Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“Dang, I did that?” — Three plays to remember from an eighth straight home win over FAU
11/20/2022 7:45:00 AM | Football
Darius Bracy, the Heavy Diesel unit, and Jordan Ferguson all made their mark with big moments Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Darius Bracy didn't understand what he did on his first touchdown until he saw the highlight on the Floyd Stadium video board after the game.
Jordan Ferguson can't wait to break down the film to see Zaylin Wood walk a defensive back into the endzone.
Chase Cunningham? He really thought Ferguson was going to make it in the end zone on the fake punt.
In a game where so much went right for Middle Tennessee, who smashed the visiting FAU Owls 49-21 for their eighth straight home win in the series on Saturday, it's easy to get caught up in the stats that are on MTSU's side. Holding FAU to 31 yards rushing. Tossing 372 yards through the air...in the first half. Frank Peasant eclipsing 100 yards receiving as a running back.
"Really proud and happy for our team," Head Coach Rick Stockstill summed up. "It was a great win against a really good football team. Really proud of how we played, all three phases I thought showed up tonight."
But a year from now, a decade from now, we're not going to remember the stats of the blowouts, other than when we flip through the MTSU record books. But we'll remember the moments.
---
It started like probably a dozen plays did for MTSU on Saturday night. First and 10, inside the red zone, Cunningham play fakes to Bracy out of the backfield and looks right. He pumps once, sees his options aren't there, then checks down.
Bracy receives the ball, just behind the line of scrimmage, and rushes up field into a swath of FAU defenders now rushing off their assignments. He hard cuts back once, picks up a few. Hard cuts again, and suddenly has a lot of turf in front of him. One block from Izaiah Gathings later, and the Central Michigan transfer is in the endzone.
It was a remarkable play, the type of cuts that will make highlight reels for a long time to come. The full reversal of field itself made the play remarkable.
Darius Bracy, meanwhile, doesn't remember much about that moment. He said that he thinks any skill guy on this team could do what he did. But even he had to admit that he was impressed with himself when he saw the film.
"Natural talent just took over at that point," Bracy said. "To be honest, I blacked out during the run. Coming off the field after the game, they started playing the highlights (on the board). I watched it then. And I was 'Dang, I did that?'"
One of 12 Blue Raiders honored before the game, Bracy will only have one year to his name in the Blue Raider letterman list. He's battled through a plethora of injuries and other knocks that have kept him off the field at times this season. But when available, he keeps finding ways to help. Some days, it's picking up blitz protection. Others, it's helping mentor a still very young running back room.
On Saturday, he and Frank Peasant were a nasty one-two punch out of the back field, both in the air and on the ground. The two combined for 239 total yards against the Owls, scoring five of MTSU's seven touchdowns.
---
On MTSU's first drive of the third quarter, facing a fourth down, Marley Cook said the call was "Smoke" out of the huddle.
It was a familiar site for fans of MTSU, seeing four defensive linemen run onto the field with the offense in a crucial short yardage situation. Typically, they would line up either as tight ends, or H-Backs. Extra strength lead blockers that could also go out for a pass in rare circumstances, like Zaylin Wood's touchdown catch at FAU last season.
But call of "Smoke"? Safe to say MTSU fans, or FAU's team, hadn't seen that before.
Cook, Ferguson, Wood and Ja'Kerrius Wyatt all sprinted out to the left, forming a trips look on the edge, with Peasant behind the group of defensive linemen turned lead blockers.
"Coaches were stressing that we can't move, we've got to set our feet," Ferguson said. "So I was a little nervous."
Once the ball was snapped, though, there was no hesitation. FAU didn't even get a fourth, let alone a fifth defender, outside in time.
"I didn't see Frank, I didn't know what was going on," Ferguson said. "But number 29 (FAU Linebacker Jamie Pettaway), he was like "Dang it!", so I kind of knew Frank was about to score."
The package, nicknamed "Heavy D" by former Blue Raider Radio Network color analyst Wes Counts, was ironically introduced by the opposing offensive coordinator, Brent Dearmon, when Dearmon was the MTSU OC in 2021.
