Iowa football: Know your 2019 opponents, Middle Tennessee State

We sat down with a contributor over at Tenn Truth to find out a little bit more about this MTSU team when they square off against the Iowa football team.

Q: Brent Stockhill is no longer the QB at MTSU. What are can fans expect from Asher O’Hara who was recruited as a dual-threat QB?

A: Brent Stockstill was named a permanent team captain as a redshirt sophomore, and it’s clear why when you go through the list of accolades he has earned in his career at MTSU.

Asher O’Hara played in one game last season and had an opportunity to show his potential to the team, coaches, and fans. He rushed for 85 yards, which led the team, with a touchdown and completed 9 of his 20 passes for 114 yards and an interception. I thought this was a solid showcase by O’Hara to show what he could do on the ground and in the air.

When it comes to what fans should expect from O’Hara I’d say expect a lot of options and RPOs and expect O’Hara to keep the ball in his hands if he has an opening. He ran the ball 21 times throughout three quarters when he came in against FIU. At the College of DuPage, he ran for 565 yards as the man under center so expect the same thing at a higher level at MTSU.

Don’t think O’Hara is just a guy who can run; he also has a really good arm. He ranked fourth in completion percentage in the NJCAA and threw for over 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns at the College of DuPage. He has a big arm, he can find the open man downfield and if he doesn’t and a gap opens for him to run he will take off. He was great at turning negative plays into positive plays at the JUCO level so don’t be surprised if he does it at a high level at MTSU too.

O’Hara has NFL potential and don’t take that lightly. I don’t talk that highly of too many people. Coach Rick Stockstill played quarterback at Florida State, so he knows what’s going through the quarterback’s head on every play. I expect him to use that knowledge to give O’Hara a chance to play at as high of a level as Brent Stockstill, if not higher.

Q: Wide receiver Devon Jackson missed all of last season. We know Ty Lee was the primary receiver but what should Iowa football fans know about Jackson?

A: In high school, Devon Jackson lettered in football, basketball, and track. He earned all-conference as a wide receiver and defensive back in his junior and senior year. At Santa Ana College he earned first-team All-America honors and led the team in receiving with 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He’s big, fast and he’s not scared of contact. He’s a little slow coming out of his stance and wasn’t pressed a lot at the JUCO level so a good press corner could limit what Jackson does on the field. When he was pressed, he was able to get his man leaning whichever way he wasn’t going and gave himself a chance to get open down the field.

Other than that, he’s very physical when he knows he’s not getting the football. He’s not a lineman, but on run plays, he’s looking to collect as many pancakes as his linemen are on the outside. If he has a chance to put his man on his butt, he will. Whether that’s on a screen play, run play or whatever he craves contact.

Your number one corner is likely going to be focused on Ty Lee all game, so whether it’s your second, third or fourth best guy covering Jackson, he might be able to use his excellent footwork and hips to get open downfield.

Q: This defense ranked 50th in total defense last season and is returning a lot of starters. Who is one player that is underrated on the defensive side of the ball that Iowa football fans should be aware of?

A: Reed Blankenship is probably my favorite player on defense and is looking to be first team All-CUSA for the second year in a row. Last season he took a huge leap and led the conference in solo tackles with 69. He showed a lot of potential as a freshman, and as a junior, he’s already one of the leaders on this defense.

He totaled four interceptions last season which was good enough for sixteenth best in the country with a 100-yard pick six. He had six games where he finished with at least 10 tackles. A lot of people look at maybe a defensive end or a middle linebacker when they’re looking for a physical player like Blankenship, but he’s a safety.

Not many look at the safety position for a significant physical threat but they might want to when MTSU is on the schedule in 2019. He’s taking after another former MTSU safety who is now playing for the Tennessee Titans in Kevin Byard. We saw a similar jump in Byard’s first two seasons, and now we see where he’s at as one of the better safeties in the NFL today. Blankenship has a chance to become the sole leader of this defense for the next two seasons if he comes out in 2019 and continues to dominate.

Q: With Iowa playing in-state rival Iowa State the week before, this game has “trap game” written all over it. Where on offense might the Blue Raiders be able to exploit the Iowa defense?

A: MTSU comes to Iowa City in Week 4 giving the Iowa football team plenty of film to study on some of these newer names we might see throughout the offense. MTSU is set to play Michigan and Duke in the first three weeks of the season. With unknowns at the quarterback position and as they continue to look for a number two receiver to team up with Ty Lee, it’s going to be tough for MTSU to get things going on offense to be a real threat to those two teams along with Iowa in the early part of the season.

With that being said, if a number two receiver isn’t established by then look for O’Hara to sling the ball around the field and try to use his feet to get the Iowa defense out of place. Zack Dobson is a guy I like to look at as the next best thing for the MTSU receiving corps. He will have his best chance to become that number two guy against Tennessee State in Week 2 and continue that in the Duke and Iowa game. If he hasn’t had his breakout game yet, then I’d say it’s coming soon, and it could be in Week 4 against the Hawkeyes.

Coach Stockstill is going to use his receivers and the unknowns to his advantage, and I believe right now the unknowns are their greatest weakness but come game time it could become their greatest strength. MTSU has a lot of receivers who could go out there and dominate from game to game. To name just one player to exploit the Iowa defense I don’t know I could name only one. If I had to, as I said, I’d probably take Dobson because he is a baller and he’s ready to step up to the plate and prove it. Look for this entire receiving corps to try to exploit the Iowa defense as no one really knows who’s going to be the next best guy behind Lee.

Special thank you to Colton Pickard (@pick6pickard) over at Tenn Truth for taking the time to answer my questions.