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MURFREESBORO – MTSU coach Rick Stocktstill says he’s in no hurry to pick a starting quarterback. Some Conference USA coaches have similar patience. Some do not, opting to make a decision sooner rather than later. MTSU is among six C-USA teams that will pick a new starting quarterback this season. Sophomore Austin Grammer, redshirt freshman AJ Erdely and true freshman Brent Stockstill are vying for the Blue Raiders’ No. 1 job. Before preseason camps kicked off, a few C-USA coaches facing quarterback competitions weighed in on the different approaches. Some said you must name a starter to give stability to the other offensive players. Rick Stockstill said that notion is a little overblown. North Texas coach Dan McCarney has a four-man competition. He puts a value on his players identifying their starting quarterback as early as possible. “We’ve got to sift through this thing quickly because we go on national TV on Aug. 30 to play Texas, and we have to find who our best guy is,” McCarney said. “We have experience around those guys. The sooner you get them in there the better for chemistry, communication and getting on the same page.” Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/mtsu/2014/08/06/c-usa-coaches-differ-picking-qb/13694843/

Conference USA Coaching Salaries Annual salaries of 2014-15 mens basketball coaches, per various reports Coach (School) Annual Salary Tim Floyd (UTEP) $600,000 Michael White (La Tech) $600,000 TBA (Southern Miss) $500,000-600,000* Ray Harper (WKU) $500,000 Jerod Haase (UAB) $475,000 Jeff Jones (Old Dominion) $440,000 Tony Benford (North Texas) $400,000 Kermit Davis (MTSU) $400,000 Michael Curry (FAU) $325,000 TBA (Marshall) $285,755* Anthony Evans (FIU) $225,000 Alan Major (Charlotte) Not reported Mike Rhoades (Rice) Not reported Brooks Thompson (UTSA) Not reported Read more: http://www.dnj.com/article/20140424/BLUERAIDERS02/304240014/Sparks-C-USA-pay-scale-brings-challenge-MTSU

DENTON, TEXAS — A three-game losing streak and a quarterback controversy will follow MTSU into its bye week.The Blue Raiders fell awkwardly in a 34-7 loss to North Texas on Saturday night, and bold letters were applied to their previously quiet signal-caller question. Senior three-year starting quarterback Logan Kilgore was benched late in the first quarter and replaced by redshirt freshman Austin Grammer — whose role as a change-of-pace runner was expanded greatly the rest of the night. Kilgore — ranked No. 2 all-time in passing TDs and fourth in passing yards in MTSU history — never returned. “At the FAU game, we scored 42 points but we didn’t score the drive that (Grammer) was in, but for (offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s) reasons, he thought he would spark it,” Kilgore said. “... We just have to stay together as an offense and keep working. But competition breeds success.” Kilgore completed 8 of 8 passes for 36 yards before being pulled after two possessions. Grammer rushed for a career-high 106 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, but he was only 6 of 22 passing for 36 yards with no TDs and one interception returned for a score. Head coach Rick Stockstill said it was predetermined that Grammer would play on the third series, as he has in other games this season. But when UNT dominated the line of scrimmage and rushed the passer, the Blue Raiders stayed with the more mobile Grammer. Read more: http://www.dnj.com/article/20131013/BLUERAIDERS01/310120032/QB-questions-come-Raiders-fall-34-7-UNT

The solution is as obvious as it is unlikely, at least for schools from the mid-major conferences in future seasons Big East, C-USA, Sun Belt, Mountain West and Mid-American. Simply roll out a map on a boardroom table, plot every school from those conferences, cut them into four leagues based on geography and any long-standing rivalries, and proceed with college athletics. Fans will thank you, if that even matters. When the new college football playoff system arrives in 2014, there will be 61 mid-major schools under the current realignment plans. Lets say three more jump to the FBS to solidify the Sun Belt or elsewhere, making the number increase to 64 football schools. That pool could make up four conferences of 16 schools each, and the leagues would be welcomed and recognized far more than what will likely be the outcome of the current path. Read more: http://www.dnj.com/article/20121217/BLUERAIDERS01/312170014/Sparks-map-needed-conference-realignment

4. How big is this game for MTSU? Very big. I think if MTSU wins this, it goes to a bowl. That would give the Blue Raiders five wins, and they still have South Alabama on the schedule. If they lose this one, it will be tough to get to bowl eligibility. Aside from beating South Alabama, they would have to get a win at WKU, at Arkansas State or at home against Troy, who has beaten MTSU six straight times. 5. How do you see this game going? My colleagues at the paper picked North Texas to win. I picked MTSU in a close one. I think it’s a toss-up game. I think both teams will run the ball well. I feel like MTSU to get a few big plays in the passing game, but the Blue Raider pass defense has been in a slump lately. It comes down to turnovers and special teams. I’ll go with MTSU because of a blocked kick or long return. MTSU 24, North Texas 21 read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/10/qa-with-adam-sparks-of-the-daily-news-journal.html/

NEW ORLEANS — For some, Sun Belt Media Day seemed like the first day of school. For others, it was the last. The mixture created a peculiar atmosphere Monday as the media event returned to an in-person format for the first time since 2008. Those schools in attendance offered an accurate representation of the conference realignment running rampant through college sports. Among the 10 schools here, North Texas and Florida International attended their last Sun Belt Media Day, as both will move to Conference USA in 2013. South Alabama will play its first football season in the Sun Belt, but it will not be eligible to win the championship or play in a bowl game this season. Georgia State and Texas State – both recently announced as new Sun Belt members in 2013 – debuted at Media Day. New commissioner Karl Benson acknowledged the revolving door of schools at the New Orleans Marriott. “This is a transition year. I’ve been through a lot of transition years in my previous position (Western Athletic Conference commissioner),” Benson said. “Although it can be awkward, it can also be manageable and very productive. Unlike some other conferences that are having some acrimony and contentiousness, the relationship that we have and will continue to have with North Texas and Florida International is business as usual.” The warm and fuzzy feeling toward the two departing members was a popular one. “We’ve been brothers and been across the field from each other,” Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. “We pull for each other when we’re not playing against each other. I wish them the best. I hope they do good, even in another league.” Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20120717/BLUERAIDERS01/307170003/Realignment-evident-Sun-Belt-Media-Day?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p

Read more: http://www.dnj.com/article/20120507/BLUERAIDERS01/305070038/MTSU-s-Nolan-arrested-assault?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|BlueRaiders.com