Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
 |
|||||
| The Blue Raiders are set to play in their sixth bowl game of the FBS era December 24 against Hawai'i in the Hawai'i Bowl. Check back daily for blog updates and pictures showcasing what activities the Blue Raiders are enjoying. Check back each day for all of the latest on the Blue Raiders!  Saturday, December 24 GAME DAY!!! LET’S DO THIS. Friday, December 23 HAPPY BIRTHDAY COACH STOCKSTILL!!! The Blue Raiders had a wake-up call of 8:30 AM but a few were up much earlier than that, including QB Brent Stockstill. The signal-caller was having time to himself around 7 AM and obviously thinking about the task ahead. He’s anxious. At 9 AM we held our mandatory pre-game meeting with bowl officials, ESPN and the head of officiating. Brent Brock, Zackie Sanderson, Kortne Gosha and Mark Owens represented Middle Tennessee. These are done to answer any final questions and make sure everyone is on the same page for game-day. We cover pre-game schedule, credentials, parking, television, locker room assignments, uniforms, etc… After a 9:30 AM team meeting, the players departed for Dave and Buster’s for lunch. Always a good place to eat and check out some of the other bowl games while playing a few games. The final practice at Aloha Stadium got underway around 1 PM. The team went over their assignments one last time. Also in the afternoon players Daniel Sargent, Matt Stephenson, Richie Bissacia, Peter Bailey and Russ Hiett visited Kapi’olani Hospital. At 1 PM HT, we officially announced that Brent Stockstill would be starting under center on Saturday. Great news for the Blue Raiders! The Blue Raider Network team made a trip to North Shore, stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation and even had lunch from some of the well-known food trucks where they ran into Dr. Patel and his family. The team arrived back at the hotel shortly after 3 PM, and then it was rest time and staying off their feet until the team dinner at 6 PM. Total game-mode now. Beach time is over. Thursday, December 22 The busiest day of the trip got started early on another beautiful morning on the islands. The team had their wake-up call at 7:30 AM with a team meeting at 8:30 AM. Today’s captain talk was provided by DJ Sanders. The team arrived at the stadium for practice at 10 AM and went through a 16-period workout. Again, the energy level was good and team is more than ready to get to game-day. Only one more practice remains before kickoff. Following practice, the theme of the interviews was this team was ready to play and their frame of mind was good. Coaches like their approach and how they have practiced all week. The team ate lunch at the stadium then headed to Pearl Harbor, which was an event circled on many of the players’ itinerary as soon as the bowl was announced. The players arrived on site and immediately began viewing all that Pearl Harbor had to offer. The team was engaged and soaking everything in. After 45 minutes of observing monuments, going through the gift shop and checking out ships and submarines, the team viewed a movie on how the attack on Pearl Harbor came about. After the movie, the players were shuttled to the USS Arizona on a boat. Visualizing the names of all 1,700 who passed on the ship, seeing what remained of USS Arizona, and even watching the oil that still leaks from the ship was an incredible experience. Most every player we talked to said the same thing, “it was an unforgettable experience and something we will cherish forever”. This bowl trip has definitely been an educational opportunity for the Blue Raiders while providing them a destination they may have never been able to see. The team arrived back at the hotel around 3:20 PM then had a team meeting at 4:30 PM. At 5 PM, the players walked to the hotel next door and had a team picture made. Thank goodness our photographer (Brent Beerends) was accompanying the team because the bowl photographer never showed. Always have to be prepared. At 6 PM the team banquet was held at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The event was emceed by ESPN play-by-play announcer Chris Cotter and both coaches were asked questions by analyst Mark May. The players had a 10 PM curfew but just before deadline a majority of the team raided Baskin Robins for some ice cream. Good night! One more practice and then it’s time to play. Wednesday, December 21 First day of winter so thank goodness we are in Hawaii. It was sunny and 82 today so we are doing just fine. The team woke up at 7 AM, had treatment then a team meeting at 8 AM. Senior Raynard Felton gave the captain talk to get things started. The Blue Raiders practiced at Aloha Stadium in shorts and shirts for 16 periods. It was a good workout and everyone seemed to have a lot of energy. Believe they are ready to play the game. We had media interviews after practice and one of the highlights were QB Brent Stockstill interviewing receiver Ty Lee – make sure you catch it on social media. Following practice, the team changed into swimming trunks, ate lunch on the bus and headed straight to Wet N’Wild Water Park. The players enjoyed the slides, wave pool and wading pool during their two-hour stay. The team arrived back at the hotel around 4 PM, grabbed their per diem and the rest of the night was there’s to enjoy. A lot of the party was seen making the trek up Diamond Head for one of the most awesome views anywhere. The Blue Raider Network crew of Chip Walters, Wes Counts and Wayne Groce were among the hikers, along with Mark Owens, Tyler Boles, Will Redmond, John Albertson and Steve Hart. At sunset on the beach, video coordinator Erik Bartlett proposed to his girlfriend, Amy Brockwell, as they were supposedly going to meet friends for dinner. Oh, she said YES. Congrats to the lovely couple. We got confirmation that Paris Jackson, the daughter of the late Michael Jackson, was staying at our hotel. I might of walked right by her but would never have a clue who she was but thought Blue Raider fans would be impressed. Time to turn in as tomorrow will be an extremely busy day (practice, Pearl Harbor, team photo, team banquet). Tuesday, December 20 After night one in the islands, the Blue Raiders woke up to sunny skies and 72 degree temperatures. Setting up for a great first full day. The staff met at 6 AM (despite itinerary that said 6:30 AM; better be early with Coach Stock) and the team woke up at 6:30 AM, had fruit and juices, then went to a team meeting at 7:30 AM. I’Tavius Mathers provided today’s captain talk. Breakfast was an adventure but Mark Owens, Chip Walters and Wayne Groce came across Seaside Grill where pancakes, bacon and eggs were $4.95. Owens loved that deal but the gracious Groce grabbed the tab. He’s a true Blue Raider and we always love having the big man around. The team headed to practice at Aloha Stadium where they went through 18 periods in full pads. The turf was a little warm but that was good as the team needs to get acclimated to the warmer temps in Hawaii. Gameday looks to be 77 degrees and sunny. Practice ended at 11:10 AM and then we held post practice interviews, the guys showered and headed back to the hotel. A great interview by Alex Dale interviewing I’Tavius Mathers is a must see and it will be on social media today. Team had free time the entire afternoon until a team meeting at 5:30 PM. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and his family got up early to make the climb up Diamond Head for sunrise (yes, he had photo proof of the journey). Halfway down the climb, the Massaro’s met Sara Stockstill and the wives of many of the coaches. At 5:40 PM, the Blue Raiders met and walked to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for the Lu’au with Hawaii and numerous guests. After a few opening acts on stage, the team line up for the buffet that included pork, steak, chicken, sweet potato slices, various salads and desserts. The show then kicked in with a very interesting knife throw and several other dances but the best came at the end. A number of ladies went in the audience and pulled viewers up on stage where they danced by copying the pro that accompanied them. The final dance was none other than Head Coach Rick Stockstill. The host said it’s the first time in 15 years a head coach made it up on stage. Coach Stock showed all is dance moves and had the crowd at the palm of his hands. Oh yeah, it made it on Facebook Live so go take a look when you get a chance. Former great Blue Raider golfer Jason Millard was in attendance at the event and it was awesome to see him. His Web.com season gets underway on Jan. 8 so he was in town taking advantage of the weather. I want to give a shout-out to a couple of my staff members, Brent Beerends and Nathan Wallach. There are a lot of people on this trip that actually make this a vacation but it’s not one for these guys. Every practice, every event and all the extra activities, are covered so the fans get to experience it all first-hand. Social Media, photos, video, interviews don’t just appear on your feeds or television, it begins with these guys. Curfew was 11 PM but the Athletic Communications staff is going to beat that easily. See you guys tomorrow.  Monday, December 19 The trip to Hawaii was an early riser event to get things started. The Blue Raiders arrived at the Greenland Drive parking lot between 3:30 and 4:00 AM in order to board buses scheduled to leave for Swissport International in Nashville by 4:30 AM. There’s nothing like getting up before the chickens on a 30 degree morning. In typical Coach Stockstill fashion, the buses left 12 minutes early and the team arrived at 4:53 AM for a 7:00 AM flight. The WKRN TV 2 morning crew was waiting on the team to get coverage of them flying out and to wish them luck on the bowl game. Reporter Brent Remadna interviewed Coach Stockstill, Brent Stockstill and I’Tavius Mathers for segments that ran throughout the broadcast. We woke Brent and I’Tavius up from a deep sleep on the bus so the Athletic Communications office was very grateful of their willingness to conduct the interviews. It’s awesome working with class individuals. The MT athletic family is very appreciative of the effort and publicity provided by WKRN. The plane was slightly delayed due to weather and the team waited in the parking area for a little more than an hour. Once boarded, the process was quick and the Blue Raiders took off about 7:02 AM for the eight hour and 38-minute flight. Most people slept but quite a few watched movies, played games or listened to music to occupy their time. We actually landed about an hour and 45 minutes early in Honolulu. After getting the luggage, four buses went to the stadium for practice and the press conference while two buses went straight to the hotel. The team threw, ran and went through some basic plays to get the travel out of them when arriving at Aloha Stadium. The area media was in full force, talking with various Blue Raider players and coaches and shooting video and photos of practice. The official press conference got underway at 2:05 PM HT with both coaches and two players from each team answering questions about the season , the week ahead and how they were going to win Saturday’s game. Coach Stock signed a bunch of helmets, including some nice mini helmets with a lei around the MT logo. The mini helmets will be given away at the team banquet later in the week. The team then went back to the hotel, checked in then had a team meeting with security. The rest of the evening was the players to enjoy. I think a few might bed down early, it’s been a long day. |
|||||
| Photo Galleries | |||||
|
|||||
| Videos | |||||
|
|
|||||
| Daily Blue Raider Blog from Hawaii | |||||
|
|
