MTSU bracing for Heisman hopeful Brohm

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Six of the last seven Heisman trophy winners have played in the BCS National Championship game.

That's a fact not lost on Louisville senior quarterback Brian Brohm."I think if I have any shot at the Heisman, we have to be in the hunt for the national championship," Brohm said. "We have to at least be in it for a while, if not all the way to the end of it. Most Heisman trophy winners played in the national title game, so I think the Heisman and national championship things are the same for me."

That also means Brohm and No. 8 Louisville can't slip up, especially to a heavy underdog like MTSU. The Cardinals play host to the Blue Raiders Thursday at 6 p.m. (CDT) at Louisville's Papa John's Stadium on ESPN2 (Comcast channel 29).

Brohm is currently ranked second in ESPN's weekly Heisman hopeful poll, voted on by ESPN college football analysts, former players and coaches. He sits behind Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and ahead of West Virginia running back Steve Slaton, right where many college football talking heads also place the Cardinals quarterback.

"You have to deal with the Heisman talk a lot," Brohm said. "But first, I want a Big East championship and a shot at the national title game. But we'll take that one game at a time."

And the Blue Raiders are next on the agenda.

Brohm put up Heisman-esque numbers in a 73-10 win over Murray State in last Thursday's season opener, completing 16-of-21 passes for 375 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in little more than one half of play. He also rushed for a score.

Heisman trophy voters will expect similar statistics against a Sun Belt Conference opponent like MTSU on national TV.

MTSU coach Rick Stockstill sees a Louisville game plan befitting a quarterback amid a Heisman campaign.

"They're trying to get Brohm the Heisman trophy. I mean they're just throwing it all over the place," Stockstill said. "I think he's as good as there is. I think he's a legitimate Heisman candidate. He's tall. He's smart. He makes good decisions with the ball. He can make all the throws. He's got great receivers around him.

"So I think he's really good, and we didn't play him last year. But to be honest with you, there's not a whole lot of drop-off between him and the next guy (Hunter Cantwell)."

Brohm missed Louisville's 44-17 win over MTSU at Nashville's LP Field last season, a game also nationally televised on ESPN2. Cantwell passed for 340 yards, three touchdowns and one interception despite suffering a slow start against MTSU's attacking defense.

Cantwell only completed 2-of-7 passes to start the 2006 meeting. Brohm will likely not start so slowly. He connected with Harry Douglas for a 44-yard touchdown pass on Louisville's first snap of this season.

But Brohm said he's not focused on meeting Heisman statistical standards.

"I'm just not worried about stats," Brohm said. "I'm not worried about how many times we throw the ball, and the first two games of this year are no exception.

"I'm just not concerned with yards, completions and touchdowns. I just want to do what we need to win."

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MTSU lineman's injury upgraded

Further x-rays have determined that MTSU senior offensive lineman Brandon Nix has a sprained wrist rather than a broken hand. His injury still prevents him from playing center Thursday against Louisville.

Nix suffered the injury in MTSU's 27-14 loss at Florida Atlantic Saturday while playing center. His right snapping hand is still tightly wrapped, and he is unable to play center. Nix will start at right guard against Louisville. Sophomore Mark Thompson will still start at center.

Fellow lineman David Price's hand is broken and required surgery. He will likely be out two weeks, according to MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill.

 

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MTSU's Gee moving to wide receiver


MTSU sophomore Desmond Gee will predominantly play wide receiver for "99 percent" of Thursday's game at No. 8 Louisville rather than split his time between wideout and running back, according to Blue Raider coach Rick Stockstill.

Stockstill acknowledged disappointment in his team's wide receiver play and frustrations of not getting the ball to Gee enough as a running back in the Blue Raiders' 27-14 loss at Florida Atlantic Saturday.



At running back and wide receiver, Gee had two receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown against FAU. His 27 and 28-yard catches were the two longest gains of the game for MTSU. He also rushed five times for minus-two yards. Gee was an All-Sun Belt first-team selection as an all-purpose player in his 2006 freshman season.

Junior Bobby Williams, MTSU's leading receiver last season, dropped two passes in the game and did not record a catch. Sophomore Patrick Honeycutt led MTSU Saturday with six receptions in his collegiate debut.

"(Gee) will be at wide receiver 99 percent of the time for now on," Stockstill said. "We've got to get him more involved in our offense.

"... Probably 50 percent of that decision was how can we get him the ball more, and the other 50 percent was that the other guys didn't perform like we thought they would. ... We're not kicking anyone to the curb where they'll never play again, but they have to understand that you have to perform every day on the practice field and in the game or we'll give somebody else a chance."

First-year starter Joe Craddock welcomed any suggestions to help get the ball in his best playmaker's hands.

"(Gee) is an explosive player," Craddock said. "To get the ball to an explosive player like him, that's going to help any quarterback. I look forward to throwing to (Gee) more, and hopefully he'll be scoring more touchdowns for us."

MTSU plays at Louisville's Papa Johns Stadium Thursday at 6 p.m. (central). The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 (Comcast channel 29).

Stay at center?

Sophomore lineman Mark Thompson, a former Donelson Christian Academy standout, will make his debut at center Thursday against Louisville. Previously the starter at right tackle, Thompson will become the third lineman to attempt to play center for MTSU this season. As many as seven linemen have done so since the middle of fall camp.

Three centers have already been deemed unable to play the position due to injury, including original starter Jake Padrick (shoulder), Chris Hawkins(knee) and Brandon Nix (broken snapping hand).

Stockstill said Thompson could remain at center if he plays well. Hawkins, who could return for the Western Kentucky game on Sept. 22, would likely serve as a backup. Former Goodpasture standout Mark Fisher, a true freshman, will make his first career start at right tackle.

"Our No. 1 concern from our center is getting the snap. If you've ever been a quarterback, one of the hardest things is worrying about getting the snap," said Stockstill, a former Florida State quarterback. "You're already looking at the defense and worrying about what everybody has to do on the play. The last thing you want to worry about is getting the snap.

"... If Mark can do a good job, I think he could stay there. We've basically run out of people to experiment with, and hopefully this last one will be the one we stick with."

Second look

During Tuesday's MTSU press luncheon, Stockstill said he realized after watching the game film over the weekend that he was "too critical" of Craddock's play following Saturday's loss.

"I thought I was probably too critical of (Craddock) and I was basing that on an emotional decision on my part as I was mad about two throws, but overall I thought he played a good game and made good decisions," Stockstill said. "He didn't have a whole lot of time to sit in the pocket and we didn't help him in the running game."

Craddock was 20-of-32 passing for 199 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his first career start.

Bus trip to Louisville

Two bus trips to MTSU football road games have been planned by the Blue Raider Athletic Association. A bus headed to Louisville will depart the on-campus Greenland Drive parking lot at 11 a.m. Thursday and return immediately following the game. The cost is $50 per person.

Blue streaks

Stockstill announced that Gee (offense), senior Erik Walden (defense) and junior Michael Cannon (special teams) will serve as team captain for Thursday's game ... The Blue Raiders' team buses will leave from campus today (wednesday) at 12:15 p.m. following a morning practice ... MTSU defensive end Tavares Jones enters Thursday's game one sack away from the school's all-time top-10 list.

 

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MTSU has nothing to lose tonight


LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? Talk about nothing to lose.

With the dubious distinction of being the biggest underdog in the country this week, MTSU takes the national stage tonight when it faces No. 8 Louisville at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.



The Blue Raiders are 39 1/2-point underdogs, which is hardly a surprise considering Louisville hung 73 on Murray State, while MTSU lost 27-14 at Florida Atlantic in Week One.

Tonight's game is just the first of two unenviable matchups for the Blue Raiders, who have an offensive line put together with duct tape and Band-Aids.

Just think, No. 2 LSU will be salivating next week.

At full strength, these would be near impossible matchups for MTSU.

With a first-time starter (sophomore Mark Thompson) at center, a first-time starter (redshirt freshman Jamal Lewis) at left guard and a true freshman (Mark Fisher) getting his first career start at right tackle, it's hardly a lineup conducive to success.

The fact senior right guard Brandon Nix will be playing with a wrist/hand injury doesn't help matters, either.

But it's the hand the Blue Raiders have been dealt, and tonight the Louisville Cards will literally be stacked against them.

That being noted, it's still an opportunity for MTSU to play on national TV for the third time in its last 10 games.

Putting FAU to rest

Last season, MTSU and Louisville played an entertaining game that the Cardinals won 44-17 going away. However, there were several exciting moments for the Blue Raiders.

Tonight, the Blue Raiders need to seize all the moments they can and put last week's Sun Belt Conference setback to FAU to rest.

As they say, there is a lot of season left to be played. Regardless of what happens at Louisville tonight and LSU next Saturday, the bottom line is MTSU's most immediate concern is itself.

Sure, that's coachspeak, but the Blue Raiders have several ills to correct.

The offensive line, which was dominated last week, has to protect better.

The defensive line, which was also controlled by Florida Atlantic, has to perform better.

The entire defense needs to tackle better, penalties need to be curtailed and special teams play must improve.

Each of the aforementioned can be accomplished ? even against Louisville. Granted, the scoreboard might not reflect it, but coaches look for improvement from one week to the next.

Last week, there was a lot at stake between MTSU and FAU, and to the Owls credit, they were the better team.

Tonight is about making improvements and playing like you have nothing to lose.