UPDATED: Sept. 10, 2017 at 10:36 p.m.

Syracuse (1-0) squares off against Middle Tennessee (0-1) Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange is coming off a 50-7 win over Central Connecticut State, while the Blue Raiders are coming off a 28-6 loss to Vanderbilt.

MTSU beat writer Erik Bacharach of the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, answered five questions about the upcoming matchup.

The Daily Orange: Vanderbilt managed to sack MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill five times last week. How and why did that happen, and is it a problem that can be corrected quickly?

Erik Bacharach: Five sacks in a single game is obviously not a good number if you’re the offensive line, but it’s made even more eye-opening when considering Stockstill was sacked just eight times in 10 games last year. The difference between this year’s offensive line and last year’s? Three of its five 2016 starters. So MTSU had a lot of holes to fill on the O-line heading into the year, and head coach Rick Stockstill continually cited it as one of his biggest concerns during the offseason. Those concerns were fully realized last Saturday night against Vanderbilt. In addition to the five sacks, Stockstill was hurried four times and the running game averaged just 1.9 yards per carry. While the right side of the offensive line — Stockstill’s blindside — is occupied by a couple of veterans in Chandler Brewer and Carlos Johnson, its left side is manned by two players with hardly any experience as starters. It doesn’t seem like the problems we saw Saturday night are correctable within the span of a couple of weeks, more likely over the course of a season. That said, with as much emphasis as MTSU has placed on getting it fixed in a hurry, I’d expect the O-line to take a step forward against Syracuse.

The D.O.: Can we expect a Mike Minter Jr. shadow Steve Ishmael for most of the game? How does the defense operate when he’s on his game?

E.B.: I’d expect for that to be the matchup we see Saturday. Minter was MTSU’s returning leader in pass deflections (10) and interceptions (two), but perhaps that needs to be taken with a grain of salt: The team’s secondary was by no means lights out last year. That sentiment applies to the entirety of MTSU’s 2016 defense, which allowed 35.8 points per game. It did, however, look improved last week against Vanderbilt in our first glimpse of Shafer as MTSU’s defensive coordinator. Facing Syracuse’s spread offense, Minter’s role is obviously a crucial one, but MTSU’s defense starts up front with its emphasis on stopping the run and continually applying pressure on the quarterback.

The D.O.: What’s made Richie James so effective and how does an opponent try to slow him down?

E.B.: Put simply, James is an incredibly perceptive football player. At 5-foot-9, 176 pounds, he has to be. He’s a master at reading a defender’s body language, creating space and using his top-tier athleticism from there. Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said last week, “Richie James could be at Missouri, and he’d be one of the top receivers in the country.” Point being, MTSU found a diamond in the rough in James, and the best part about it is he’s still only a junior. Slowing him down is obviously a tall order and a high point of prioritization if you’re Syracuse, but it’s not necessarily the key to an opponent’s win. Last year, MTSU lost all three games in which James went for more than 160 receiving yards. In last weeks’ 28-6 debacle against Vanderbilt, the MTSU offense was in complete disarray, but James still managed 10 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. So with James, there’s a certain guarantee every time he steps on the field. You know he’ll be somewhere near last year’s averages of 8.1 catches and 125 yards per game. For Syracuse, it’s a matter of limiting that as best it can, and probably more importantly, making sure the other playmakers on MTSU’s offense are contained, which Vanderbilt did really well last week.

The D.O.: Are players or coaches addressing defensive coordinator Scott Shafer’s return to the Carrier Dome? Or is that not being talked about leading up to the game?

E.B.: There’s been a lot of skillful dancing around that storyline, especially by Shafer himself. He’s been asked about his return to Syracuse several times this week and the most he’s offered is, “It’s just a business trip.” We did get a window into what Saturday’s matchup will mean to him through MTSU linebacker D.J. Sanders. During a press conference on Monday, Sanders said, “He said we would all be best friends for life if we beat Syracuse. So that’s extra motivation for us. It’s maybe kind of personal for him, but for us it’s just another game and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”

The D.O.: What’s one big factor you’re looking for Saturday, and who do you think wins?

E.B.: I think it goes back to MTSU’s offensive line. If it has another paltry showing like it did against Vanderbilt last week, MTSU will be in trouble. If Syracuse’s defensive front replicates what Vanderbilt’s did a week ago, MTSU will be in trouble. Ultimately, I think the Blue Raiders’ line looks a bit improved from last week, but would predict Syracuse to get the better of it, sparking a home win for the Orange.

Published on September 7, 2017 at 11:28 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer