Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 19
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
2-1 , 0-0
27
vs
20
Nevada
1-2 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Middle Tenn. | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
Blue Raiders hold steady at home, down Nevada 27-20
9/19/2026 9:54:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- Middle Tennessee football (2-1) continued its winning ways at home, taking down a non-conference opponent in the Nevada Wolf Pack (1-2), 27-20.
The Blue Raiders picked up win number two inside of the friendly confines of Floyd Stadium, with a timely forced fumble by Rickey Lee III and a recovery by Korey Smith. The turnover, marking the third consecutive game the Blue Raiders forced a fumble, set Roman Gagliano and the Blue Raider offense up on the Nevada 21-yard line.
Middle Tennessee made short work of the Wolf Pack defense, working a five play drive to take the lead. Redshirt senior running back Antonio Martin Jr. punched it in from three yards out for the game winning score.
Martin was a big part of the Blue Raider offensive attack throughout the night as he shouldered the rushing load with 104 yards on 23 carries along with the game winning score.
Roman Gagliano had two touchdowns through the air on the night, marking his fourth career win as the signal caller for Middle Tennessee. Gagliano threw for 173 yards on 16-of-29 passing.
Koraun Perdue collected his first career touchdown during the win, opening the scoring with a 23-yard reception.
Gagliano's second score was a connection with his favorite target, as Cam'ron Lacy found open space for a 10-yard score in the third quarter. This is Lacy's fifth career score, and marks his third consecutive game to score a touchdown.
Smith shined once again on defense from his linebacker spot, pairing the clutch fumble recovery with 10 tackles. Overall, the Blue Raiders forced three turnovers. Jason Hardy snagged his first career interception in the third quarter, while Jackson Lowe picked up his first career sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same play.
By the Numbers:
3: Cam'ron Lacy has picked up a receiving touchdown in all three games so far in 2026.
23: Antonio Martin Jr.'s 23 carries marked a career-high across his five-year collegiate career.
10: Linebacker Ashton Taylor picked up a career-high 10 tackles, matching the output of his counterpart Korey Smith at the linebacker position.
MTSU Game Notes
• Middle Tennessee tallied its first quarterback sack of the season in the third quarter, a tackle for a loss of six yards by Jackson Lowe.
• Blue Raiders have forced fumbles in three-straight games, with two of those being returned for touchdowns. It is the longest streak of the Derek Mason era.
• MTSU has grabbed three interceptions from Nevada over the past two seasons.
• Saturday marks the first time since November 9, 2024 against Liberty that the Blue Raiders have had two forced fumbles and fumbles recovered.
• With wins in both of its first two home games, MTSU is 2-0 at home for the first time since 2021.
Offensive Player Notes
#1 | Markus Allen | WR | Gr.
• Brought in a Blue Raider-long 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter, marking the longest reception by a Middle Tennessee player this season.
#8 | Antonio Martin | RB | r-Sr.
• Set career high in rushing attempts with 23, garnering 104 yards in those attempts
• Scored first touchdown in the Blue and White as the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
#13 | Ziyon Butler | WR | Fr.
• Recorded first collegiate catch in the fourth quarter, an 11-yard reception for a first down.
#33 | Brooklen Davis | RB | r-Fr.
• Davis earned his first collegiate rushing attempts against Nevada, tallying three for 20 yards.
#83 | Koraun Perdue | TE | Gr.
• Collected his first Blue Raider touchdown in the first quarter on a 23-yard reception.
Defensive Player Notes
#2 | Jackson Lowe | CB | r-So.
• Registered MTSU's first sack of the season for a loss of six yards in the third quarter. Also marks Lowe's first career sack.
• Forced a fumble on the same play as the sack, the first of his collegiate career.
#12 | Ricky Lee | CB | r-Jr.
• Recorded his first forced fumble of his career in the fourth quarter, the second of the game for the Blue Raiders.
#13 | Ashton Taylor | LB | r-Sr.
• Set career high with 10 tackles, tied with Korey Smith for the team lead on the night.
#21 | Jason Hardy | CB | r-Sr.
• Grabbed his first pick of the season in the third quarter. Hardy's catch is Middle Tennessee's first pick in the 2026 season.
Special Teams Player Notes
#91 | Dominic Bourgeois | PK | Sr.
• Made his third and fourth field goals as a Blue Raider against Nevada, with his longest of the night being 47 yards.
Postgame Interviews
Up Next: The Blue Raiders will open up Conference USA play, hitting the road to Jacksonville, Alabama to take on the Jax State Gamecocks (2-2). Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CDT next Saturday, September 26.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Follow Middle Tennessee Football on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderFooball), X (@MT_FB) and Instagram (@mt_fb).
The Blue Raiders picked up win number two inside of the friendly confines of Floyd Stadium, with a timely forced fumble by Rickey Lee III and a recovery by Korey Smith. The turnover, marking the third consecutive game the Blue Raiders forced a fumble, set Roman Gagliano and the Blue Raider offense up on the Nevada 21-yard line.
Middle Tennessee made short work of the Wolf Pack defense, working a five play drive to take the lead. Redshirt senior running back Antonio Martin Jr. punched it in from three yards out for the game winning score.
Martin was a big part of the Blue Raider offensive attack throughout the night as he shouldered the rushing load with 104 yards on 23 carries along with the game winning score.
