MTSU football coach Derek Mason on Western Kentucky game, CUSA opener
Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason discusses Saturday’s Conference USA opener at home against rival Western Kentucky.
Middle Tennessee State football was handed its sixth straight loss and ninth out of 10 to rival Western Kentucky Saturday, falling 49-21 at Floyd Stadium.
The Blue Raiders (1-2, 0-1 Conference USA) fell behind 21-0 at halftime and got no closer than that in the second half as the Hilltoppers (2-1, 1-0) rolled offensively.
“Those guys were opportunistic,” first-year MTSU coach Derek Mason said of the Hilltoppers. “They played hard, they’re a good football team, and you can’t spot a good football team 21 points … period.”
It was the fourth consecutive game vs. the Hilltoppers that was decided by 18 or more points.
The Blue Raiders are back at home Week 4 against Duke at 3 p.m. on homecoming.
Here are things we learned from MTSU’s first CUSA setback:
MTSU football’s Nick Vattiato, Omari Kelly have near-record games
Blue Raider quarterback Nick Vattiato had one of his best passing days as a Blue Raider.
Vattiato came within three yards of tying the MTSU single-game record for passing yards. He completed 24 of 41 for 456 yards and three touchdowns. Former Oakland standout Wes Counts holds the record (459), set in 2001.
Kelly came up five yards short of the Blue Raider single-game receiving yards record, catching nine passes for 239 yards and three TDs. Demetric Mostiller (1995) holds the record with 244 yards.
“(Vattiato) put his trust in me and other people to just make plays,” Kelly said. “I just did my part the best I could.”
Vattiato, whose first career start came against Western Kentucky in 2021 as a true freshman, connected with Kelly on TD passes of 71, 37 and 8.
WKU football loses starting QB, backup passes for nearly 400 yards
MTSU’s defense was exploited for the third time in three games, allowing 481 passing yards and six touchdowns. WKU had 631 total yards.
“It’s a combination of things, but I’ll go down the laundry list,” Mason said. “We’re solid inside, but the edges are soft and vulnerable. If you want to be a defense that gets off the field, you have to build a wall inside and you have to set an edge. It really starts there.
“We never really hit (Caden Veltkamp) hard. We didn’t win enough one-on-ones outside and didn’t tackle well. That, combined with third downs (WKU was 7-of-10) … all of that is a recipe for not playing good defense.”
Most of that damage came from Hilltopper backup QB Caden Veltkamp.
Veltkamp replaced WKU starter TJ Finley, who went down with an apparent leg injury in the first quarter after driving the Hilltoppers deep into MTSU territory. Veltkamp finished 27-of-30 for 398 yards and five touchdowns.
“Obviously we have to set edges and tackle better,” Mason said. “That’s been an Achilles heel this season.”
MTSU has now allowed 1,152 passing yards and 10 touchdowns through the air in three games and has forced just 10 incompletions combined in the past two games.
MTSU football moves the ball well, but has trouble finishing drives
MTSU left at least 14 points on the board during the first half, in which it trailed 21-0 at intermission.
The Blue Raiders had two drives inside the Western Kentucky 15, including a first-and-goal from the WKU 1 on one possession. However, MTSU failed to score on either drive, being unable to convert a fourth-down try at the 1 and throwing an interception from the 13.
“I don’t think we’re missing too much,” Kelly said of missed opportunities. “The big thing that we really need to work on is coming to practice with intent and actually having better practice habits than we’ve had in the past.”
MTSU also drove to the Hilltopper 40 on its first possession but failed to convert on a fourth-and-3. The Blue Raiders failed to convert a fourth-down play late in the third quarter at the WKU 36.
MTSU finished with 514 total yards.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 09:00:00
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