Blue Raiders head to Wisconsin Saturday to face the Badgers

Saturday, Sept. 6 \| 3 p.m. \| Camp Randall Stadium \| Madison, WI

	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 0-1, 0-0 CUSA	AT	WISCONSIN BADGERS 1-0, 0-0 Big 10

WATCH: FS1 \| STATS: LINK \| RADIO: WGNS (LINK)

MADISON – Middle Tennessee heads north to Madison on Saturday for a matchup against Big Ten foe Wisconsin. The Blue Raiders are looking to bounce back after a disappointing season opener, where mistakes and missed opportunities led to a 34-14 setback against Austin Peay. Head coach Derek Mason has challenged his team to respond with toughness, acknowledging the sting of Week 1 while emphasizing that the program has to "own it and grow from it" heading into this test.

The challenge will be significant. Wisconsin's defense was dominant in its opener, pitching a shutout and limiting Miami (OH) to just 117 total yards. Quarterback Nicholas Vattiato and the Blue Raider offense will need to find rhythm early, with improved execution on third down and more consistency from playmakers like receivers Nahzae Cox and Amorion Walker. Defensively, MTSU will have to contend with a Badger offense adjusting to a new quarterback, meaning opportunities could be there if the Blue Raiders can generate pressure and force turnovers with a solid defensive front.

For the Blue Raiders, the trip to Camp Randall is about resilience. A strong showing against a nationally respected opponent could reset the tone for the season and build confidence before Conference USA play.

GAME 2

» Saturday, September 6 - 3 p.m.
» Camp Randall Stadium
» Madison, WI

SERIES HISTORY

» This marks the first-ever meeting in football between MTSU and Wisconsin
» This will be the 10th game all-time against the Big Ten for MTSU
» The Blue Raiders and Badgers have also never met in men's basketball or baseball, but have faced each other twice in women's basketball
BLUE RAIDER NOTES

» The last four times MTSU has played on Sept. 6 they have faced No. 8 Georgia (2003), No. 8 Louisville (2007), Maryland (2008), and Minnesota (2014).
» With 222 more passing yards, quarterback Nicholas Vattiato will move past Logan Kilgore for 3rd place on the all-time list at MTSU.
» Among active career leaders in passing yards, Nicholas Vattiato ranks 4th with 7,628 yards.
» 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.
» 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).

AMERICA'S DAIRYLAND

» Middle Tennessee will head to "cheese country" Saturday, marking the first time in school history the program has ever played a football game in the state of Wisconsin.

» In fact, it will be the furthest north MTSU has played a game since 2017 at Minnesota and third most overall in school history.

BLUE RAIDERS ANDTHE BIG TEN

» The MTSU-Wisconsin game will mark the 10th game all-time for the Blue Raiders against the Big Ten. MTSU has faced off against Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue and now Wisconsin. MTSU played Maryland four times but it was prior to them moving to the Big Ten.

COX HAS STRONG DEBUT

» Junior College transfer Nahzae Cox had a strong showing in his FBS debut against APSU to open the season. The junior from Fresno, Ca., collected six receptions on 10 targets with two going for touchdowns to lead the offense. In two years at the JUCO level he had never had a two-touchdown game and his six grabs equaled his career-high.

BIG NIGHT FOR DAMONTE

» Coming off a career year in 2024, Damonte Smith picked up where he left off in the '25 season opener. Smith, a redshirt senior from Savannah, Ga., had five tackles to go with a sack and a personal-best 2.5 tackles for loss. Smith entered the APSU game with 6.0 career TFLs and he had nearly half of that in one game. He earned a PFF grade of 93.0 which ranked third-best nationally among all defensive players.

LOGAN SOLID IN OPENER

» Redshirt junior punter Ashton Logan, the fourth different starting punter in the last four years for the Blue Raiders, began his MTSU career on a high note against APSU. Punting for the first time in a game since 2022 at Colorado, Logan had eight attempts for an impressive 45.9-yard average and placed three of his kicks inside the opponent 20-yard line. He currently ranks 32nd nationally with his 45.9-yard average.

Saturday, Sept. 6 | 3 p.m. | Camp Randall Stadium | Madison, WI

GAME 2

SERIES HISTORY

Players Mentioned

Ellis Adams

Nahzae Cox

Brendon Harris

Ashton Logan

Damonte Smith

Nicholas Vattiato

Amorion Walker

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics