BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky- With the ball on the two-yard line after an acrobatic catch by Landon Collins and a roughing the passer penalty against Western Kentucky, it seemed as though momentum was finally on the side of MTSU football. 

Trailing 28-23 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Blue Raiders had an opportunity to take a lead, something that has happened rarely in the last seven years against the Hilltoppers. But a false start, an incomplete pass and a negative rush later, Middle Tennessee had to settle for a field goal. 

“I want to put those points on the board like anything else,” MTSU head coach Derek Mason said. “But anytime you shoot yourself in the foot it knocks you back. You’re just going to look at the points and take the points.” 

The worst part of this red zone blunder for the Blue Raiders (1-9, 0-6 CUSA)? They did it earlier in Saturday’s loss to Western Kentucky (8-2, 6-1 CUSA). After a 68-yard rush by redshirt freshman quarterback Roman Gagliano set MTSU up at the two-yard line, the offense rattled off a sequence of: 

• Gagliano incompletion 

• Delay of game on MTSU 

• Gagliano incompletion 

• Gagliano incompletion 

The red zone struggles clouded over the first career start for Gagliano, where he turned in one of the more impressive starting debuts in Middle Tennessee history. With 389 yards on 25 completions, the Opelika, Alabama native became the first Blue Raider QB to throw for 300 yards in his first start since Chase Cunningham in 2021. 

“He just extended plays,” Mason said. “I thought he saw the field well, I thought he made timely throws, he gave guys a chance.” 

A former three-star recruit, Gagliano said there weren’t too many nerves throughout the week leading up to his first collegiate start. 

“I’m sure I will be [nervous] come game time,” Gagliano said. “It’s just football, I’ve been doing it since the eighth grade.” 

Gagliano also threw for two touchdowns in the 42-26 loss and was responsible for three plays of 50-plus yards. 

The Hilltoppers’ offense started off hot with a 16-play, 87-yard drive to open up the ball game. Running back La’Vell Wright punched it in from three yards out on a wildcat run, while quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr was a major factor in the drive. The redshirt freshman was six-of-nine for 51 yards on his first drive in the famed 100 Miles of Hate rivalry. 

After both sides were held scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter, WKU’s offense added to its lead with a 22-yard passing touchdown from Tisdale to wideout Matthew Henry. This capped off a four-play drive that started in Blue Raider territory due to a forced turnover on downs. 

MTSU responded to Henry’s touchdown with its first trip to Houchens-Smith Stadium’s all-black endzones as Gagliano found AJ Jones from three yards out. The longest pass of Gagliano’s career powered the drive, as he hooked up with Cam’ron Lacy for a 68-yard gain after Lacy slipped by the Hilltopper secondary. 

WKU responded with its third touchdown drive of the afternoon, as Tisdale found tight end Noah Meyers from three yards away. This score gave the Hilltoppers a 21-10 lead going into halftime. 

Both teams‘ offenses came out of halftime clicking. After receiving the kickoff, MTSU’s Gagliano connected with Myles Butler for a 52-yard touchdown off a slant. The Blue Raiders elected to go for two but were unsuccessful after an incomplete pass by Gagliano. 

Western Kentucky broke off a touchdown drive of its own to begin the half, finishing with Tisdale taking a designed quarterback run eight yards to the end zone. 

The offensive firepower continued through the third quarter with MTSU finding its third touchdown of the night, as freshman running back DJ Taylor ran a pitch 34 yards to the end zone. After getting only one touch in the first half, Taylor ran the ball four times for 45 yards on the drive, and 55 yards total on the day. 

With the Blue Raiders settling for a field goal after their second collapse at the two-yard line in the game, WKU’s offense took over to end the game. Tisdale and Meyers connected for a score from one yard out with 5:45 to play, and Wright slashed through MTSU’s defense for a 37-yard score. 

MTSU will head back to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as it prepares to host the Sam Houston State University Bearkats (1-8, 0-5 CUSA) for the Blue Raiders’ senior day and final home game of the season. 

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