Oxford, MS – It was a gloomy day for the MTSU Blue Raiders when they took the field against heavily favored No. 6 Ole Miss. The Rebs leaned on a potent rushing attack that allowed them to open the field for the passings game, as they broke an SEC and school record.
The Middle offense couldn’t capitalize on some red zone trips and dropped the ballgame, 52-3.
“We didn't play a great first half, but I think this team got better today," says MTSU head coach Derek Mason. "Ole Miss is a very good team, they're very psychical. We learned a lot about ourselves tonight, and I'm excited about where we will go next."
KEYS OF THE GAME
Ole Miss dominated this ballgame from the opening whistle. They came out and proved they were the bigger and better team, starting with their run game. The Rebels rushed for 258 yards on 6.1 yards per carry behind Henry Parrish Jr’s career day, where he accounted for 165 yards and four touchdowns.
Regarding the passing game, Ole Miss allowed their ground attack to keep MTSU honest, which allowed Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart to have a near-perfect day, going 25-for-27 with 377 yards and a touchdown.
For Middle Tennessee, it couldn’t have been any different offensively. The run game could not get going for the second consecutive week, rushing for under 2 yards per carry.
However, Nick Vattiato showed promise and was able to find some rhythm with his receivers. He threw for 209 yards while Holden Willis was his No. 1 target, racking up seven catches for 94 yards.
MTSU did get inside the red zone three times but could not muster more than three points.
STATS TO LOOK AT
24 – The number of consecutive completions from Dart which set an Ole Miss and SEC record.
1.1 – The yards per carry number from the Blue Raiders.
3 – The number of sacks the Blue Raiders had against a veteran Ole Miss offensive line of over 150 starts.
6 – TFLs for the Blue Raiders on Saturday, their 13th in the season's first two games.
29% - The percentage of third down conversions that MTSU converted on Saturday.
11 – The number of receivers that Vattiato connected with.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Blue Raiders get a big one at home in week three, 100 Miles of Hate, against the arch-rival Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. WKU leads the all-time series 37-35-1 and has won five straight games.
The ‘Tops feature outstanding offensive and defensive lines, which has been a mystery with this Middle Tennessee team and will be a tell-tale game for how the 2024 campaign turns out. Western features a talented passing game led by transfer QB TJ Finley who threw for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns for Texas State in 2023.
The Hilltoppers dominated the game in Bowling Green a season ago, beating the Blue Raiders 31-10. Many players have left both squads, and after SEC foes thrashed both teams in the first two weeks, there’s a lot of uncertainty.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM CT at Floyd Stadium.