Roman Gagliano had two touchdowns through the air on the night, marking his fourth career win as the signal caller for Middle Tennessee. Gagliano threw for 173 yards on 16-of-29 passing.
Koraun Perdue collected his first career touchdown during the win, opening the scoring with a 23-yard reception.
Gagliano's second score was a connection with his favorite target, as Cam'ron Lacy found open space for a 10-yard score in the third quarter. This is Lacy's fifth career score, and marks his third consecutive game to score a touchdown.
Smith shined once again on defense from his linebacker spot, pairing the clutch fumble recovery with 10 tackles. Overall, the Blue Raiders forced three turnovers. Jason Hardy snagged his first career interception in the third quarter, while Jackson Lowe picked up his first career sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same play.
By the Numbers:
3: Cam'ron Lacy has picked up a receiving touchdown in all three games so far in 2026.
23: Antonio Martin Jr.'s 23 carries marked a career-high across his five-year collegiate career.
10: Linebacker Ashton Taylor picked up a career-high 10 tackles, matching the output of his counterpart Korey Smith at the linebacker position.
MTSU Game Notes
• Middle Tennessee tallied its first quarterback sack of the season in the third quarter, a tackle for a loss of six yards by Jackson Lowe.
• Blue Raiders have forced fumbles in three-straight games, with two of those being returned for touchdowns. It is the longest streak of the Derek Mason era.
• MTSU has grabbed three interceptions from Nevada over the past two seasons.
• Saturday marks the first time since November 9, 2024 against Liberty that the Blue Raiders have had two forced fumbles and fumbles recovered.
• With wins in both of its first two home games, MTSU is 2-0 at home for the first time since 2021.
Offensive Player Notes
#1 | Markus Allen | WR | Gr.
• Brought in a Blue Raider-long 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter, marking the longest reception by a Middle Tennessee player this season.
#8 | Antonio Martin | RB | r-Sr.
• Set career high in rushing attempts with 23, garnering 104 yards in those attempts
• Scored first touchdown in the Blue and White as the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
#13 | Ziyon Butler | WR | Fr.
• Recorded first collegiate catch in the fourth quarter, an 11-yard reception for a first down.
#33 | Brooklen Davis | RB | r-Fr.
• Davis earned his first collegiate rushing attempts against Nevada, tallying three for 20 yards.
#83 | Koraun Perdue | TE | Gr.
• Collected his first Blue Raider touchdown in the first quarter on a 23-yard reception.
Defensive Player Notes
#2 | Jackson Lowe | CB | r-So.
• Registered MTSU's first sack of the season for a loss of six yards in the third quarter. Also marks Lowe's first career sack.
• Forced a fumble on the same play as the sack, the first of his collegiate career.
#12 | Ricky Lee | CB | r-Jr.
• Recorded his first forced fumble of his career in the fourth quarter, the second of the game for the Blue Raiders.
#13 | Ashton Taylor | LB | r-Sr.
• Set career high with 10 tackles, tied with Korey Smith for the team lead on the night.
#21 | Jason Hardy | CB | r-Sr.
• Grabbed his first pick of the season in the third quarter. Hardy's catch is Middle Tennessee's first pick in the 2026 season.
Special Teams Player Notes
#91 | Dominic Bourgeois | PK | Sr.
• Made his third and fourth field goals as a Blue Raider against Nevada, with his longest of the night being 47 yards.
Postgame Interviews
Up Next: The Blue Raiders will open up Conference USA play, hitting the road to Jacksonville, Alabama to take on the Jax State Gamecocks (2-2). Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CDT next Saturday, September 26.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Follow Middle Tennessee Football on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderFooball), X (@MT_FB) and Instagram (@mt_fb).
Players Mentioned
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PK
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RB
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QB
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CB
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CB
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/ FootballTeam Stats
Nev
MTS
Total Yards
280
330
Pass Yards
185
173
Rushing Yards
95
157
Penalty Yards
54
84
1st Downs
15
19
3rd Downs
5
4
4th Downs
1
3
TOP
25:32
34:28
1st Quarter
Nev 7, MTS 0
Nev - Kelley,Dominic 1 yd run (McFadden,Joe kick), 7 plays, 38 yards, TOP 02:47
Nev 7, MTS 7
MTS - Perdue,Koraun 23 yd pass from Gagliano,Roman (Bourgeois,Dominic kick) 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 05:20
2nd Quarter
Nev 10, MTS 7
Nev - McFadden,Joe 39 yd field goal 12 plays, 45 yards, TOP 05:50
Nev 10, MTS 10
MTS - Bourgeois,Dominic 47 yd field goal 12 plays, 44 yards, TOP 04:40
3rd Quarter
Nev 10, MTS 17
MTS - Lacy,Cam'ron 10 yd pass from Gagliano,Roman (Bourgeois,Dominic kick) 4 plays, 17 yards, TOP 01:50
Nev 17, MTS 17
Nev - Jones,Carter 1 yd run (McFadden,Joe kick), 7 plays, 90 yards, TOP 02:35
4th Quarter
Nev 20, MTS 17
Nev - McFadden,Joe 20 yd field goal 9 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:37
Nev 20, MTS 20
MTS - Bourgeois,Dominic 23 yd field goal 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 04:16
Nev 20, MTS 27
MTS - Martin Jr.,Antonio 3 yd run (Bourgeois,Dominic kick), 5 plays, 21 yards, TOP 02:08
Game Leaders
CMP
16
TD
2
YDS
173
INT
0
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