New Orleans Bowl: Five story lines to watch as MTSU football takes on App State

The end of the season has arrived for Middle Tennessee. 

A season that began with a 35-7 loss to Vanderbilt will conclude with the New Orleans Bowl against Appalachian State (8 p.m., ESPN) on Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 

Here are five story lines to watch: 

Brent Stockstill's final game for MTSU

It will be the end of the Brent Stockstill era. The senior quarterback will be playing in his final game with the Blue Raiders and searching for his second bowl win. Stockstill was named the Conference USA MVP after passing for 3,214 yards and 28 touchdowns. For his career, Stockstill owns every major MTSU passing record, including yards (12,165) and touchdowns (105).

Can Blue Raiders put C-USA title loss behind them?

It was a devastating way to lose a game when MTSU lost 27-25 to UAB in the C-USA championship game. The Blue Raiders were called for too many men on the field, essentially ending the game. Stockstill admitted that it took a couple of days for the Blue Raiders to put the loss behind them, but the team felt energized when it returned to practice.

App State does not have a full coaching staff

With Scott Satterfield taking the Louisville job, App State does not have its full complement of coaches. Satterfield took with him co-offensive coordinator Frank Ponce and defensive coordinator Bryan Brown. All three will not coach the bowl game. Defensive line coach Mark Ivey was named interim head coach. On Thursday, App State named N.C. State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Eliah Drinkwitz as Satterfield's successor.

Another stiff test for MTSU's offense

It's been a recurring theme for the Blue Raiders to face a stout defense. The Mountaineers are no different. In fact, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin puts them at the top. 

"It's the best one we've seen this year," Franklin said. "In my opinion, they're better than when we played Georgia. ... They're ungodly well-coached, they fly to the ball, their scheme is good. I told our guys, we got to play our best game to have a chance to score touchdowns because these guys are really, really good."

App State is sixth in the country in total defense, allowing 279.3 yards per game.

MTSU in search of first nine win season since 2009

A win on Saturday will give the Blue Raiders their first nine-win season since winning 10 games back in 2009. MTSU won its 10th game that season, beating Southern Mississippi 42-32 in the New Orleans Bowl. 

Reach Luis Torres at ltorres1@dnj.com and follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.

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