Middle Tennessee Game Notes and Quotes

Press Quotes from UL’s Rickey Bustle and Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill on Saturday’s game in Murfreesboro.

Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill

On the opponent Louisiana’s Ragin’Cajuns
“We have a really good Louisiana-Lafayette team coming in here Saturday. They are coming off a good win at Arkansas State which is a very difficult place to win. They beat Kansas State earlier in the year. Kansas State is leading their side of the conference in the Big 12.”

Focus on seventh win and bowl eligibility
“We are not focused on a bowl; our focus is on Louisiana-Lafayette and getting to seven wins. The more games you win, the more opportunities you have. We do not want to stop at six wins. We are focusing on what we can control which is Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. We do not have control of the bowls.”

On Louisiana's Chris Masson
“He is a good player. He has done a great job of leading their offense. He is a tough, competitive guy who understands what they want to do and has led them to some good wins this season.”

On trying to win conference title
“We have no control over what happens with Troy. We have a chance, but we need help. The only thing we can control is how we play against Louisiana-Lafayette. It has no bearing on what happens. We have to handle our business one game at a time.”

Louisiana Head Coach Rickey Bustle

On Opponent Middle Tennessee
“Middle Tennessee is a awfully good team. They’ve beaten Maryland and have played really well most of the season. When you look at those guys, there is a lot of team speed on both sides of the ball. We are going to have to play with the same effort and execution as last week, to have a chance to beat them at home.”

On Middle’s Dwight Dasher
“Well, it all starts on offense with him. He has close to 3,000 yards in total offense after nine games and he just kills you once he takes off down the field. He’s had big plays, long runs and scrambles for that offense this season.”

On the Blue Raiders defense
“After watching them on film, they have the fastest group of linebackers and defensive backs in the Sun Belt Conference. They can cover a lot of ground fast and they really get after you all game long.”

On Chris Masson’s improvement
“I really thought Chris Masson had his best game, from the standpoint of execution and leadership on the field. Chris really stepped up for this team and you could see his confidence grow as the game went on. We will need that kind of effort and leadership from Chris this weekend to have a shot.”

Practice Notes

Ladarius Green and Brad McGuire went full pads Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice. While neither have been officially cleared to play in Saturday’s game, both are expected to play. Linebacker Daylon McCoy was not participating in contact drills Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices, but will continue to work towards playing in Saturday’s game.