The lights will be bright and the jerseys black on Tuesday night.
MTSU will hold its Blackout game against Florida Atlantic in Floyd Stadium?s national TV debut on ESPN2.
The Blue Raiders say they?re ready for primetime.
?I think it?s a great opportunity for our school and our football program to be on national television on a Tuesday night where the whole world is watching,? MTSU coach Rick Stockstill said. ?If they want to watch a college game then they have to watch us.?
On the field, the game may not have as much buzz as hoped.
Both MTSU and FAU have 1-3 records. Despite a monumental upset of Maryland in their last home game, the Blue Raiders have lost both Sun Belt games. FAU, the defending Sun Belt champion, is playing its conference opener.
But off the field, MTSU has manufactured interest with its Blackout night. Players, who usually don blue and white, will wear all-black uniforms for the special occasion. Fans are also encouraged to wear black to make an impression on a national TV audience.
?It?s not a blackout unless a lot of people are in black in that stadium,? MTSU linebacker Danny Carmichael said.
The Blue Raiders have played on national TV before, but they may want to forget.
MTSU has lost four straight games on national TV, but it has been at least a slight underdog in all four. It lost to Louisville twice, including a 2006 designated home game at Nashville?s LP Field on ESPN2. The other two losses were to Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl and at Troy last November.
MTSU beat Tennessee Tech 44-0 in 2006 on ESPNU, which was technically a national broadcast but the channel was only available to a limited audience.
ESPN2?s presence is evident. Credentials for the TV crew have increased from 30 for ESPN Regional games to 85 for Tuesday night?s game, and the usual one TV truck has swollen to a five-vehicle compound just outside Floyd Stadium.
Just for good measure, MTSU is stressing TV?s presence with its own Blue Raider Gameday show in the model of ESPN?s College Gameday. The one-hour (5-6 p.m.) show will air live on CSS (channel 27) from the Walnut Grove tailgating area on MTSU?s campus, featuring 106.7 The Fan?s Thom Abraham, former MTSU quarterback Kelly Holcomb and former Tennessee Titan Kevin Dyson.
?(The Blackout) is really targeted toward the students to get them excited about the game,? MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said. ?This is history, and hopefully the first of many national broadcasts from our stadium. There?s only a first time once, and we?re excited about it.?
FAU has been hit-or-miss on national TV. It beat Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl last December but lost 17-0 to Michigan State two weeks ago, playing both games on ESPN2.
?Yeah, this is a real big deal because it?s national TV, but you try not to think about it,? FAU quarterback Rusty Smith said. ?Anytime you?re on national TV, it?s a big step for the Sun Belt Conference and for both programs, us and Middle Tennessee. I just try not to pay attention to it because it?s already going to be a tough task playing on the road in somebody else?s house in our first conference game.
?At FAU, we?re accustomed to playing on the road in loud stadiums, and we?re prepared for that. I don?t know anything about a Blackout, but I know it?s a big game.?
MTSU has lost four consecutive Sun Belt games dating back to last season, and it?s best football has shown up in non-conference contests this year.
The Blue Raiders hope a home crowd, the bright lights of primetime TV and a new look will bolster a win over the defending Sun Belt champion.
?I?m excited about the all-black uniforms, and everybody is,? MTSU safety Jeremy Kellem said. ?They?re pretty cool. Everybody on campus is ready to be in that stadium in all black. You see other schools have their Blackout and be on TV and make a big impression. We?re ready to have our own.?
MTSU will hold its Blackout game against Florida Atlantic in Floyd Stadium?s national TV debut on ESPN2.
The Blue Raiders say they?re ready for primetime.
?I think it?s a great opportunity for our school and our football program to be on national television on a Tuesday night where the whole world is watching,? MTSU coach Rick Stockstill said. ?If they want to watch a college game then they have to watch us.?
On the field, the game may not have as much buzz as hoped.
Both MTSU and FAU have 1-3 records. Despite a monumental upset of Maryland in their last home game, the Blue Raiders have lost both Sun Belt games. FAU, the defending Sun Belt champion, is playing its conference opener.
But off the field, MTSU has manufactured interest with its Blackout night. Players, who usually don blue and white, will wear all-black uniforms for the special occasion. Fans are also encouraged to wear black to make an impression on a national TV audience.
?It?s not a blackout unless a lot of people are in black in that stadium,? MTSU linebacker Danny Carmichael said.
The Blue Raiders have played on national TV before, but they may want to forget.
MTSU has lost four straight games on national TV, but it has been at least a slight underdog in all four. It lost to Louisville twice, including a 2006 designated home game at Nashville?s LP Field on ESPN2. The other two losses were to Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl and at Troy last November.
MTSU beat Tennessee Tech 44-0 in 2006 on ESPNU, which was technically a national broadcast but the channel was only available to a limited audience.
ESPN2?s presence is evident. Credentials for the TV crew have increased from 30 for ESPN Regional games to 85 for Tuesday night?s game, and the usual one TV truck has swollen to a five-vehicle compound just outside Floyd Stadium.
Just for good measure, MTSU is stressing TV?s presence with its own Blue Raider Gameday show in the model of ESPN?s College Gameday. The one-hour (5-6 p.m.) show will air live on CSS (channel 27) from the Walnut Grove tailgating area on MTSU?s campus, featuring 106.7 The Fan?s Thom Abraham, former MTSU quarterback Kelly Holcomb and former Tennessee Titan Kevin Dyson.
?(The Blackout) is really targeted toward the students to get them excited about the game,? MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said. ?This is history, and hopefully the first of many national broadcasts from our stadium. There?s only a first time once, and we?re excited about it.?
FAU has been hit-or-miss on national TV. It beat Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl last December but lost 17-0 to Michigan State two weeks ago, playing both games on ESPN2.
?Yeah, this is a real big deal because it?s national TV, but you try not to think about it,? FAU quarterback Rusty Smith said. ?Anytime you?re on national TV, it?s a big step for the Sun Belt Conference and for both programs, us and Middle Tennessee. I just try not to pay attention to it because it?s already going to be a tough task playing on the road in somebody else?s house in our first conference game.
?At FAU, we?re accustomed to playing on the road in loud stadiums, and we?re prepared for that. I don?t know anything about a Blackout, but I know it?s a big game.?
MTSU has lost four consecutive Sun Belt games dating back to last season, and it?s best football has shown up in non-conference contests this year.
The Blue Raiders hope a home crowd, the bright lights of primetime TV and a new look will bolster a win over the defending Sun Belt champion.
?I?m excited about the all-black uniforms, and everybody is,? MTSU safety Jeremy Kellem said. ?They?re pretty cool. Everybody on campus is ready to be in that stadium in all black. You see other schools have their Blackout and be on TV and make a big impression. We?re ready to have our own.?
