Middle Tennessee State edges Missouri 51-45

The first time Missouri played Middle Tennessee State was Sept. 20, 2003, when the Tigers narrowly defeated the Blue Raiders 41-40 in overtime.

Missouri coach Barry Odom was a graduate assistant coach on that team, and earlier this week, fondly recalled a walk-off touchdown in the south end zone of Faurot Field.

After Saturday, new memories of Middle Tennessee State will likely occupy Odom's thoughts.

The Blue Raiders spoiled Missouri's 105th homecoming, defeating the Tigers 51-45 Saturday.

It's the most points Missouri has ever scored in a loss.

"I'm frustrated that we didn't win the football game," Odom said. "We played very poorly in a lot of aspects."

Brent Stockstill was 23 of 41 for 280 yards and four touchdowns, and added 70 yards rushing on seven carries as the Blue Raiders amassed 584 yards of offense, including 300 rushing yards.

"I definitely think that's the biggest win I've ever been a part of," Stockstill said. "It was huge for us. I think it starts with the no turnovers. I thought we were able to move it and protect it...overall we moved it all day and protected the ball and that's what wins games."

Middle Tennessee State coach Rick Stockstill described it as "a phenomenal win for us."

"Our guys competed their tails off," Brent Stockstill said. "They battled. They never flinched. They never relaxed. It was back and forth the whole game."

I'Tavius Mathers rushed 28 times for 215 yards and a touchdown for Middle Tennessee, and also caught 8 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. It's the highest individual rushing total Missouri has surrendered since Auburn's Tre Mason rushed for 180 yards in the 2013 Southeastern Conference championship.

Missouri (2-5) had 629 total yards on 104 plays, its highest play total of the season.

Running back Damarea Crockett had 29 carries for 156 yards and 4 touchdowns and Ish Witter added 19 carries for 121 yards. Crockett's four scores are the most by a freshman running back in school history.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock was 20 of 40 for 281 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 63 yards.

"It's hard to describe how it feels," Lock said of the loss. "It's dull. It's not something that you want to repeat. I thought we did a good job during practice to get ready and make sure that this didn't happen. Now that it did, we just have to practice even harder and make sure that we don't get this feeling again."

Middle Tennessee State (4-2) jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Crockett's first touchdown made it a one-score game. The Blue Raiders held a 34-28 lead at halftime in a game that saw seven lead changes.

Missouri took its final lead of the game with 13:27 remaining in the third quarter when Crockett's fourth touchdown put the Tigers up 35-34.

The Blue Raiders only targeted seven pass catchers, with Richie James leading the way with 5 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown. Dennis Andrews added 5 catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns, including a 5-yard score with 10:31 left, extending the Blue Raiders' lead to 48-38.

Missouri tight end Kendall Blanton caught two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown and Ray Wingo caught his first pass since Sept. 10, a 17-yard touchdown.

INJURY REPORT

The Tigers lost four starters to injury, three of which occurred in the first half. Linebacker Michael Scherer and cornerback John Gibson both sustained knee injuries that sidelined them for the day. Tight end Jason Reesesustained an injury to his ribs, and defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. went down in the third quarter with a left knee injury and did not return.

THE TAKEAWAY

Missouri: The Tigers were flagged 13 times for 125 yards, allowing the Blue Raiders to extend multiple drives. In the second quarter, Missouri punter Corey Fatony booted a 57-yard punt that was called back because of an illegal motion penalty. On the ensuing re-kick, a high snap forced Fatony to dive on the ball at the Missouri 7-yard line, setting up a rushing touchdown by Richie James.

"We've got to look back and evaluate where they came from," Odom said of the penalties. "Is it technique? Is it habits in practice? That will never win. Our margin for error is so low. That's 100 hidden yards right there. Inexcusable."

Middle Tennessee State: The Blue Raiders took care of the ball the entire game. They did not turn the ball over to a Missouri defense that has 14 takeaways on the season. Missouri had two turnovers and the Blue Raiders capitalized, converting them into 10 points.

UP NEXT:

Missouri: The Tigers host Kentucky next Saturday. The Wildcats defeated Missouri last year 21-13 in Lexington.

Middle Tennessee State: The Blue Raiders play at Florida International next Saturday. Middle Tennessee won the last meeting 42-34 Oct. 17, 2015 in Murfeesboro.

Blocked PAT in 2nd OT helps WKU beat Middle Tennessee 44-43

 Anthony Wales ran for three touchdowns and Deon Yelder blocked an extra point in the second overtime to lift Western Kentucky over Middle Tennessee 44-43 on Saturday.

