GoMiddle.com staff writer Matt Dossett swung by TheWolverine.com this week to help explain what the Michigan Wolverines' football team can expect to see from the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in Saturday night's season opener at The Big House.
Dossett revealed what MTSU's strengths and weaknesses are on both sides of the ball, while also providing a final score prediction at the end.
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Projected Starters on Offense
• Redshirt sophomore QB Asher O'Hara — He played in just two games last year while backing up starter Brent Stockstill, completing 9 of 20 passes for 114 yards and rushing 23 times for 85 yards. "You could make the argument that Asher O'Hara will get the initial green light, but I would not be surprised to see [junior quarterback] Randall Johnson either," Dossett revealed.
• Redshirt sophomore RB Chaton Mobley — He served as the team's primary running back last season as a redshirt freshman, carrying 123 times for 613 yards and landing on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team as a result. Mobley also added four scores on the ground and 19 receptions from his running back spot.
• Senior WR Ty Lee — The veteran led the Blue Raiders in almost every major statistical receiving category last year, including catches (71), yards (883) and touchdown grabs (seven). Lee was tabbed to the Belitnikoff Award watch list (given to the nation's best receiver) heading into the 2019 campaign, and enters the season as college football's active receptions leader (213).
• Fifth-year senior WR Jocquez Bruce — He was held to just six grabs for 85 yards in 2018 after a nagging groin injury limited him to five games. The 5-10, 178-pounder proved his value in 2017, however, when he racked up 206 rushing yards and nine receptions while working primarily as a running back.
• Redshirt junior WR C.J. Windham — He only hauled in six catches for 111 yards in 2018 after missing nine contests with injury, but still managed to reel in three touchdown grabs. Windham enjoyed a healthy 2017 campaign that saw him register 25 receptions for 351 yards.
• Sophomore WR Zack Dobson — The dangerous 5-8, 164-pounder showed off his versatility last season as a freshman by finishing fourth on the squad with 214 rushing yards, while also recording 15 catches for 171 yards and four scores. Dobson's 11.4 yards per catch average wasn't necessarily off the charts, but his 13.4 yards per carry were 8.1 more than anyone else on the roster.
• Redshirt junior LT Will Gilchrist — He only played in four tilts last year while redshirting, though all four contests he saw action in occurred within the final seven affairs of the season. Last year was actually Gilchrist's first in Murfreesboro, after transferring in from Blinn College (a community college in Texas that is best known for winning a NJCAA championship with quarterback Cam Newton at the helm in 2009).
• Redshirt sophomore LG Eric Seay — He will be the most inexperienced MTSU starter that takes the field on Saturday night, having never appeared in a game in his collegiate career.
• Fifth-year senior C Josh Fannin — He was a stalwart on the Blue Raider offensive line last year, starting all 14 games at center and averaging 70.6 snaps per contest. Fannin earned Conference USA honorable mention recognition at season's end, and has been tabbed to the Rimington Award watch list (given to the game's top center) heading into 2019.
• Redshirt freshman RG Marcus Greer — He redshirted after playing in just four contests last year, though three of the four games he participated in were from Oct. 27 on. Greer took home the Newcomer Ironman Award at MTSU's annual year-end banquet.
• Junior RT Robert Jones — The 2019 season will be his first in Murfreesboro, after transferring in from Highland Community College in Kansas. Greer earned honorable mention all-conference accolades for the Scotties after starting all 10 games for them in 2018.