Today, it returned to haunt his Owls, giving MTSU a much-needed score after stopping the FAU offense out of the locker room, wrenching momentum back from a 14-point swing when Chase Cunningham was picked off near the end of the second quarter, resulting in a FAU touchdown.
---
The biggest play by a defensive lineman on Saturday would come later that quarter.
Another fourth down, about the same distance, but much further away from the endzone, inside of MTSU territory. Up two scores, the Blue Raiders sent out their punt team to pin the Owls back.
Jordan Ferguson had been told by Rick Stockstill to be ready that very third down.
"We practice it every week," Stockstill said. "We've had it in there since August. We were waiting for the right time."
The play had actually been called the week before, against Charlotte. But the 49ers lined up in the gap the Blue Raiders wanted, so it was waved off. On Saturday, they got the look they wanted.
"At first, I was like 'Man, somebody is going to come behind me and knock the ball out,'" Ferguson said. "Then I saw all this green grass, so I kind of started grinning a little bit."
Cunningham was sure the former high school running back was going to score after Ferguson cut up field. Stockstill thought he had a chance thanks to some lead blocks from the gunners, particularly after he dodged a diving Owl at the 20 to keep going.
In the end, the direct snap to the wall in front of Kyle Ulbrich resulted in an MTSU first down at the FAU 6, where Darius Bracy would run it in from five yards out two plays later to stretch MTSU's lead back to three touchdowns.
For Stockstill, it was a great way to keep the momentum going for his team, as well as a chance to give a senior that's meant so much to the program a spotlight with the ball in his hands. It was also a nice callback to last year's win in Boca Raton.
"This game last year, Zaylin catches a touchdown pass," Stockstill said. "This year, he gets a critical block on a touchdown. Ferg had the scoop and score late in the game, today he had a big time run on the fake punt."
Jordan Ferguson can't wait to break down the film to see Zaylin Wood walk a defensive back into the endzone.
Chase Cunningham? He really thought Ferguson was going to make it in the end zone on the fake punt.
In a game where so much went right for Middle Tennessee, who smashed the visiting FAU Owls 49-21 for their eighth straight home win in the series on Saturday, it's easy to get caught up in the stats that are on MTSU's side. Holding FAU to 31 yards rushing. Tossing 372 yards through the air...in the first half. Frank Peasant eclipsing 100 yards receiving as a running back.
"Really proud and happy for our team," Head Coach Rick Stockstill summed up. "It was a great win against a really good football team. Really proud of how we played, all three phases I thought showed up tonight."
But a year from now, a decade from now, we're not going to remember the stats of the blowouts, other than when we flip through the MTSU record books. But we'll remember the moments.
---
It started like probably a dozen plays did for MTSU on Saturday night. First and 10, inside the red zone, Cunningham play fakes to Bracy out of the backfield and looks right. He pumps once, sees his options aren't there, then checks down.
Bracy receives the ball, just behind the line of scrimmage, and rushes up field into a swath of FAU defenders now rushing off their assignments. He hard cuts back once, picks up a few. Hard cuts again, and suddenly has a lot of turf in front of him. One block from Izaiah Gathings later, and the Central Michigan transfer is in the endzone.
Bracy goes on a journey for 6. #BLUEnited | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/KTHXo4qJVy
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) November 19, 2022
It was a remarkable play, the type of cuts that will make highlight reels for a long time to come. The full reversal of field itself made the play remarkable.
Darius Bracy, meanwhile, doesn't remember much about that moment. He said that he thinks any skill guy on this team could do what he did. But even he had to admit that he was impressed with himself when he saw the film.
"Natural talent just took over at that point," Bracy said. "To be honest, I blacked out during the run. Coming off the field after the game, they started playing the highlights (on the board). I watched it then. And I was 'Dang, I did that?'"
One of 12 Blue Raiders honored before the game, Bracy will only have one year to his name in the Blue Raider letterman list. He's battled through a plethora of injuries and other knocks that have kept him off the field at times this season. But when available, he keeps finding ways to help. Some days, it's picking up blitz protection. Others, it's helping mentor a still very young running back room.
