushed by Troy (45-7) in the regular season finale. The Blue Raiders had 26 players who missed at least one game due to injury last year and that proved too much to overcome in the end.
OFFENSE: The Blue Raiders have plenty of talent at quarterback between senior Joe Craddock and Dwight Dasher, and both are expected to see playing time this year. Craddock threw for 1,259 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, while Dasher passed for 1,148 yards and nine scores as a true freshman. Dasher, unlike Craddock, brings another dimension to the offense, as the mobile signal caller paced the team with 530 rushing yards and three scores.
The ground attack was far from productive for Middle Tennessee last season, so the team is hoping a pair of junior speedsters in Desmond Gee and Phillip Tanner can change things. Gee is more of threat in the passing game, racking up 29 catches and 382 yards in 2007, while Tanner is the bigger back and he rushed for 299 yards and four scores last season.
Opening holes in the run game could prove difficult as Middle Tennessee welcomes back just one starter along the offensive line. The line not only lacks experience, but depth, and that could be a problem late in the year. Another area in question is at wideout as juniors Patrick Honeycutt (28 catches) and Michael Cannon (15 receptions) are experienced, but neither has shown the kind of consistency needed to stabilize a unit. Help could come in the form of redshirt freshman D.D. Kyles, who has blazing speed and the ability to stretch the field.
DEFENSE: Middle Tennessee lost a pair of star defensive ends in Tavares Jones and Erik Walden, but there are adequate replacements ready to jump in and make an impact. Junior Chris McCoy has great size at 6-4, 263 pounds and the team is hoping he can develop into more of a pass rusher. Senior Wes Hofacker will man the other end spot, as he moves over from tackle where he posted 21 stops and 1.5 sacks a year ago.
The linebacking corps should also be solid for the Blue Raiders as the group is paced by junior Danny Carmichael, a 6-0, 238-pound field general who racked up 55 stops last season. "I feel I'm a pretty good leader. I have a strong work ethic and intensity in practice. This year I'm trying to focus on becoming a better leader and a better player. Last year I really led with my actions, but this season I am focusing on being more vocal and pushing my teammates to get better."
In the secondary, Middle Tennessee should be strong with the return of sophomore free safety Jeremy Kellem and junior corner Alex Suber. Kellem stepped up as a true freshman and led the team with three interceptions, while Suber shut down opposing wideouts and registered 59 stops and 7.5 TFLs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The kicking game was a weakness for Middle Tennessee last season, but the hope is freshman Alan Gendreau can be the answer in 2008. Junior punter David DeFatta has a big leg and he averaged 40.9 yards per kick a year ago.
OUTLOOK: The Blue Raiders have some holes to fill on both sides of the ball, so expecting them to compete for the SBC title could be a bit unrealistic. A slew of freshmen and sophomores are slated to see significant playing time and that could get the program off to another slow start. A long season could be in store for MT, but the Raiders should still have enough to post at least three wins in league play.
