MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee rallied late but came up short in a 24-21 loss to Jacksonville State on Wednesday night in the Blue Raiders' fourth and final Weekday CUSA matchup at Floyd Stadium.

The Blue Raiders (1-7, 0-4 CUSA) jumped ahead early on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Nicholas Vattiato to D. Taylor but trailed 7-6 after a second-quarter 56-yard strike to Deondre Johnson. MTSU responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown reception by Jekail Middlebrook in the third, and the Blue Raiders converted the two-point try to stretch the lead to 14-7.

Jacksonville State (5-3, 4-0) reclaimed the lead early in the fourth on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Caden Creel to Deondre Johnson. Middle Tennessee answered again when Middlebrook plunged in from 6 yards out to pull the Blue Raiders ahead 21-17 with 7:45 left, but JSU's Cam Cook broke the tie with a 3-yard TD run at 4:29 to make it a three-point game.

Quarterback Nicholas Vattiato finished 23-of-45 for 235 yards and two touchdown passes. Jekail Middlebrook was effective as a dual threat, finishing with 20 rushing yards and a 6-yard rushing TD while adding six catches for 87 yards and a receiving score — 107 all-purpose yards in all. Alex Mitchell paced the defense with 16 tackles, and Parker Hughes added 10 stops. 

By the Numbers  
18: Middle Tennessee totaled 18 first downs, edging Jacksonville State's 17.
107: Running back Jekail Middlebrook recorded 107 all-purpose yards, leading all Blue Raiders with 87 receiving yards and another 20 on the ground as he accounted for two touchdowns.
3-for-3: MTSU was a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone, converting all three trips into touchdowns.

Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Mason  


Up Next   
The Blue Raiders will remain at home to take on FIU on Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN Platforms and over the air on the Blue Raider Network.  

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