On Saturday, he and Frank Peasant were a nasty one-two punch out of the back field, both in the air and on the ground. The two combined for 239 total yards against the Owls, scoring five of MTSU's seven touchdowns.
---
On MTSU's first drive of the third quarter, facing a fourth down, Marley Cook said the call was "Smoke" out of the huddle.
It was a familiar site for fans of MTSU, seeing four defensive linemen run onto the field with the offense in a crucial short yardage situation. Typically, they would line up either as tight ends, or H-Backs. Extra strength lead blockers that could also go out for a pass in rare circumstances, like Zaylin Wood's touchdown catch at FAU last season.
But call of "Smoke"? Safe to say MTSU fans, or FAU's team, hadn't seen that before.
Cook, Ferguson, Wood and Ja'Kerrius Wyatt all sprinted out to the left, forming a trips look on the edge, with Peasant behind the group of defensive linemen turned lead blockers.
"Coaches were stressing that we can't move, we've got to set our feet," Ferguson said. "So I was a little nervous."
Once the ball was snapped, though, there was no hesitation. FAU didn't even get a fourth, let alone a fifth defender, outside in time.
Adding to the lead ✅#BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/SUgZSheKn7
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) November 19, 2022
"I didn't see Frank, I didn't know what was going on," Ferguson said. "But number 29 (FAU Linebacker Jamie Pettaway), he was like "Dang it!", so I kind of knew Frank was about to score."
The package, nicknamed "Heavy D" by former Blue Raider Radio Network color analyst Wes Counts, was ironically introduced by the opposing offensive coordinator, Brent Dearmon, when Dearmon was the MTSU OC in 2021.
Today, it returned to haunt his Owls, giving MTSU a much-needed score after stopping the FAU offense out of the locker room, wrenching momentum back from a 14-point swing when Chase Cunningham was picked off near the end of the second quarter, resulting in a FAU touchdown.
---
The biggest play by a defensive lineman on Saturday would come later that quarter.
Another fourth down, about the same distance, but much further away from the endzone, inside of MTSU territory. Up two scores, the Blue Raiders sent out their punt team to pin the Owls back.
Jordan Ferguson had been told by Rick Stockstill to be ready that very third down.
"We practice it every week," Stockstill said. "We've had it in there since August. We were waiting for the right time."
The play had actually been called the week before, against Charlotte. But the 49ers lined up in the gap the Blue Raiders wanted, so it was waved off. On Saturday, they got the look they wanted.
"At first, I was like 'Man, somebody is going to come behind me and knock the ball out,'" Ferguson said. "Then I saw all this green grass, so I kind of started grinning a little bit."
🚨 FAKE PUNT 🚨@JoFerg__ can do it all. Another signature play for the senior! #BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/0TlFvt3WmK
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) November 19, 2022
Cunningham was sure the former high school running back was going to score after Ferguson cut up field. Stockstill thought he had a chance thanks to some lead blocks from the gunners, particularly after he dodged a diving Owl at the 20 to keep going.
In the end, the direct snap to the wall in front of Kyle Ulbrich resulted in an MTSU first down at the FAU 6, where Darius Bracy would run it in from five yards out two plays later to stretch MTSU's lead back to three touchdowns.
For Stockstill, it was a great way to keep the momentum going for his team, as well as a chance to give a senior that's meant so much to the program a spotlight with the ball in his hands. It was also a nice callback to last year's win in Boca Raton.
"This game last year, Zaylin catches a touchdown pass," Stockstill said. "This year, he gets a critical block on a touchdown. Ferg had the scoop and score late in the game, today he had a big time run on the fake punt."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
P
/ Football
DT
/ Football
DT
/ FootballMTSU Football Weekly Presser 11/4/25
Tuesday, November 04
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - October 29th
Thursday, October 30
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - October 29th - Football
Thursday, October 30
MTSU Football vs. Jacksonville State post-game press conference – 10/29/25
Thursday, October 30
