Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee football was in a must-win game Tuesday night when the Kennesaw State Owls came to the ‘Boro. Having lost five games in a row, many in embarrassing fashion, it was time for the Blue Raiders to get a win to keep their bowl game hopes alive.
The Middle offense struggled mightily all night and had to lean on something that had been a significant issue for the entire season, the defense. After defensive coordinator Brian Stewart moved up to the box, there was anticipation about what difference it would make, but it paid off in a big way.
The defense came to the rescue in a dominant showing, as MT would get that first CUSA win of the year in a barnburner, 14-2.
“We got the first conference win today and needed it badly. I think our guys learned a lot about themselves tonight,” says MTSU head coach Derek Mason. “Nick Vattiato woke up at 2 AM dead sick, and I didn’t think he would play, but we couldn’t stop him from not playing. It was a ‘mind your business’ type game tonight, and I thought we did that; everyone did their job.”
After a quick four-play drive, MTSU was forced to punt to the Owls, and even though it was a solid punt, KSU would start with a bang. A 60-yard run by Qua Ashley and a 13-yard run by Michael Benefield would put Kennesaw inside the Blue Raider 10-yard line. However, Middle Tennessee would stand firm and force a turnover-on-down at their two-yard line.
The excitement from a big stop would last about 60 seconds, as the Owls would force a safety on the first play of Middle’s drive. After a three-and-out by the Blue Raider D, they would get it back inside their 20-yard line.
MTSU finally found a pulse offensively as they methodically made their way down the field, and after Holden Willis hauled in a 20-yard pass, Jekail Middlebrook walked into paydirt from a yard out.
Two drives later, the Owls would put together a great job and found themselves inside the MTSU red zone. Khalib Johnson dropped back and threw a good pass on a fade route, but it was intercepted by Marvae Myers to keep the defensive shutout intact.
Just a few minutes later, the same scenario would come up. The ball was inside MT territory, just a few minutes to go, and the score was 7-2. Johnson saw a matchup that he liked, so he let it fly toward the Kennesaw State sideline, but De’Arre McDonald read the coverage well and intercepted the quarterback to give his offense the ball
McDonald has missed most of the season due to injury but made critical plays against Louisiana Tech and now the Owls of Kennesaw State.
“It was so satisfying. After I caught it, I got up and screamed, ‘I got it, I got it, I got it,’ and I’ve waited for that,” McDonald said about his interception post-injury rehab. “When it happened, I was like, ‘I worked for that,’ I earned it, and I’m glad I could do it to help the team.”
Nick Vattiato got the ball with 22 seconds left and a chance to make something happen. It started great with a 12-yard catch by Willis, but the Kennesaw State defense would sack Vattiato to end the half with MTSU leading 7-2.
Nothing changed coming out of the half as the two continued trading punts, but eventually, a punt resulted in something good for the Blue Raiders. Jacob Ulrich booted a line-drive kick right at Omari Kelly as the star receiver showed he could also excel on punt return. Taking it 61 yards to the house and extending the MTSU lead 14-2.
“Coach [Luke] Pascall always says to be aggressive, and to that point, I haven’t been aggressive. So when I saw the ball, I picked it up and just ran,” says Kelly.
After that drive, Kennesaw State returned the ball and marched into Blue Raider territory. But just like they’ve done all game long, the MTSU defense bent but didn’t break and made the Owls attempt a 37-yard field goal, which Austin Welch nailed.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Middle held a 14-5 lead, but would 14 points be enough to win in Murfreesboro? As the two continued to fight back and forth, it started to feel like the Blue Raiders would pull this one out, thanks to a dominant defensive performance.
They would do just that after several defensive stops and a final kneel-out to earn MTSU their first win in nearly two months and improve their record to 2-5.
“At the end of the day, they got rewarded, so you know what that gives us, confidence,” said Mason. “It gives us the idea that if you follow the process, you’ve got a chance. After playing two games in five days, there will be some bumps and bruises, so we’ll give these guys some time to get right and then go into practices to prepare for Jacksonville State.”
Game Balls
Offense
Holden Willis
Per usual, Holden Willis showed up when it mattered and made several key catches to extend drives or put the team into scoring opportunities. On the day, he finished with eight catches for 92 yards.
Defense
De’Arre McDonald
McDonald got hurt in the season opener against Tennessee Tech and made his first appearance since then on Thursday against LA Tech. But tonight, he came up big with a clutch interception to keep Kennesaw from scoring before the half. He finished with three tackles and an interception.
Special Teams
Omari Kelly
This guy was the clear-cut MVP for the Blue Raiders in a win over the Owls. He contributed to the receiving game, but his big play came on a punt where he took it to the house for a 61-yard touchdown.
