The national spotlight beamed down upon Floyd Stadium as MTSU played host to Missouri State University in one of only two college football games last Wednesday.  

Football-starved individuals across the country tuned in to ESPN2 to watch the Blue Raiders face the Bears for a midweek fix of Conference USA action.  

What the game’s viewers saw was a visiting team without its starting quarterback and a home squad without an identity clash in a sloppy display of the sport for over three and a half hours. What they should be owed is an apology. 

Sorry, America.  

Still, through a flurry of recovered fumbles, dropped passes, penalties and a couple of touchdowns, the game came down to the waning moments. Mo State held on to earn its first-ever CUSA win and served MTSU its third straight defeat.  

Wednesday’s home loss dropped Middle Tennessee to 1-5 on the year and left the team’s head coach taking the blame. 

“I told our team, the outcome changes when we make it so,” head coach Derek Mason said. “You can only be close for so long. I told them, I’ll put this on my shoulders, I’ll work harder, I’ll be better, because I need them to.” 

So far, the 2025 campaign hasn’t gone the way Mason had hoped. In his second season at MTSU, Mason’s squad is second-to-last in the CUSA standings and sits behind three teams with first-year head coaches and two new members to the Football Bowl Subdivision.  

As the team enters a bye week, Middle Tennessee continues to struggle because of two main reasons, and both showed up on Wednesday night.  

Failing to finish

Trailing by two with just over four minutes left, MTSU’s offense marched 43 yards in five plays to get into Missouri State territory and the cusp of kicker Jacob Hathaway’s field goal range with two minutes to go and two timeouts. 

The Blue Raiders’ next three plays? 

• Rush middle for a one-yard loss 

• Rush middle for no gain 

• Pass short left for no gain 

Hathaway’s ensuing 50-yard attempt missed wide left, sealing MTSU’s third straight defeat and marking another missed opportunity. Middle Tennessee hoped to break off a big run on first down to make the field goal easier, but MSU defended well, Mason said. Ultimately, MTSU elected to bleed the clock on second and third down instead of vying for extra yards. 

“You want to take a shot down the field a little bit,” Mason said. “I’ll probably look at it again and say, ‘Yeah, I mean that’s what everybody does right?’ The reality is we didn’t get the game won, so it’ll fall on my shoulders.” 

Through six weeks, incomplete games have been a key theme for this Middle Tennessee offense. During the fourth quarter in each of the Blue Raiders’ last three contests, they were tied, trailing by a single score or leading. All three outings turned into losses.  

But for Mason, Middle Tennessee’s shortcomings don’t just go back to the final frame. The Blue Raiders’ failure to put games away and seize scoring chances has cost them all season, he said.  

“Not taking advantage of momentum, opportunity and just the ability to sort of create some distance, it haunts you,” Mason said. “The things that you don’t get done early are the things you pay for late.” 

The second-year head coach isn’t wrong. MTSU’s offense struggles to score points, even when given extra opportunities to stay on the field. The Blue Raiders are tied with Western Kentucky University for the worst fourth-down conversion rate in the conference, earning first downs on only four of 14, or 28.6%, of attempts.   

Despite the percentages, Middle Tennessee will continue to go for it on fourth down but has to maximize those opportunities moving forward, Mason said.   

“I think I’ve tried to show all year that I believe in the group [MTSU’s offense],” Mason said of the team’s fourth down attempts. “Sometimes, man, when they’re struggling you’ve gotta show that you believe in them. Because if you don’t then they’re never gonna get it done.” 

Defensive details

Middle Tennessee’s defense isn’t bad.  

Allowing nearly five fewer points per game and currently second in CUSA in sacks with 13, defensive coordinator Brian Stewart’s group has vastly improved from a year ago. 

However, the unit struggles with consistency, as chunk plays and defensive lapses persist from 2024. No drive sums that up better than Missouri State’s last of the first half. 

The Bears’ offense took over at its own seven-yard line with 3:48 left in the second quarter. With time winding down, Mo State seemed primed to take its 13-10 lead into halftime before a heave from backup quarterback Deuce Bailey fell into the open arms of wide receiver Tristian Gardner. 

Middle Tennessee’s defense seemingly lost Gardner, as the MSU wideout made a defender miss and strolled into the endzone for a perceived 69-yard touchdown. 

A weekly struggle for an MTSU defense that looks lost at times; better communication is constantly emphasized, cornerback De’Arre McDonald said after the game. 

“Communication is progressively getting better every week, and through our practices this week, it was just communication … we do well together, we fail together, everybody’s on the same page,” McDonald said.  

Thankfully for Middle Tennessee, officials determined Gardner’s knee was down at the 27-yard line upon further review, giving the Blue Raider defense a shot at redemption. MTSU held firm following the reversal, forcing Missouri State to kick a field goal in the red zone.  

After halftime, the defense contained Bailey and held Mo State to two field goals, giving the Blue Raiders a chance in the second half.  

“I think the defense had a better second half, obviously, working to slow that group down,” Mason said. “The biggest thing that we’ve got to be able to do is play a connected game.” 

Despite coverage busts and communication issues at times, the Middle Tennessee D is playing well enough to help the team win, but it’s not about pointing fingers at the offense Mason said. 

“You’re a Blue Raider, and this is a tough time,” Mason said. “So, what we have to do, man, is find a way to lean into each other.” 

Back to the drawing board

Find a way to win. After starting 1-5 for the second straight year, that’s what MTSU will have to do over the next six weeks.  

The Blue Raiders’ schedule doesn’t get any easier the rest of the way as four of their final six games come against teams with winning records. Middle Tennessee takes a trip to the University of Delaware (3-2, 1-1 CUSA) and hosts Jacksonville State University (3-3, 2-0 CUSA) to round out weekday conference play.  

MTSU has nearly two weeks off before facing the Blue Hens on Oct. 22, giving the team and its head coach time to reflect and move forward, 

“We’ve got to look at the things we do well,” Mason said. “We’ve got to continue to encourage doing those things well, and hopefully the trickle effect of continuing to push and break through leads us to a different place.” 

Lead photo illustration by Brett Walker. Photos by Ephraim Rodenbach and Caitlyn Hajek. 

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