Saturday afternoon was the epitome of CUSA football when the UTEP Miners and MTSU Blue Raiders met in the Sun Bowl. It was a back-and-forth, quirky matchup between two teams trying to resurrect bad seasons under first-year head coaches.
But Middle Tennessee came out on top 20-13 behind a dominant defensive performance and late-game heroics from Nick Vattiato and Co.
NICK VATTIATO PUTS STRUGGLES BEHIND HIM TO LEAD LATE COMEBACK
Vattiato was not on his game against the UTEP Miners. He threw for 239 yards with two total touchdowns but also threw a pair of costly turnovers that kept the Blue Raiders from creating separation. Both came in UTEP territory, so the game looked closer than it did. However, when his team needed him the most, No. 11 made it happen and led Middle on a 10-3 run over the final 17 minutes, including a touchdown run with a minute and change left in the game.
He will want this game back because he could’ve played a lot better, but in the end, MTSU came out victorious, and nobody will apologize for getting a win.
DEFENSE PITCHES A MASTERCLASS
The Blue Raiders defense has been under much scrutiny this season, but they showed up to play on Saturday, which is why MTSU picked up the win. They did exactly what they needed to do against an inexperienced quarterback and rattled him early in the game. They lived in the backfield and sacked JP Pickles three times while pressuring him consistently throughout the game.
Although they did get beat on four chunk runs, they did an excellent job of stopping the run and tackling the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage seven times. The Blue Raiders gave up 13 points and 305 yards; both are the second lowest of any game this season.
The Middle secondary was lockdown all day, only giving up 145 passing yards and picking off the true freshman once. It was a total domination from Brian Stewart’s defense and a much-needed showing after a 42-20 shellacking a week ago.
NUMBERS TO LOOK AT
101 – The number of receiving yards that Myles Butler had against the Miners. 101 yards is the third most for Butler in a single game in his career.
28% - The percentage of third and fourth down conversions that Blue Raiders held UTEP to. MTSU has struggled with money downs, but they were excellent on Saturday.
3 – The number of turnovers that MTSU had against the Miners. Nick Vattiato threw two interceptions, while Cam’ron Lacy fumbled the second-half kickoff, but UTEP couldn’t capitalize.
3.8 – The number of yards MTSU allowed per carry against the two-headed backfield. They had struggled to stop the run, but the defense stepped up to get the win.
144 – The number of yards after the catch that MTSU receivers picked up.
14 – How many tackles that redshirt junior linebacker, Parker Hughes racked up on Saturday, setting a new career high.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Blue Raiders will get a home game for the first time in three weeks when the Liberty Flames come to Murfreesboro on November 9th. The Flames will be looking to snap a two-game losing skid, the first since 2022.
Liberty is led by all-conference quarterback Kaidon Salter, running back Quinton Cooley, and a defense that gives up 339 yards and 23 points per game. The Flames have not been the dominant force they were a year ago when they went 13-1 and played in the Fiesta Bowl. However, Jamey Chadwell is still on their sideline as the head coach, so you can expect a big challenge when they roll into Floyd Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT, ESPN gives the Blue Raiders a 29.4% chance of winning.
