Blue Raiders Finish Strong Against Miners

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The Blue Raiders started and finished strong in the Mountain time zone on Saturday evening, riding the wave of a 10-0 first quarter and 14-3 second half to blast past UTEP 24-13 in the Sun Bowl.

The Blue Raiders (4-4, 1-3 C-USA) forced four three and outs on defense, never allowing the Miners (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) to sustain any momentum on the offensive side of the ball. Jakobe Thomas was excellent in his second career start, registering six tackles and recording his first career interception, setting up MTSU’s first touchdown of the second half.

The teams entered the locker room tied 10-10, after trading 10-point quarters to open the game. MTSU forced three 3-and-outs from the UTEP offense, accounting for half of the Miners’ drives in the first 30 minutes and helping MTSU out to a 10-0 lead to start the game. But a final 14-play, 83-yard drive at the end of the second quarter resulted in a touchdown for UTEP, tying the game at the break.

Chase Cunningham completed 21-of-27 attempts for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Frank Peasant 96 yards on the ground for the Blue Raider offense. Teldrick Ross and Tra Fluellen led the MTSU with eight tackles.

By the Numbers

5 and 7: Number of sacks and tackles for loss, respectively, for the MTSU defense. The Blue Raider defensive line was active in the Miner backfield all night long, with four different linemen and eight total Blue Raiders earning at least a share of a sack or TFL.

147: Receiving yards for Jaylin Lane, on just seven catches. His 75-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter put UTEP down two scores late, helping MTSU come away with the road win.

3.0: Yards per rush for UTEP, who were contained on the ground despite coming in with two running backs near 500 yards in rushing a piece on the season.

600: Tonight’s win over UTEP was the 600th win in program history for MTSU.

Blue Raider Notes

LANE BACK OVER 100: WR Jaylin Lane broke the 100-yard mark for the third time this season and fourth in his career, crossing that threshold with his 75-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. His 147 yards were the second most of his career. He now has 32 receptions in his last four games.
 
RANKIN EXTENDS STREAK: With his field goal on MTSU’s opening drive, sophomore Zeke Rankin ran his streak of consecutive made three-pointers to nine. That streak equals the second longest in school history with Canon Rooker and Cody Clark. The all-time record is 12 set by Alan Gendreau in 2009.
 
ANOTHER BLOCK: MTSU recorded its third blocked kick of the season against UTEP when Parker Hughes rejected a punt in the first quarter. It was the first blocked kick of Hughes’ career. It went down as the 51st blocked kick under Rick Stockstill (26 field goals, 19 punts and six PATs).
 
BACK IN THE BACKFIELD: MTSU’s five sacks were its second-most on the season, credited to six different defenders. Those six sacks included the 17th of Jordan Ferguson’s career and the first of Parker Hughes’.

QUICK HITTERS: Jordan Ferguson made his 30th consecutive start against UTEP today while Kyle Ulbrich made his 34th in a row … Ferguson also played in his team-leading 53rd career game … Only four other games in all of college football today had a later start than the Blue Raiders and Miners … UTEP Defensive Coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto was a defensive coach for the Blue Raiders in 2003 and 2004 … Parker Hughes made his first career start tonight at linebacker for the Blue Raiders as did RB Joe Ervin … TE Jeremy Tate hauled in his first career TD as a Blue Raider when he caught a 17-yard pass from Chase Cunningham … Jakobe Thomas’ third quarter interception was the first of his career … Jordan Ferguson’s third quarter sack was the 17th of his career which ties him with Khalil Brooks for fifth place on the all-time MTSU list. 

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Stockstill 

“Just really really proud of our team. We smothered ’em in the fourth quarter. We suffocated them in the fourth quarter. We scored there with seven minutes left. We get a stop on defense and then we run out the clock the last five and half minutes.

“(It was a) Daggum great win, man I’m fired up for them.”

Up Next

Middle Tennessee stays on the road next week, traveling to Ruston, La. to face off against C-USA foe Louisiana Tech. Kickoff on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.

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