Middle Tennessee's Brent Stockstill threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Andrews in the second OT butCanon Rooker's PAT was blocked. Wales bullied in from the 1-yard line and Skyler Simcox made the PAT to end it.

Wales ran for 158 yards and Mike White threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns for Western Kentucky (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA).

White drove the Hilltoppers 77 yards in 10 plays to the Blue Raiders' half-yard line with 14 seconds left in regulation. Middle Tennessee forced an incomplete pass on third down, and Simcox kicked an 18-yard field goal to send it to overtime.

Stockstill threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns for Middle Tennessee (4-2, 2-1). I'Tavius Mathers had 143 yards rushing and two scores. Richie James broke his own program record with 16 catches and had 233 yards receiving.

Middle Tennessee's stingy D beats North Texas 30-13

Brent Stockstill passed for 295 yards with a pair of touchdowns and Middle Tennessee's defense clamped down during a 30-13 victory over North Texas on Saturday night.

The win boosts the Blue Raiders to 4-1 (2-0 in Conference USA) for this first time since 2001 when they started 5-0.

After giving up a 17-play drive and an early touchdown, Middle Tennessee's defense held North Texas scoreless on its next nine possessions as Stockstill and Canon Rookerrang up five straight scores to lead 23-7 into the fourth quarter.

Rooker kicked a career-high three field goals and Stockstill went 24-of-45 passing with a pair of touchdowns. The defense forced North Texas (2-3, 1-1) to punt eight times, including six three-and-outs.

Mason Fine ended the drought with a 5-yard pass to Kelvin Smith with 1:57 to play. I'Tavius Smith bounced the Blue Raiders right back with a 46-yard TD after the ensuing onside kick.

Stockstill lifts Middle Tennessee past Louisiana Tech, 38-34

 Brent Stockstill fired a 23-yard pass to Ty Leewith 2:36 left to rally Middle Tennessee past Louisiana Tech, 38-34 in a Conference USA showdown Saturday night.

Ryan Higgins threw his second TD pass to Trent Taylor early in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a 27-7 advantage.

Stockstill hit I'Tavius Mathers with a 37-yard scoring strike to start the comeback and Mathers ran for two more scores in the fourth quarter - the second giving the Blue Raiders 31-27 lead.

Kam McKnight capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive with a 1-yard run to give Louisiana Tech a 34-31 lead with 3:56 left, but Stockstill completed the comeback with a five-play, 75-yard drive for the win.

Stockstill finished with 356 yards on 27 of 46 passing for Middle Tennessee (3-1, 1-0).

Higgins was 36 of 59 for 504 yards and three touchdowns for Louisiana Tech (1-3, 0-1).

Mathers leads MTSU over Bowling Green 41-21

 I'Tavius Mathers scored four touchdowns and Middle Tennessee State took advantage of four turnovers to beat Bowling Green 41-21 on Saturday.

Mathers rushed for a career-high 157 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in a drenching rain and caught four passes for 103 yards and a score to become the first Blue Raider to go over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.

Brent Stockstill was 18 of 30 for 278 yards passing, three touchdowns and an interception for Middle Tennessee (2-1).

Mathers, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native who returned to his hometown after playing three years at Mississippi, combined with Stockstill on a 78-yard score on the first play after the second-half kickoff for a 35-21 lead. His 53-yard run tied the game at 14-14 and his 4-yarder put MTSU up for good at 28-21 with 30 seconds left in the first half.

Josh Cleveland ran for 153 yards and a score for the Falcons (1-2).

Webb runs for 211, Vanderbilt beats Middle Tennessee 47-24

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason turned the lights out in the locker room for 10 minutes during a weather delay that lasted for an hour, 44 minutes. He wanted his Commodores to picture themselves playing good football.

Aside from a blocked punt on the first play once the game resumed, Ralph Webb and the Commodores did just that.

Webb ran for a career-high 211 yards and two touchdowns as Vanderbilt easily handled the weather delay and beat Middle Tennessee 47-24 Saturday.

"We did what this team hasn't done since I've been here," Mason said. "I mean just responded all the way around."

Vanderbilt (1-1) took control with a 28-point second quarter after trailing 10-5 at the end of the first, the final two TDs coming after the storm. Middle Tennessee blocked a field goal on the first play after resuming the game, setting up Brent Stockstill's 5-yard TD pass to Ty Lee to pull within 19-17.

The Commodores answered by scoring two TDs in a span of 87 seconds, the last a 3-yard TD by Webb giving him 102 yards before halftime. Vanderbilt also forced two turnovers to win its second straight in this series against an in-state rival.

Stockstill finished with 399 yards passing and three TDs for Middle Tennessee (1-1), which was trying to start 2-0 for the first time since 2001.

THE TAKEAWAY

Middle Tennessee: Stockstill just keeps getting better with every game, showing a quick release. He had 148 yards passing after the first quarter despite a receiving corps battered by injuries. He set school records completing 38 of 65 attempts, while receiver Richie James caught a school record 14 passes for 183 yards.

But coach Rick Stockstill called it a disappointing loss. "I don't know if they stopped us in the first half, we just stopped ourselves," the coach said. "We did some good things, but we just weren't consistent enough. We have to play smarter than how we played."

Vanderbilt: The weather delay helped the Commodores' offense. Kyle Shurmur failed to complete his first seven passes before finally connecting on his eighth after the delay. That was the first of seven straight completions, and Shurmur was 9 of 10 for 79 yards driving Vandy to two TDs before halftime. He finished with 113 yards passing.

WEBB'S DAY

Not only did the junior strip the ball away from Richie James on a punt return that led to a Vanderbilt safety, he also hurdled a defender on a 16-yard run. He turned in the best rushing performance since Frank Mordica set the Southeastern Conference record with 321 yards in 1978 and the third best game in school history. "The O-line did their job tonight," Webb said.

REMEMBERING DONNY

Vanderbilt honored freshman pitcher Donny Everett, the 19-year-old who drowned while fishing June 2, the day before the Commodores hosted an NCAA Tournament regional. Vanderbilt put his No. 41 on helmets, had his parents Teddy and Susan accompany the anchor onto the field before kickoff and played a tribute to Everett on the videoboard between the first and second quarters.

NOT SO SPECIAL TEAMS

For a second straight game, Vanderbilt was penalized for sending a kickoff out of bounds. The Commodores also had a punt blocked on the first play back after the storm delay ended, and Stockstill found Ty Lee for a 5-yard TD 36 seconds after play resumed. Middle Tennessee had its issues too with a facemask on a 46-yard kickoff return by Darius Sims, and kicker Canon Rooker clanked a 44-yard field goal off the left upright.

UP NEXT

Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders visit Bowling Green for their second straight road game.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores visit Georgia Tech for the first of a two-game road swing.

Stockstill, Middle Tennessee beat Alabama A&M 55-0

Brent Stockstill passed for 329 yards and a career-high tying five touchdowns - all in the first half - and Middle Tennessee cruised to a 55-0 win over Alabama A&M in the season opener for both schools on Saturday.

Stockstill, who has thrown for at least 300 yards in six of his last seven games, completed 30 of 36 passes and the sophomore moved into eighth place (or higher) on the school's career lists for passing yards (4,375, eighth), completions (359, sixth) and touchdown passes (35, seventh).

Middle Tennessee scored touchdowns on each of its first six drives, forced Alabama A&M into five first-half three-and-outs and led 45-0 at the break. Fifteen Blue Raiders had at least one catch, led by Richie James who had eight receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Alabama A&M was limited to 146 total yards.

It was Middle Tennessee's first shutout since a 48-0 win over Florida International on Nov. 9, 2013.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Season Preview

Junior RB Shane Tucker had 12 touchdowns last season and has scored 17 times in 17 career games. His 25 receptions were the most by a Blue Raider back since Eugene Gross hauled in 33 in 2005. 

Senior RB Jordan Parker’s 10 career 100-yard rushing games rank 7th most in school history. Eight of his ten 100-yard games have come against conference foes. 

In its two years as members of Conference USA, Middle Tennessee is averaging 240.1 yards rushing per game in league play. 

Senior S Kevin Byard had 66 tackles and led the team and conference with six interceptions. Byard also had four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Byard ranks third among the NCAA’s active players in interceptions per game at 0.41. He is tied for second in total interceptions with 15 and that figure is two shy of equaling the Middle Tennessee career record. 

Head Coach Rick Stockstill is in his 10th season leading the Blue Raiders. His 10 seasons make him the longest tenured head coach in C-USA. In nine years under Stockstill, Middle Tennessee has reached bowl eligibility six times, including five times in the last six years. 

The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible under Rick Stockstill in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Middle Tennessee’s special teams unit recorded five blocked kicks in 2014.