2011 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 2011 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blue Raiders were led by sixth-year head coach Rick Stockstill and played their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium. They are members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 2–10, 1–7 in Sun Belt play to finish the season in eighth place. Coaching changes. On January 13, 2011, it was announced that both coordinators, Mike Schultz (Offensive) and Randall McCray (Defensive), would not return for the  2011 football season. After a very successful 2009 season, when the team went 10–3 and won the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, during the 2010 season the team fell in several statistical categories. The team's turnover margin went from being ranked 8th in the nation to being 120th in the nation. Middle Tennessee's total offense fell from 27th in the nation to 69th in the nation, while their total defense fell from 50th in the nation to 72nd in the nation. Both coordinators only served for one season at Middle Tennessee. On January 24, 2011, Rick Stockstill announced  that he promoted cornerbacks coach Steve Ellis to defensive coordinator and running backs coach Willie Simmons to offensive coordinator. Two days later, Coach Stockstill completed his staff by hiring Joe Cauthen to coach the linebackers and serve as the special team's coordinator, and Buster Faulkner to coach the quarterbacks and be the passing game coordinator. During the season, on October 14, 2011, Willie Simmons abruptly resigned from his job as offensive coordinator following his arrest on aggravated assault charges. On October 17, Buster Faulkner was named MTSU's offensive coordinator.