Thursday cant come fast enough- By Fredo

So, I am sitting at my desk and nothing is getting accomplished. I have taken the whole day off on Thursday so I can tailgate from 7:30 AM til kickoff. I have also taken Friday off so I can recuperate after celebrating our win!

After feeding the team on Sunday, I am pumped about Thursday night. You could tell the players and coaches were pumped as well. They are tired of beating on each other and are ready to beat up on some Trojans!!

But, as I sit here, all I can think of are bloody marys in the morning followed by cornhole and beer in the afternoon. The grill will be fired and burning bright and smelling of burgers and ribs! There is nothing like tailgating for Middle Tennessee football and we are less than two days away.

Until then, I guess I will get to this pile of work sitting on my desk. Come on Thursday.......you can't get here fast enough!!!!

Is Troy really worthy of all the hype? - by Tom Hagen (consigliere)

So for the past few weeks folks around here have been pretty excited about the beginning of the football season.  Regardless of whether we were barreling towards a game with the USC Trojans or their lesser counterparts from southern Alabama, Blue Raider fans are downright excited that summer is closing out and football is approaching.  I have noticed however, that there is an undercurrent of trepidation of having to open the season (regular and conference) against a foe that has generally led the Sunbelt Conference since the demise of North Texas.  Now just why is that?  Is Troy really worth all the hype?

I've been thinking about this for a few days now. 

I was sharing it with a friend of mine who is a big Auburn Tiger fan.  He outright laughed.  His reason:  His Tigers or War Eagles or whatever stole away one Tony Franklin, former Offensive Coordinator for the Trojans.  I was not quite sure why this would matter a great deal, most teams in our fine conference are regularly depleted of coaching staff as they move on to bigger and better pastures with more money and opportunity.  Then I remembered that horrible night in November 2006.  We were right on the verge of our first bowl trip in the 1A era with a nice jaunt down to the Big Easy.  Ouch.  It still hurts.  You see, it was the fine Mr. Franklin that led those Trojans right down the field, twice in 12 simple plays(with some help from our defense...) to squeak past and dash our hopes (if only for a few days) of going to a bowl.  Sure it hurt then but the trip to Ford Field was not so bad....

Then I was thinking about the fact that our more experienced O line had been depleted this summer.  That led me to a discussion with a friend who is a former defensive end for an SEC team that was rarely at the top of the heap.  He brought up a game from 2005 against his former team (on which he was playing) where our Blue Raiders were supposedly down a few important folks  (Chris Henry for example) but managed to pull it out after scoring only 21 points in three games.

Finally, I was thinking about this Troy team of 2008.  How do they compare to the Troy teams we have known in the past?  Can they rebound from an ending to their season (the loss to FL Atlantic) that was surely as bitter as ours was at their hand the year before?  They've got 5 starters on their offense that are sophomores.  They have an untested kicking game.  They also have a brand new quarterback.

So maybe I'm not worried anymore.  My bet: a defensive struggle where a few break away plays will determine the outcome.   

It’s GAME WEEK!!! – by Sonny

It’s here. It’s what we have been waiting for since last December.

Game Week.

I thought I would not survive, but I have. Plans are being made for an All-Star Tailgating year. I hope to see everyone out there. Get hyped!!!! It’s time. Get the tents ready. Get the coolers ready (and filled). Get the grill cleaned off and ready to fire.

And by all means, get ready to scream your head off for the Blue Raiders. See you on the 28th.

O-Linemen: By Sonny

What is the deal? They are dropping like flies.



Doing some research, I have found that it is a fact that Fredo and myself still have one year of eligibility. It might be time to sign up for a HPER and let the Twin Towers reign.



Who am I kidding? It’s time for another beer.

Season's almost here - by Sonny

Man, I can't wait. Fan Day was great, the players and coaches seem to be in good spirits (although they would be better with a couple more OL), and the general excitement and buzz is about. Plans are already being made for the first tailgate. The crowd needs to come, and we ned to fill that stdium. It will be an electric atmosphere. Don't miss it.

It's time for some football!!-by Fredo

I can't believe it! I made it through the dead time of no good sports and preseason NFL football is on. That means that college football is just around the corner. Middle Tennessee is playing of three games on August 28th, so we are the first to start the season. And the game is against our arch enemy, and one of the unholy trinity(thanks ESPN.com), Troy Trojans. We are beat up on the offensive line, but our guys know how important the game is to our season. It is time to get jacked for the season because it is all but here! So grab your tailgating gear and lets cheer on the Blue Raiders!!!!!

Getting Ready - It's August - by Sal Tessio

Chills ran down my spine after I turned the TV to ESPN. They’re getting geared up. Starting to see more and more FOOTBALL related “stuff” on now. As I thought about the upcoming season, I logged into www.goblueraiders.com and noticed the countdown timer. At the time of this posting we had 22 days till kickoff for the opening game at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium.. That means of course that the GFBC is anticipating yet another year of stellar tailgating. Burgers, brawts, cheese plates and of course liquid refreshments will accompany the cornhole, satellite TV and the company of old friends and friends yet to be made with our common passion in mind, Blue Raider football. I hope you can spend some time with us this year, especially if you are a visiting team. We always enjoy meeting the “enemy” and having a little pre-game “smack talk”. August 28th. I’ll see you there.