MTSU coach Rick Stockstill has a belief in not highlighting particular games in order to keep even keeled.
He will be in the midstate?s minority today, as Mississippi State arrives in Floyd Stadium for a historic matchup in Blue Raider history.The Bulldogs are the first Southeastern Conference team to play at MTSU and only the second SEC squad to visit a Sun Belt Conference campus.
ESPNU will air the game on national TV for the 11:32 a.m. kickoff, and the Floyd Stadium attendance record could also fall for the second time in as many home games this season.
Needless to say, it is not a typical gameday at MTSU.
?This is a great opportunity to show off the city of Murfreesboro and our university and to get our football team on national television two weeks in a row,? Stockstill said. ?This is a chance to play in front of our fans, and it?s just a great opportunity to showcase our team.?
MTSU has a 3-2 record with two notable non-conference wins against Maryland and Memphis this season, but it has played only once at home.
Mississippi State (2-4) has lost three straight games since a 15-3 win at Vanderbilt on Sept. 19, which was coincidentally its last trip to Middle Tennessee.
Eager for a victory, the Bulldogs are aware of the buzz accompanying today?s game.
?We?re prepared to play in a tough atmosphere because (an SEC team) has never been there,? Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee said. ?Anytime you make history by going to a place, you will have a target on your back. But we?re only focused on ourselves, and for us, this is just another game.?
Mississippi State senior running back Anthony Dixon stands 48 yards shy of the Bulldogs? career rushing record. Slowing the hard-running tailback is MTSU?s primary defensive concern.
Dixon rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-22 win over MTSU in Starkville last October. He expects the Blue Raiders to play with energy today.
?I remember that they were real feisty last year, and I think they will be the same in this game,? Dixon said. ?I?m sure they have pride in playing in their own house, and so I expect a battle. Schools like that can change their program with a win over an
SEC team, and we expect a hostile environment. There will probably be a little jaw-jacking going on, and I?m sure their crowd will try to get loud. We?re ready for all that.?
MTSU players say they are challenged to keep their emotions under control in the much-anticipated home game.
?In the big scheme of things, we know how big this game is,? said senior cornerback Alex Suber, who missed last year?s Mississippi State game due to injury. ?But right now, we can?t look at what it means in the big picture. This is just our next game, and that?s how we?re looking at it.?
Cornerback Rod Issac said the Blue Raiders must feed off the home-field atmosphere, but still keep the game?s impact in perspective.
?Most people say because this is an SEC school coming in here, we?ve got to get hyped and rowdy because all these people are coming into our stadium,? Issac said. ?But we would feel the same way about a Sun Belt school coming into our stadium.
Each game, we get to showcase our team and what we?ve worked hard on for weeks, and this game is the same ? whether it?s on national television, the stands are packed or only three people are watching. It?s always a big opportunity.
?But it?s still only one game, and we know we?ll play another game next week.?
Some suspense surrounds both teams? personnel.
Three MTSU players were arrested on alcohol offense last weekend, including leading receiver Patrick Honeycutt and linebacker Gorby Loreus. Stockstill would not say if they will be available to play today, and MTSU will announce their status shortly before kickoff.
Quarterback Dwight Dasher and center Mark Thompson, both starters, practiced with the second team this week, but Stockstill also did not reveal their status. MTSU wide receiver Malcolm Beyah is already listed as doubtful with a thumb injury.
Likewise, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen would not say if No. 2 quarterback Chris Relf will play today. Relf, who is the second half of the Bulldogs? two-quarterback system, was suspended last week against Houston.
He will be in the midstate?s minority today, as Mississippi State arrives in Floyd Stadium for a historic matchup in Blue Raider history.The Bulldogs are the first Southeastern Conference team to play at MTSU and only the second SEC squad to visit a Sun Belt Conference campus.
ESPNU will air the game on national TV for the 11:32 a.m. kickoff, and the Floyd Stadium attendance record could also fall for the second time in as many home games this season.
Needless to say, it is not a typical gameday at MTSU.
?This is a great opportunity to show off the city of Murfreesboro and our university and to get our football team on national television two weeks in a row,? Stockstill said. ?This is a chance to play in front of our fans, and it?s just a great opportunity to showcase our team.?
MTSU has a 3-2 record with two notable non-conference wins against Maryland and Memphis this season, but it has played only once at home.
Mississippi State (2-4) has lost three straight games since a 15-3 win at Vanderbilt on Sept. 19, which was coincidentally its last trip to Middle Tennessee.
Eager for a victory, the Bulldogs are aware of the buzz accompanying today?s game.
?We?re prepared to play in a tough atmosphere because (an SEC team) has never been there,? Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee said. ?Anytime you make history by going to a place, you will have a target on your back. But we?re only focused on ourselves, and for us, this is just another game.?
Mississippi State senior running back Anthony Dixon stands 48 yards shy of the Bulldogs? career rushing record. Slowing the hard-running tailback is MTSU?s primary defensive concern.
Dixon rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-22 win over MTSU in Starkville last October. He expects the Blue Raiders to play with energy today.
?I remember that they were real feisty last year, and I think they will be the same in this game,? Dixon said. ?I?m sure they have pride in playing in their own house, and so I expect a battle. Schools like that can change their program with a win over an
SEC team, and we expect a hostile environment. There will probably be a little jaw-jacking going on, and I?m sure their crowd will try to get loud. We?re ready for all that.?
MTSU players say they are challenged to keep their emotions under control in the much-anticipated home game.
?In the big scheme of things, we know how big this game is,? said senior cornerback Alex Suber, who missed last year?s Mississippi State game due to injury. ?But right now, we can?t look at what it means in the big picture. This is just our next game, and that?s how we?re looking at it.?
Cornerback Rod Issac said the Blue Raiders must feed off the home-field atmosphere, but still keep the game?s impact in perspective.
?Most people say because this is an SEC school coming in here, we?ve got to get hyped and rowdy because all these people are coming into our stadium,? Issac said. ?But we would feel the same way about a Sun Belt school coming into our stadium.
Each game, we get to showcase our team and what we?ve worked hard on for weeks, and this game is the same ? whether it?s on national television, the stands are packed or only three people are watching. It?s always a big opportunity.
?But it?s still only one game, and we know we?ll play another game next week.?
Some suspense surrounds both teams? personnel.
Three MTSU players were arrested on alcohol offense last weekend, including leading receiver Patrick Honeycutt and linebacker Gorby Loreus. Stockstill would not say if they will be available to play today, and MTSU will announce their status shortly before kickoff.
Quarterback Dwight Dasher and center Mark Thompson, both starters, practiced with the second team this week, but Stockstill also did not reveal their status. MTSU wide receiver Malcolm Beyah is already listed as doubtful with a thumb injury.
Likewise, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen would not say if No. 2 quarterback Chris Relf will play today. Relf, who is the second half of the Bulldogs? two-quarterback system, was suspended last week against Houston.
