MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee Football rode the momentum of two second-quarter takeaways to take charge in Saturday night's season opener, converting two Monmouth fumbles into touchdowns to power the Blue Raiders to a 50-15 win at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.
Jaylin Lane got the scoring started in the second quarter, returning a punt 70 yards for his first career punt return touchdown to give Middle Tennessee an early 7-0 lead. It was MT's first punt returned for a touchdown since Wayne Parks scored against UT Martin in 2018.
After the Hawks tied the game, Jordan Ferguson forced the first fumble of the night with a sack on Monmouth's Tony Mustkett with 2:47 to go in the second quarter, where Richard Kinley's recovery set up a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bailey Hockman to DJ England-Chisholm.
Ferguson recovered a fumble the very next defensive series, forced by Marley Cook, with 57 seconds left in the half, leading to a 32-yard pass from Hockman to Jaylin Lane to put the Blue Raiders up 21-7 at halftime.
The second half would see a 10-yard Wildcat touchdown run from Chaton Mobley in the third quarter and an interception returned 44-yards for a touchdown by Teldrick Ross in the fourth to help ice the game for MT. Ross' pick-6 is the Blue Raiders' first since 2019, when Kylan Stribling returns an interception 38-yards to the house against Old Dominion.
Hockman would connect with his old high school wideout, CJ Windham, for his third touchdown of the night to finish his evening at quarterback.
Jurriente Davis would make an impact play in his Blue Raider debut late in the fourth quarter, recovering a fumble forced by Jorden Starling in the red zone, setting up a Martell Pettaway touchdown run.
Saturday marked the first time since 2014 (August 30, 61-7 over Savannah State) the Blue Raiders scored a touchdown via all three facets of the game (offense, defense, and special teams).
Hockman led all passers with 215 yards in the air and three touchdowns, completing 17-of-22 passes on the night. Lane led the way with 93 receiving yards on four catches, while DQ Thomas led all defenders with nine tackles.
POSTGAME NOTES
CAPTAINS: Today's game captains were 12 Reed Blankenship, 91 Jordan Ferguson, 9 Jarrin Pierce , 20 DQ Thomas and 81 CJ Windham.
FIRST TIME STARTERS: Middle Tennessee had four players making their first start in a Blue Raider uniform tonight against Monmouth. Offensively, QB Bailey Hockman, RB Amir Rasul, and OL Netori Johnson made their first MT start, while LB Jurriente Davis was the lone first time starter on defense.
SCORING IN ALL PHASES: Middle Tennessee scored in all three phases of the game against Monmouth. The Blue Raider offense scored three TDs, special teams turned in a punt return for a score and the defense enjoyed a pick 6. It marked the first time MT has scored in all three phases since 2014 when it did so against Savannah State.
DISRUPTIVE FORCE: Redshirt junior Jordan Ferguson started the season with a bang, forcing one fumble and recovering another. Both led to Blue Raider scores in the second quarter. Ferguson forced the first turnover when he crashed through the line, recorded a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by Richard Kinley. On Monmouth's next possession, Marley Cook forced a fumble with 57 seconds remaining in the half. Ferguson pounced on the pigskin for the recovery. Once again, Middle Tennessee turned the turnover into points on the way to a 21-7 halftime lead.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: The blue-clad Middle Tennessee stop squad forced four turnovers in its win against Monmouth, coming away with three fumbles and one interception. Jordan Ferguson, Richard Kinley and Jurriente Davis each had one fumble recovery and Teldrick Ross recorded his first career interception. Ferguson, Marley Cook and Jorden Starling each had one forced fumble.
TO THE HOUSE: Redshirt freshman Jaylin Lane's second career punt return is one he will never forget. On the first play of the second quarter, Lane caught a punt at the 30 and raced 70 yards for his second career touchdown to break a scoreless tie. It was the first return for a TD by the Blue Raiders since Wayne Parks delivered in 2018.
CAREER NIGHT FOR LANE: Jaylin Lane enjoyed a career night in the season opener. He was outstanding on special teams, returning a punt for a TD, and he also excelled as a pass catcher. Lane turned in career bests for receptions (4), yards (91), longest play (35 yards) and was responsible for a pair of Blue Raider TDs - a 70-yard punt return and a 32-yard reception.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS: LB DQ Thomas picked up where he left off last season with a dominant performance against Monmouth. The defensive stalwart led the Blue Raiders with nine tackles, including two tackles for loss to give him 38 for his career. Thomas moved into a tie with Khalil Brooks for third on the career tackles for loss list. He needs three more to move into second. The career record is 46 by Dennis Mix (1979-82).
FIRST TIME SACKS: Marley Cook and Tra Fluellen registered their first career sacks in the first quarter against Monmouth, and both came at key times. Newcomer Fluellen came through in a big way on a third-and-1 play from the Blue Raider 31 on Monmouth's second possession. Fluellen dropped QB Tony Muskett for an 18-yard loss to end the Monmouth threat. Cook's first career sack came on a third-and-3 play to end Monmouth's first possession.
QBs GALORE: MT utilized three different quarterbacks on three consecutive plays on its second drive. Bailey Hockman started the drive, then Chase Cunningham came in for one play, followed by Mike DiLiello on the third play of the series. The Blue Raiders played all three QBs on various series throughout the game.
QUICK HITTERS: DQ Thomas made his team-leading 34th straight start … DQ Thomas played in his team-leading 49th career game today … The Blue Raiders scored 27 points off four turnovers against Monmouth.
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September 05, 2021 at 09:27AM
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Blue Raiders roll to season-opening win - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics - GoBlueRaiders.com
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