Blue Raiders open '25 season at home against APSU

Saturday, Aug. 30 \| 6 p.m. \| Floyd Stadium \| Murfreesboro, TN

	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 0-0, 0-0 CUSA	VS	AUSTIN PEAY GOVERNORS 0-0, 0-0 UAC

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: LINK \| RADIO: WGNS (LINK) \| GAMEDAY CENTRAL

MURFREESBORO – Middle Tennessee will open the 2025 football season at home with its White Out game, hosting Austin Peay on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Floyd Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

The matchup marks the first of six home contests for the Blue Raiders this fall. Fans are encouraged to wear white to create an electric atmosphere for the season opener as MTSU and Austin Peay renew their in-state rivalry under the lights in Murfreesboro.

GAME 1

» Saturday, August 30 - 6 p.m.
» Floyd Stadium/Horace Jones Field
» Murfreesboro, TN

SERIES HISTORY

» This marks the 54th meeting in series history between the Middle Tennessee and Austin Peay
» The Blue Raiders own a 39-12-2 advantage in the series, which began in 1936
» The Blue Raiders have won 12 in a row over the Govs and hold a 21-7-1 mark at home. The last time MTSU fell to APSU was during the 1986 season in Clarksville.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES

» The 2025 season for MTSU is the 111th for Blue Raider football and the 27th at the FBS level.
» The 2025 season opener on Aug. 30 matches the earliest start date for the Blue Raiders since beginning the 2014 campaign also on Aug. 30. The earliest start to a season in MTSU history is Aug. 28.
» Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, the Blue Raiders own a mark of 16-9 against teams from the state of Tennessee and has won four of the last five.
» Safety Brendon Harris is in his eighth year of college football while Ellis Adams is in his seventh.
» The Blue Raiders will play in four different time zones this season which ranks tied for the second most nationally (Stanford - 5).
» Nicholas Vattiato is one of five active FBS quarterbacks with at least 7500 passing yards in the FBS. Vattiato is the only one of those five to have all those yards come with his current school.
» Among FBS returning quarterbacks in 2025, Nicholas Vattiato ranks 14th in most passing yards from the 2024 season.
» Between the 19 full-time coaches who can be on the field (only 11 can still recruit), seven have either played or coached at the NFL level (Derek Mason, Brian Stewart, Kendall Simmons, Calvin Lowry, Louie Cioffi, Josh Smith and Jacoby Stevens).
» The Blue Raiders face five first-year head coaches this season. The teams with new head coaches MTSU will play are: FIU, Kennesaw State, Jax State, Sam Houston State, and Marshall (4 are at home).

BLUE RAIDERS AT FLOYD

» Since Floyd Stadium opened in 1933, the Blue Raiders have compiled an overall mark of 310-137-13 (.688), including a record 31-game win streak from 1987-94.

» Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, the Blue Raiders are 88-51 (.620) overall at Floyd Stadium and 60-30 in conference games (32-14 vs CUSA; 28-16 vs SBC). MT has a 44-22 record at home in its last 66 games.

HOME OPENERS

» Middle Tennessee enters the Austin Peay game having won 10 of its last 12 home openers, including four in a row from 2013-16 and 2021-24. This marks the second time since the 2021 season the Blue Raiders have opened a season at home and the 13th time in the FBS era.

BLUE RAIDERS VS IN-STATE FOES

» Since joining the FBS in 1999, the Blue Raiders have enjoyed success against in-state opponents. During that span, MT has a mark of 16-9 against teams from the state of Tennessee with three wins coming on the road against Vanderbilt. The Blue Raiders are 10-2 during that span against in-state teams at home.

THE CHASE FOR 2ND IS UNDERWAY

» Quarterback Nicholas Vattiato enters his final season ranked in the top four all-time at MTSU in attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns. He will not catch all-time leader Brent Stockstill but is easily in reach of finishing right behind him in second place. Vattiato has 1,063 attempts (4th), 700 completions (3rd), 7,524 yards (4th), and 46 touchdowns (4th).

Saturday, Aug. 30 | 6 p.m. | Floyd Stadium | Murfreesboro, TN

GAME 1

SERIES HISTORY

Players Mentioned

Ellis Adams

Brendon Harris

Nicholas Vattiato

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics