October 29, 2025 — Middle Tennessee fell to Jacksonville State 24-21 at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, dropping to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in conference play. The Blue Raiders led 21-17 with 7:45 remaining before Jacksonville State scored the final seven points.
Jekail Middlebrook’s six-yard touchdown run gave Middle Tennessee a late lead, but Cam Cook’s three-yard score with 4:29 left sealed the comeback for the Gamecocks.
Vattiato Throws for 235 Yards
Nicholas Vattiato carried the Blue Raiders’ passing attack, completing 23 of 45 attempts for 235 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
| Quarterback | Comp | Att | Yds | TD | INT | Long | Sack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Vattiato | 23 | 45 | 235 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 1 |
Vattiato connected with Middlebrook for touchdown passes of 10 and two yards. His interception came on the final play of the first half, returned 72 yards by Caleb Nix.
Running Game Limited to 84 Yards
Middle Tennessee’s ground attack managed just 84 yards on 22 carries against Jacksonville State’s defense.
| Running Back | Att | Gain | Loss | Net | TD | Long | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jekail Middlebrook | 10 | 25 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 2.0 |
| Nicholas Vattiato | 6 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 3.3 |
| Cam’ron Lacy | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 19.0 |
| Kason Stokes | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 14.0 |
| DJ Taylor | 4 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 2.8 |
Middlebrook led with 20 yards on 10 carries and scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Vattiato added 20 yards on six scrambles.
Mitchell Leads Defense
Alex Mitchell paced the Blue Raiders defense with 16 total tackles. Parker Hughes contributed 10 tackles, while Reggie Johnson recorded a sack and three tackles for loss. Middle Tennessee held Jacksonville State to 143 rushing yards but surrendered 215 passing yards.
The Blue Raiders converted 7-of-16 third downs and went 0-for-2 on fourth down attempts. Middle Tennessee’s four-game conference losing streak continues as they search for answers in a challenging season.
This article was helped with AI
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