Peter Holland, Jr.//Asst. Sports Director
Though the Panthers put up 517 total yards, it was not enough to get the victory against Middle Tennessee State University. The 42-35 loss was their second-straight conference loss and dropped the Panthers to the bottom of Conference USA eastern rankings.
Middle Tennessee, a team that averages 40.5 points per game, scored the first three touchdowns in 12 plays early in the first quarter. Two of the touchdowns came from their quarterback Brent Stockstill, who connected with wide receiver Ty Lee twice on a 26-yard pass and 19-yard pass in the endzone.
Running back I’Tavius Mathers, who rushed for 148 yards during the game, ran nine yards into the endzone after the Panthers’ offense couldn’t respond to the first two touchdowns.
“Brent Stockstill is right on target,” said interim head coach Ron Cooper. “He’s an old target quarterback.”
After trailing by three touchdowns, the Panthers settled down and retaliated with Alex McGough completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith bringing the score to 21-7. The play added to Smith’s 41-game streak of catching at least one pass.
After the defense got Middle Tennessee’s offense off the field, the Panthers’ offense kept the momentum going. McGough threw his second touchdown of the night to junior wide receiver Thomas Owens in a 10-yard pass after converting on fourth down.
Minutes after McGough fumbled the football on a low snap resulting in a Blue Raider’s recovery during the second quarter, the work of Panthers’ defense to keep the Blue Raiders off the field for their third consecutive series ended and MTSU found the endzone again with a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Richie James.
The Panthers trailed 28-14 with less than four minutes left before halftime.
Back on the field, McGough threw a 36-yard bomb to Owens, putting the junior quarterback in range to carry the ball himself. McGough rushed seven yards for a touchdown, making it a one-possession game with 35 seconds left in the second quarter.
McGough went down on the sidelines after being pushed out of bounds, and redshirt freshman Maurice Alexander came in to replace McGough while he was being evaluated and treated; McGough returned to the field after the next series. His injury was unknown and Tampa native didn’t speak about it after the game.
Four minutes in the fourth quarter, McGough threw his third touchdown of the night, targeting Owens again on a 24-yard back shoulder fade route to tie up the game 28-28. Three plays later, Middle Tennessee responded with a 52-yard pass to James for his second touchdown of the night. James finished with six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers converted another fourth-down attempt for first down, after being one yard short when McGough scrambled the ball and tried to leap over a defender, which resulted in him being tackled by two MTSU’s defenders. McGough then threw a 29-yard pass to freshman receiver Darius Scott to convert on fourth down.
Sophomore running back Anthony Jones tied the game again with a one yard run for a touchdown with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter. The defense made a key stop against the Blue Raiders’ offense, which forced them to punt and gave the Panthers’ offense an opportunity to score and get their first lead of the night.
After a 23-yard run by Alex Gardner, McGough threw a pick six to MTSU’s starting linebacker DJ Sanders, who ran 48 yards to the endzone and regained the lead for his team.
The offense had one more try to tie up the game for the third time with less than a minute left, but Gardner fumbled the football on third down; the Blue Raiders’ defense recovered it and closed the deal for Middle Tennessee’s sixth victory.
McGough, who finished the game 27-40 for 307 yards and three touchdowns, threw his fifth pick six of the season which led to their sixth loss of the year.
“I’m very upset with myself,” McGough said. “It’s disappointing for myself.”
Despite the loss, Cooper praised his players for fighting back after trailing 21-0 early in the first quarter.
“It was a heck of a ballgame,” Cooper said. “With eight minutes left in the first quarter, we were down 21-0, but we didn’t flinch at all. I told our guys, ‘I’ve never been prouder of a team.’ We just had one unfortunate play at the end.”
With their second-straight loss, the Panthers fall to 3-6 overall (3-2 in C-USA). To be bowl eligible, the Panthers must win each of their final three games. They will be on the road to face Western Kentucky University on Nov. 5 at 5:30 pm.
About Post Author
