Syracuse Football: 5 questions with Middle Tennesse PxP Chip Walters

Time to get you ready for the Syracuse football squad’s next opponent in our weekly sitdown. ITLH breaks down the Blue Raiders ahead of Week 2.

Alright everybody, hope you’re ready for Week 2 of Syracuse football action. So far so good for the Orange. They dominated in Week 1, while they didn’t cover the 45.5 point spread, I’ll take the 43 point victory.

Eric Dungey continues to shatter offensive records and the rest of the Orange is the New Fast didn’t show any signs of rust. They rode that momentum wave to the convincing 50-7 victory last Friday night. Up next for the Orange they have a very game opponent in the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State.

This is a team that has won at least eight games in three out of the last five years. While this is their first trip in their history to the Carrier Dome, will they be intimidated? If you’re looking at the attendance numbers from last week you shouldn’t be, the Orange had record lows for a season opener, as our Josh Peelman noted earlier this week.

Finally one more nugget before we get into our weekly conversation. The Blue Raiders have a secret weapon heading into this game. That of course is former Orange head coach Scott Shafer, who now mans the defensive coordinator role with the Blue Raiders. What will he bring to the table? We discuss that with the play-by-play voice for Middle Tennessee State and that’s Chip Walters on The Score 1260 (Bud and the Manchild).

Paul A. Esden Jr. (@BoyGreen25): 

What happened last week? It wasn’t a good showing on paper for the Blue Raiders, losing 28 to 6 to Vanderbilt.

Chip Walters (@Chip_Walters):

Well to be honest, it wasn’t a great showing on the field either, much less paper. In my opinion it all boiled down to one thing. The Blue Raiders offensive line could not handle Vanderbilt’s front seven.

Middle Tennessee State quarterback Brent Stockstill didn’t get to show it last week, but if the Orange defense gives him time to operate, he can make plays. In fact, he’s the sixth best returning starter as it pertains to offensive yardage in all of division one football.

Another thing building into that, the Blue Raiders lost one of their premiere talents in I’Tavius Mathers who rushed for over 1,500 yards last year and notched 17 touchdowns. Now they have to do a running back by committee and it’s a learning process.

Paul A. Esden Jr. (@BoyGreen25): 

Lets address the elephant in the room, former Orange head coach Scott Shafer, current defensive coordinator for the Blue Raiders. He has chosen not to speak to the Syracuse media in the lead up to this game. What’s Shafer’s state of mind like heading into this game?

Chip Walters (@Chip_Walters):

Well I don’t know about his past, outside of what everyone sees on his resume. What I can tell you is that he’s said over the course of the offseason that he has really felt back at home. Being in the film room and strictly focusing on the defensive side of the ball.

His son Wolfgang is on the staff here as a graduate assistant. He’s flowing with positivity and he seems genuinely happy here. Shafer has been playing down the matchup saying: “nose to the grind stone, I’ll let the media blow this up if they want too.”

Once the game starts and we’re in the heat of battle all of the extra curricular activity falls to the wayside. He’s just going to be doing his job on Saturday and that’s something he’s been focused on all week.

Paul A. Esden Jr. (@BoyGreen25): 

A lot has been made by the local media that Scott Shafer is coming in not only with revenge or vengeance on his mind to stick it to his old team, but that he has some secret sauce on the Orange. One point I’d agree is his former recruits with the Orange that are big time players, he knows their strengths and weaknesses. How does that come into play in this game, if at all?

Chip Walters (@Chip_Walters):

Here’s the thing, Shafer does know those types of things when he recruited those players to Syracuse. He knows what their skill sets are, but really I think that’s about it. Because over the last two years these kids have gotten better and grown.

They’re different players now, they’ve adapted to a new system with Dino Babers at the helm and that to me is where you cut it off. There’s no secrets heading into this game that Shafer knows that’s going to benefit the Blue Raiders in any way that you can’t see on film.

Paul A. Esden Jr. (@BoyGreen25): 

Getting into the real nitty and gritty here of the game, who are the key cogs in this Blue Raiders machine that gets them going?

Chip Walters (@Chip_Walters):

Well the quarterback (Stockstill) is a great talent. Richie James is a phenomenal wideout who had 10 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown last week. Those are the two big ones, but there’s more. Ty Lee was a freshman All-American last season at the wide receiver position.

Lee comes in at 5’9 and just over 160 pounds. He’s a guy that can flat out make things happen.

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Maurice Gordon at tailback, the Blue Raiders hope can be the guy. Although no one has stepped up to claim the running back spot. He’s a JUCO transfer with a ton of talent and potential.

On the defensive side of the ball, Walter Brady a transfer from Missouri. In 2015 he led all freshman in sacks with seven. He also had the Blue Raiders only sack last week in the loss to Vanderbilt. Him and Malik Manciel are probably the best defenders on the team. Both play on the defensive line, 6’3 guys north of 260 a piece.

The secondary is going to be tested somewhat throughout the game. Although they’ll be rotating a lot of different guys back there. Arguably the strongest positional group is the linebackers with DJ Sanders. Sanders is the middle linebacker and he makes all the calls.

Paul A. Esden Jr. (@BoyGreen25): 

Lets break down the Blue Raiders quarterback, Brent Stockstill. He’s the head coaches son and the stats last year were phenomenal. Is he a dual threat guy or more of a pocket passer?

Chip Walters (@Chip_Walters):

Last week after adapting the game plan the Blue Raiders had success when they started moving the pocket and avoiding the rush. Brent is athletic and quick. Make no bones about it, they’re going to run him. Especially considering the loss of the 1,500 yard back Mathers who we talked about earlier, he ended up signing on with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Next: Syracuse Football: Top 10 Plays of Week 1 Versus CCSU (video highlights)

So yes their intention is to run him more, but not necessarily as a true dual threat, but certainly enough to keep the defense honest. While the thing is, Brent’s not afraid to run. Over the offseason he had shoulder surgery that involved an arduous rehab process. He’s a tough kid and he’s not afraid to get his nose in there. Brent operates best when the lights are on and he’s just playing football. Stockstill won’t be a statue back in the pocket that’s for sure.