The Blue Raiders couldn’t overcome a slow start, falling to Austin Peay 34-14 in their season opener at Floyd Stadium on Saturday night.
Austin Peay jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter with scores coming fast. Chris Parson threw a 22-yard touchdown to Jaden Robinson, Courtland Simmons punched in a 1-yard run, then Parson found Jackson Head for a 4-yard touchdown.
Middle Tennessee finally answered late in the second quarter when Nicholas Vattiato hit Nahzae Cox for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 21-7 at halftime. The Blue Raiders kept the momentum going in the third quarter as Cox hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 24-14.
That’s as close as MTSU would get. Austin Peay added two field goals and a late touchdown to put the game away.
Cox led the Blue Raiders with six catches for 50 yards and both touchdowns. Vattiato completed 15 of 36 passes for 104 yards, while Jekail Middlebrook rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries.
On defense, Parker Hughes paced MTSU with nine tackles. Damonte Smith and Zeion Simpson-Smith each recorded sacks as part of the Blue Raiders’ three-sack, eight-tackle-for-loss night.
Middle Tennessee travels to Wisconsin next Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Network.
Source: MTSU
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