Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders travel to FIU for key CUSA mid-week game
10/19/2026 11:00:00 AM | Football
Tuesday, Oct. 20 | 6:02 p.m. | Pit Bull Stadium (20,000) | Miami, FL |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 3-3, 1-1 CUSA |
AT | FIU PANTHERS 3-3, 1-1 CUSA |
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| WATCH: CBS Sports Network | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | ||||
GAME 7
» Tuesday, October 20 - 6:02 p.m. CT
» Pit Bull Stadium
» Miami, FL
SERIES HISTORY
» The Blue Raiders and Panthers have met 21 times in football with Middle Tennessee holding a
14-7 advantage in the series, which began in 2005. The Blue Raiders have won five of the last seven against the Panthers. The Blue Raiders and Panthers are tied 5-5 in games played in Miami with MTSU winning two of the last three.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
» Individual CUSA Rankings: RB Antonio Martin (3rd in rushing yds/g); PK Dominic Bourgeois (4th in Scoring, 4th in FG made); WR Cam Lacy (2nd in receptions/game); LB Korey Smith (2nd in total tackles); S Kalen Woods (1st in fumble recoveries); P Ashton Logan (1st in punting avg.)
» This marks the first time MTSU has been .500 or better after six games since 2022 when they won the Hawaii Bowl.
» Since joining FBS in 1999, MTSU has a mark of 4-5 in games played on Tuesday.
» With 291 passing yards against Delaware, QB Roman Gagliano surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his career (has played in just 14 games).
» The 38 points scored against Murray State is the most put up in the Derek Mason era.
» The Blue Raider offense has committed just four turnovers in its last nine games combined.
» MTSU's weather delay was 4:13 in win over Murray State and marked the third straight year the Blue Raiders have had a home game interrupted for weather. They had 2:40 delay in 2024 against TTU and a 2:12 delay against Marshall last year. That totals 9:05 in delays or right at 3 games.
» Six players on the MTSU roster has recorded an interception for their caeer. The six are Kalen Woods, Jackson Lowe, Korey Smith, Jason Hardy, James Johnson and Bryce Williams.
» An emphasis for the Blue Raider offense in 2026 will be to increase the amount of explosive plays (20 or more yards). In the last two years combined, the offense has just 89 explosive plays with 45 coming last season. In 2026 they have 20 (8 vs Murray State).
» MTSU has six coaches who have either played or coached at the NFL level (Derek Mason, Brian Stewart, Calvin Lowry, Louie Cioffi, and Josh Smith).
» Consecutive Starts: Korey Smith 10, Roman Gagliano 9, Cam Lacy 7
» MTSU's last 1,000-yard rusher was Asher O'Hara in 2019 and he was a quarterback. The last running back to top 1,000 yards was I'Tavius Mathers in 2016.
» MTSU is one of just 12 schools in FBS to have a candidate on the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Watch Lists and the only Group of 6 team.
» The 2026 season for MTSU is the 112th for Blue Raider football and the 28th at the FBS level.
» This marks the first time MTSU has been .500 or better after six games since 2022 when they won the Hawaii Bowl.
» Since joining FBS in 1999, MTSU has a mark of 4-5 in games played on Tuesday.
» With 291 passing yards against Delaware, QB Roman Gagliano surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his career (has played in just 14 games).
» The 38 points scored against Murray State is the most put up in the Derek Mason era.
» The Blue Raider offense has committed just four turnovers in its last nine games combined.
» MTSU's weather delay was 4:13 in win over Murray State and marked the third straight year the Blue Raiders have had a home game interrupted for weather. They had 2:40 delay in 2024 against TTU and a 2:12 delay against Marshall last year. That totals 9:05 in delays or right at 3 games.
» Six players on the MTSU roster has recorded an interception for their caeer. The six are Kalen Woods, Jackson Lowe, Korey Smith, Jason Hardy, James Johnson and Bryce Williams.
» An emphasis for the Blue Raider offense in 2026 will be to increase the amount of explosive plays (20 or more yards). In the last two years combined, the offense has just 89 explosive plays with 45 coming last season. In 2026 they have 20 (8 vs Murray State).
» MTSU has six coaches who have either played or coached at the NFL level (Derek Mason, Brian Stewart, Calvin Lowry, Louie Cioffi, and Josh Smith).
» Consecutive Starts: Korey Smith 10, Roman Gagliano 9, Cam Lacy 7
» MTSU's last 1,000-yard rusher was Asher O'Hara in 2019 and he was a quarterback. The last running back to top 1,000 yards was I'Tavius Mathers in 2016.
» MTSU is one of just 12 schools in FBS to have a candidate on the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Watch Lists and the only Group of 6 team.
» The 2026 season for MTSU is the 112th for Blue Raider football and the 28th at the FBS level.
MTSU-FIU CONNECTIONS
» The Panthers have a number of former Blue Raiders on their 2026 staff. Head Coach Willis Simmons was at MTSU from 2007-11 (last year as the OC), Offensive Coordinator Nick Coleman graduated from MTSU in 2009 and played for the Blue Raiders from 2007-09, and Special Teams Coordinator Kenneth Gilstrap graduated from MTSU in 2013, played from 2009-13 and was a full-time assistant from 2019-22. Defensive line coach Joe Cauthen was at MTSU as an assistant coach from 2011-13 and Director of Strength and Conditioning Matt Hickmann was at MTSU in the same role from 2018-23. Assistant AD for Football Strategic Initiatives Keith McCluney was in the MTSU administration from 2014-16.
PERDUE HAS GAME TO REMEMBER
» Graduate tight end Koraun Perdue enjoyed his best game as a collegiate player in the win over Delaware. Perdue hauled in four passes for a career-best 103 yards and a touchdown. He snared an 80-yard reception from QB Roman Gagliano that went down as the longest catch by a TE in MTSU history and the fourth longest in the NCAA this season. The 80-yarder also matched the 10th longest overall reception in school history.
CLIFTON SHINES VS BLUE HENS
» Redshirt freshman Neo Clifton, who had a terrific offseason and camp, showed why he moved into the starting lineup in the win over Delaware. The Nashville native hauled in four passes for a personal-best 64 yards and two touchdowns. He is the first freshman to record two receiving touchdowns in a single-game since Ty Lee on Dec. 24, 2016 in the Hawaii Bowl.
WILLIAMS GETS FIRST BLOCKED KICK UNDER MASON
» Redshirt junior outside linebacker Jayden Williams (6-6) was credited with the first blocked kick in the Derek Mason ere when he rejected a Delaware PAT in the second quarter. It went down as the 76th blocked kick in MTSU's FBS era (since 1999) and the first blocked kick of any kind since 2023 when Jakobe Thomas rejected a PAT against LA Tech - a span of 35 games.
MARTIN LEADS RUNNING GAME
» Running back Antonio Martin Jr., who was grabbed out of the portal from Kansas State, has made an immediate impact on the Blue Raider running game. In six games for MTSU, Martin has notched three 100-yard rushing games with 103 against Murray State 104 in the win over Nevada and 106 at Jax State. In 2025, MTSU had one back with two 100-yard games for the entire season. Entering the FIU game, Martin is third in CUSA in rushing yards per game (72.17) and fourth in rushing yards and third in yards per carry (5.35). Overall, MTSU has not had three 100-yard rushing games in a season since 2019 when it registered seven. The last time an individual player had four 100-yard rushing games in a season was also 2019 (QB Asher O'Hara with four).
FORCING TURNOVERS
» After six games, the Blue Raiders have done a good job in forcing and coming away with turnovers. MTSU enters the FIU game ranked 2nd in CUSA with eight turnovers gained. The defense has registered four fumble recoveries and four interceptions. The team had 15 gained turnovers last year and are over halfway to that mark in just six games. For the season, MTSU is +4 in turnover margin to rank 12th nationally.
LOGAN IS HAVING A RECORD-BREAKING SEASON
» Redshirt senior Ashton Logan is quietly having a season to remember. The Ray Guy Award Watch List member is averaging 50.23 yards a punt to lead CUSA and rank 4th nationally. The 50.23 yards a boot would go down as the best in MTSU history for a single-season if the season ended today. For his career, Logan has 85 punts for a 46.3 yard average which would also be a new career mark for MTSU. Of his 90 boots, 33 have been over 50 yards and 34 have been downed inside the 20-yard line. At Kansas, he nailed a career long 76-yard punt which went down as the fifth longest in school history.
Players Mentioned
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