Murfreesboro, TN- Despite the cold and unwelcoming weather at kickoff, the MTSU Blue Raiders (4-7, 3-4 C-USA) put up a significantly improved effort against visiting Old Dominion (1-10, 0-7 C-USA) on Senior Day Saturday evening 38-17.
Asher O’Hara and the offense started out much quicker than usual with an opening drive score from O’Hara to Jimmy Marshall via a 19-yard threaded ball to put the Raiders up 7-0 early.
And despite a quick ODU response following a botched punt, O’Hara led a retaliatory drive to again hook up with Marshall for a touchdown to restore the seven-point lead.
O’Hara finished as the leading passer and rusher again with 185 yards through the air and 78 yards on the ground.
“We just went back to the basics this week…not trying to plan as much. So we just did what we were good at and played fast,” O’Hara said.
MTSU would tally on two more touchdowns including Chase Cunningham who came in for O’Hara and threw a 57-yard strike downfield to Jarrin Pierce on his first play.
Terelle West said goodbye to Floyd Stadium with a touchdown late in the 2nd quarter and 34 yards from scrimmage.
Regarding what West would miss most, he said “Just the crowd and the whole family environment. Being at home and just seeing my family come because it’s not that far,” West said.
Kylan Stribling got in on the scoring after taking a deflected ball back the other way for a 38-yard pick six to all but seal the game away from Old Dominion. Stribling had been thrust into a larger role on defense following the season-ending injury to Reed Blankenship.
The win makes MTSU’s final record at home 4-2 for 2019 continuing a strong run of home performances over the past few years for the Blue Raiders. However, MT is 0-5 this season on the road and will have one last chance to get an away win next week at WKU.
“There’s a lot to play for, otherwise we wouldn’t have shown up today. It has nothing to do with trying to damper Western Kentucky’s season…it’s about us going up and trying to get another win, trying to finish this season on a positive note,” MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said.
What’s Next:
MTSU will end its 2019 season away at Western Kentucky for the annual 100 Miles of Hate rivalry. The game is slated to kick off at 1:00 pm CT on November 30th and can be seen on ESPN+.
To contact Sports Editor Elijah Campbell, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
For more sports stories, follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter and Periscope at @Sidelines_Sport.
To contact Sports Editor Elijah Campbell, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
For more sports stories, follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter and Periscope at @Sidelines_Sport.
