2012 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2012 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Rick Stockstill and played their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium. The 2012 season proved to be the last for the Blue Raiders in the Sun Belt Conference; Middle Tennessee had initially announced a move to Conference USA (C-USA) to take effect no later than July 2014, and later announced that the move to C-USA would take effect in July 2013. They finished the season 8–4, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three way tie for second place. Despite finishing in second place and being two games above bowl eligibility, the Blue Raiders were not invited to a bowl game.
2012 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football | |
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Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
2012 record | 8–4 (6–2 Sun Belt) |
Head coach | Rick Stockstill (7th season) |
Offensive coordinator | Buster Faulkner |
Defensive coordinator | Tyrone Nix/Steve Ellis |
Home stadium | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (Capacity: 30,788) |
2012 Sun Belt Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas State $ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana–Monroe | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana–Lafayette** | 4 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WKU | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Troy | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Texas | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Atlantic | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIU | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Alabama* | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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During the offseason
Tyrone Nix was named co-defensive coordinator, along with Steve Ellis, and linebackers coach on February 22, 2012.[1] Nix has led nationally ranked defenses at Southern Miss, South Carolina, and Ole Miss. Interim offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, was named offensive coordinator in February 2012. During the 2011 season Faulkner took over the play-calling duties the final seven games of the year following the resignation of Willie Simmons. Faulkner’s 2011 offense went on to record the fifth most yards of total offense, complete a record 299 passes, while becoming just the second offense in school history to amass over 3,000 passing yards.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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April 14 | 1:00 PM | Blue-White Spring Game | White 40–17 | 4,214 | ||
August 30 | 6:30 PM | McNeese State* |
| ESPN3 | L 21–27 | 18,690 |
September 8 | 6:00 PM | Florida Atlantic |
| ESPN3 | W 31–17 | 16,227 |
September 15 | 6:00 PM | at Memphis* | W 48–30 | 27,113 | ||
September 29 | 12:00 PM | at Georgia Tech* | ACC RSN | W 49–28 | 39,270 | |
October 6 | 2:30 PM | Louisiana–Monroe |
| SBN/CSS | L 17–31 | 21,067 |
October 13 | 5:00 PM | at FIU |
| W 34–30 | 15,234 | |
October 20 | 6:00 PM | at No. 16 Mississippi State* | ESPN2 | L 3–45 | 55,108 | |
October 27 | 2:30 PM | North Texas |
| ESPN3 | W 38–21 | 14,102 |
November 1 | 8:15 PM | at WKU |
| ESPNU | W 34–29 | 17,327 |
November 17 | 2:30 PM | at South Alabama | W 20–12 | 15,087 | ||
November 24 | 2:30 PM | Troy |
| ESPN3 | W 24–21 | 18,605 |
December 1 | 2:00 PM | at Arkansas State |
| L 0–45 | 31,243 | |
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- Source: Schedule
Game summaries
McNeese State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
Blue Raiders | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 21 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First Meeting |
Florida Atlantic
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Owls | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
Blue Raiders | 0 | 7 | 17 | 7 | 31 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
7–3 | 2011 | MTSU, 38–14 |
@ Memphis
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 7 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
Tigers | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
16–8–1 | 2011 | MTSU, 38–31 |
@ Georgia Tech
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Yellow Jackets | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
1–2 | 2011 | GATECH, 49–21 |
Louisiana–Monroe
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Warhawks | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
Blue Raiders | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
9–4 | 2011 | ULM, 42–14 |
@ FIU
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
Panthers | 6 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
5–3 | 2011 | FIU, 31–18 |
@ Mississippi State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
#16 Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 21 | 14 | 45 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
0–4 | 2009 | MSU, 27–6 |
North Texas
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean Green | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
Blue Raiders | 17 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
5–7 | 2011 | UNT, 59–7 |
@ WKU
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 29 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
32–29–1 | 2011 | WKU, 36–33 |
@ South Alabama
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Jaguars | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First Meeting |
Troy
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trojans | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Blue Raiders | 10 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 24 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
12–8 | 2011 | TROY, 38–35 |
@ Arkansas State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Red Wolves | 21 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 45 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
9–4 | 2011 | ARST, 45–19 |