The 2012 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

as a member of

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

during the

2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 30, 2012, and ended on D ...

. Led by seventh-year head coach

Rick Stockstill Richard Wilson Stockstill (born December 23, 1957) is an American college football coach. He is an offensive analyst for Florida State University, his alma mater, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head coach at Middle Tennessee from 2 ...

, the Blue Raiders compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for second in the Sun Belt. Despite finishing two wins above

bowl eligibility Bowl eligibility in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level is the standard through which teams become available for selection to participate in postseason bowl games. When a team achieves this state, it is described as "bowl-eligible". ...

, Middle Tennessee was not invited to a

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

. The 2012 season was the Blue Raiders last in the Sun Belt. Middle Tennessee initially announced a move to

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

(C-USA) to take effect no later than July 2014 and later moved the conference change up to July 2013.

During the offseason

Tyrone Nix was named co-defensive coordinator, along with Steve Ellis, and linebackers coach on February 22, 2012. Nix has led nationally ranked defenses at

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

. Interim offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, was named offensive coordinator in February 2012. During the 2011 season Faulkner took over the play-calling duties the final seven games of the year following the resignation of Willie Simmons. Faulkner’s 2011 offense went on to record the fifth most yards of total offense, complete a record 299 passes, while becoming just the second offense in school history to amass over 3,000 passing yards.

Schedule

2012 Football Schedule
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Game summaries

McNeese State

Florida Atlantic

@ Memphis

@ Georgia Tech

Louisiana–Monroe

@ FIU

@ Mississippi State

North Texas

@ WKU

@ South Alabama

Troy

@ Arkansas State

References

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football seasons

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football is the intercollegiate football program representing Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Blue Raiders compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegi ...

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