Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Nevada
Blue Raiders Rally Past Nevada for First Win of 2025
9/13/2025 8:54:00 PM | Football
RENO, Nev. – Middle Tennessee stormed back in the second half and sealed a 14-13 road win over Nevada on Saturday night, giving the Blue Raiders their first victory of the season.
Trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter, Nicholas Vattiato engineered an 11-play drive capped by his 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Jacob Hathaway added the extra point to push MTSU in front with just :21 seconds remaining.
Vattiato threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, a 13-yard strike to Nahzae Cox with 6:30 to play in the game. Cox finished with five catches for 45 yards, while Myles Butler added a team-high 65 yards receiving on seven grabs. Jekail Middlebrook paced the ground game with 67 yards on 10 carries.
Defensively, MTSU recorded three sacks and limited Nevada to 166 yards through the air. Parker Hughes led the way with seven tackles.
By the Numbers
7: The Blue Raiders scored 14 points in the final seven minutes of the game to clinch the comeback over Nevada.
7: MTSU was 7-of-17 on third down conversions on the night.
1: This marked the first win of the season for the Blue Raiders.
Blue Raider Notes
- Middle Tennessee started the same offensive line in back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 14, 2024, against WKU.
- Safety John Howse recorded his second career sack in the second quarter. His first came last season at Ole Miss.
- Saturday's win marked the first time since 2014 that MTSU rallied from a deficit of nine or more points with 6:30 or less remaining in regulation. The last occurrence came on Nov. 22, 2014, when the Blue Raiders overcame a 13-point deficit in the final 4:15 to defeat FAU, 35-34.
- It also marked the first time since 2016 that a Conference USA team pulled off such a comeback. On Oct. 15, 2016, FIU erased a 13-point deficit with 4:21 left to edge Charlotte, 27-26.
- Since moving to the FBS level in 1999, Middle Tennessee has posted a strong record in one-point games, going 9-4 in those contests.
Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Mason
Up Next
The Blue Raiders (1-2) return home next Saturday to host Marshall on Homecoming at Floyd Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and over the air on the Blue Raider Network.
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