Final: WKU 42 MTSU 26

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky- Despite a second-half surge, MTSU football (1-9, 0-6 CUSA) once again fell short versus its archrival, losing to WKU (8-2, 6-1 CUSA) for the seventh straight year, and dropping its seventh straight game of the season.

Middle Tennessee will be back in Floyd Stadium next week for senior day as the Blue Raiders take on Sam Houston (1-8, 0-5 CUSA) on Saturday, Nov. 22, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CDT.

Click here for final stats.

Q4 1:50: Touchdown

La’Vell Wright breaks loose for a 37-yard TD late in this one.

WKU 42 MTSU 26

Q4 3:34: Middle Tennessee spends its first timeout. Third-and-one upcoming for WKU.

Q4 4:33: MTSU punts it away, trailing by nine points late. WKU takes over on its own 20-yard line after a touchback.

Q4 5:45: Touchdown

Rodney Tisdale Jr. finds Noah Meyers for a one-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to extend the WKU lead once more. The Hilltoppers took 5:01 off the clock with their 10-play, 75-yard drive.

MTSU 26 WKU 35

Q4 10:46: Field goal

Jacob Hathaway converts from 23 yards out to cut into the WKU lead. That’s MTSU’s second drive of the game to reach the two-yard line and result in a field goal.

MTSU 26 WKU 28

Q4 13:35: Interception

MTSU linebacker Parker Hughes jumps in front of a wide receiver and picks off Rodney Tisdale Jr. MTSU ball on the plus 32-yard line.

Q4 14:11: Marvis Parrish takes off for a 66-yard gain to get the Hilltoppers down to the MTSU seven-yard line. Middle Tennessee cornerback De’Arre McDonald was injured on the play.

End Q3: MTSU 23 WKU 28

A third-quarter surge has the Blue Raiders within five points to start the fourth quarter. WKU will face a second-and-three on its own 19-yard line to begin the final frame.

Q3 0:05: MTSU punter Ashton Logan boots it 53 yards to pin WKU on its own 12-yard line.

Q3 2:35 Field goal

John Cannon doinks a 26-yard kick off the right field goal post, and the Blue Raiders take over on their own 20-yard line.

MTSU 23 WKU 28

Q3 6:50 Touchdown

Roman Gagliano pitches it right to DJ Taylor, who breaks free for a 34-yard MTSU score. The PAT attempt from Jacob Hathaway is good.

WKU 28 MTSU 23

Q3 11:59 Touchdown:

Rodney Tisdale Jr. keeps it left and scampers in untouched for an eight-yard touchdown. The score caps off a six-play, 75-yard drive for the Hilltoppers.

MTSU 16 WKU 28

Q3 14:09 Touchdown

Roman Gagliano fires over the middle to Myles Butler, who takes it 52 yards for a score to open the second half. The Blue Raiders’ two-point attempt was no good.

MTSU 16 WKU 21

Halftime: MTSU 10 WKU 21

WKU’s Koron Hayward sacks Roman Gagliano to end the half. The Blue Raiders will receive the ball to begin the third quarter.

Check out the stats at the half here.

Q2 1:40: Turnover on downs

Roman Gagliano scrambles for three yards on fourth-and-six, and the Hilltoppers will take over on their own 31-yard line. Middle Tennessee left guard Otto Janse Van Rensburg went down with an injury after the play and was carted off the field.

WKU 21 MTSU 10

Q2 1:57: Two-minute timeout

MTSU drives the ball to the WKU 34-yard line at the two-minute warning. Second-and-six upcoming for the Blue Raiders.

Q2 2:38: Touchdown

WKU responds with a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive. Rodney Tisdale Jr. hit a wide-open Noah Meyers in the left flat for a three-yard score to extend the Hilltoppers’ lead.

WKU 21 MTSU 10

Q2 6:11 Field goal

Three straight incomplete passes from the two-yard line and a delay of game penalty forces MTSU to kick a 25-yard field goal.

WKU 14 MTSU 10

Q2 6:25: Roman Gagliano makes multiple WKU defenders miss and takes off for a 64-yard run. MTSU ball down to the two-yard line.

Q2 8:13: MTSU’s defensive line swarms La’Vell Wright on third-and-one, and the Hilltoppers punt it away. MTSU ball on its own 20 after a touchback.

Q2 9:05: Timeout

MTSU spends its first timeout of the half. Third-and-one upcoming for WKU’s offense on the Middle Tennessee 48-yard line.

Q2 11:04: Touchdown

Roman Gagliano finds AJ Jones in the middle of the endzone for a three-yard score on third-and-goal. Gagliano hit a wide-open Cam’ron Lacy for a 68-yard gain on the drive’s longest play.

WKU 14 MTSU 7

Q2: 13:40 Touchdown

Rodney Tisdale Jr. drops a pass right in the bucket to a well-covered Matthew Henry for a 22-yard TD. WKU scores in four plays after its fourth-and-one stop

WKU 14 MTSU 0

End Q1: WKU 7 MTSU 0

Middle Tennessee’s fourth-and-one gamble near the first quarter’s end didn’t pay off, and WKU QB Rodney Tisdale Jr. found K.D. Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain to the MTSU 15 as time expired.

Q1 0:22: Turnover on Downs

MTSU rolls the dice on 4th and 1 on its own 49-yard line, and Nazir Ward tackles AJ Jones short of the line to gain. WKU ball on the MTSU 49.

Q1 3:25: MTSU’s defense forces a punt on WKU’s second offensive drive. The Blue Raiders take over on their own 28-yard line.

Q1 5:53: Roman Gagliano drives the Blue Raiders to the WKU 40-yard line on MTSU’s first possession, but the drive stalls there. MTSU punts it away, and WKU takes over on its own four-yard line.

Gagliano stats on the drive:

Passing: Two-of-four for nine yards

Rushing: One carry for 24 yards

Q1 8:28: Running back La’Vell Wright takes it in from three yards out to cap off WKU’s opening 16-play, 87-yard drive that took 6:27 off the clock.

WKU 7 MTSU 0

Q1 9:06: Western Kentucky takes its first timeout of the half. The Hilltoppers are driving the ball down the field with little resistance on this first drive. First-and-nine upcoming at the MTSU nine-yard line for WKU.

Pregame: MTSU wins the toss and elects to defer to the second half.

Injury Report

QB Nick Vattiato is OUT

RB Jekail Middlebrook is OUT

LT Jacob Otts is OUT

DT Shakai Woods is OUT

There’s a lot of big names missing for the Blue Raiders against their biggest rival today.