The first eight games of year two in the Derek Mason era have not gone to plan for MTSU football.
With a historic loss to a Football Championship Subdivision opponent, two out-of-conference losses giving up 42 points and four Conference USA losses by one possession, the 1-7 Blue Raiders once again find themselves as one of the basement dwellers in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Employing an offense that has 35 points per game aspirations, the Blue Raiders have the second-lowest scoring offense in CUSA with only 18.9 points per contest. MTSU also sports a defense that has shown some concern at times, sitting tenth in a twelve-team league while allowing 29.0 points per game.
While Middle Tennessee is off to its worst start since its first season as an FBS team in 1999, certain players and units are performing above or below preseason expectations for MTSU.
Over performers
The defensive line
By far the most impressive unit for the Blue Raiders this year, the defensive front has shined. The defense sits fourth in Conference USA in stopping the run allowing only 142.6 yards per game.
The interior trio of Damonte Smith, Shakai Woods and Zeion Simpson-Smith have jumped out as big run stuffers. Smith has been anchoring the interior for MTSU, as the redshirt senior nose tackle has accumulated 18 tackles, including eight and a half for loss. This led to Smith earning second-team midseason all-American honors by the Pro Football & Sports Network.
Simpson-Smith and Woods have totaled two and three tackles for loss each, while keeping a solid presence inside.
Middle Tennessee has also been able to wreak havoc off the edges, with defensive ends Brandon Buckner and Anthony Bynum adding two sacks each. Reggie Johnson has also impacted MTSU’s pass rush, with three and a half sacks.
“We all got better as a whole [this year],” Bynum said. “Just like the reps we play, the spreads. There’s nothing better than a game of spades.”
The defensive line’s strengths have impacted other parts of the MTSU defense by holding gaps steady and allowing linebackers such as Parker Hughes and Muuaz Byard to flow freely at the second level.
“The guys up front, them guys are some dogs,” Byard said. “Those guys are playing hard, physical, tough, intelligent. Those guys are making our job easier.”
DJ Taylor- Running back
A true freshman and Murfreesboro, Tennessee native, Taylor has taken off for the Blue Raider offense since first getting touches in the week five loss to Kennesaw State, where the Riverdale High School graduate amassed 24 yards on the ground in four touches.
Taylor dealt with a nagging injury coming out of fall camp, and had played sparingly in games up to that point, Mason said.
Now second on the MTSU running back depth chart, trailing only star back Jekail Middlebrook, Taylor has continued to impact the running game.
Against Delaware, he totaled 87 all-purpose yards, including 30 on the ground. Taylor added 40 all-purpose yards in last week’s loss to Jacksonville State, including his first career touchdown on a swing pass from 10 yards out.
“There are a lot of freshmen on this team that are jumping into roles,” Mason said. “… DJ’s role is going up because what he does when he gets in there is produces. The lights aren’t too big, the moments are never too big for him, and all he does is work so I’m proud of him.”
The six-foot-one running back has continued to make an impact for the Blue Raiders, even when the touches aren’t there on offense, by making an impact on special teams as one of MTSU’s primary kick returners.
Cam’ron Lacy- Wide receiver
The first eight games of 2025 have been boom or bust for the redshirt sophomore wideout. After not recording a yard on offense through the first two games, Lacy racked up 63 yards in the win over Nevada which was largely boosted by a 42-yard reception.
After not hauling in a catch against Marshall, Lacy found some sustained success with eight catches for 96 yards against KSU. He followed that up with a career night against Missouri State that included six receptions that totaled for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
“The only thing that’s going through my mind is that it wasn’t unexpected because that’s what I worked for all my life playing this game,” Lacy said after the two-touchdown performance.
Lacy is becoming a steady target for this offense, bringing in four or more catches in each of the last two games. In a wide receiver room that felt like it had a plethora of options at the beginning of the year, Lacy has firmly placed himself as the second target behind Nahzae Cox.
“It’s starting to get competitive because guys are starting to look at other guys and their numbers are starting to rise,” Mason said.
Under performers
Nick Vattiato- Quarterback
At a certain point, the Blue Raider coaching staff might have to evaluate the quarterback position, and recognize the possibility that they could have a problem starting Vattiato.
“It’s probably not the start of the season he wanted to have, especially with the Austin Peay game,” offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder said. “He probably played his worst game of his career.”
The fifth-year signal caller led the conference in passing a year ago, but it didn’t lead to much offensive success. The Blue Raiders went 3-9, and the offense ranked ninth in CUSA.
In Reeder’s pass heavy scheme, its going to be hard for the quarterback to not rack up yards through the air.
Vattiato has certainly done that, as he sits second in the conference in total passing yards (1908), fourth in yards per game (238.5) and tied for the lead in passing touchdowns (13).
There’s no clear statistical category where Vattiato is struggling, although his 60.2% completion rate skews more towards the middle of the conference and is fourth in the league with six interceptions.
A part of MTSU’s scoring problem stems from these six interceptions, especially the ones in the red zone.
MTSU has attempted more passes than anyone in CUSA, but sit second to last in rushing attempts. 35 points a game is the goal for the Blue Raider offense, according to Reeder. However, they have yet to reach this mark and still haven’t broken the threshold of 30 points.
“We always want it to be better,” Mason said. “I got a quarterback who was battling. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about how he’s playing and where he is, but if he didn’t give us the best chance to go out there and win he wouldn’t be out there.”
Although Mason stated that Vattiato gives them the best chance to win, they’ve only won four of 20 games in the last two seasons. Redshirt freshman Roman Gagliano or true freshman Stanley Anderson-Lofton could be knocking on the door if the struggles continue.
Myles Butler- Wide receiver
Butler was the majority of the returning production of last year’s team for MTSU’s pass catchers. After an impressive performance in the Blue Raiders’ spring showcase where Butler showed off his chemistry with Vattiato, it seemed that the graduate student was in line for a big final season.
Through the first eight games of the season, Butler has taken a backseat to some of MTSU’s new weapons such as Cox or tight end Hunter Tipton, and has fallen behind the breakout of Lacy.
The six-foot-two receiver is fifth on the team in receiving yards, receiving yards per game and receptions. Butler has yet to catch a touchdown this season.
This comes after a senior season where Butler finished third on the team in receptions, receiving yards and hauled in three touchdowns.
“Myles has been doing it for a long time now,” Vattiato said. “… He’s being doing a great job. He’s a leader. He kind of teaches all those guys in that receiver room that this is how you should do things.”
While the fifth-year receiver is taking on veteran responsibilities within the position group, his production has yet to jump up the way some thought it could.
Middle Tennessee will look for its first conference win on Saturday, Nov. 8, when the Blue Raiders welcome Florida International University (3-5, 1-3 CUSA) to Floyd Stadium.
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