MTSU football coach Derek Mason on the game against Western Kentucky and the CUSA opener
Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason talks about Saturday’s Conference USA opener at home against rival Western Kentucky.
Middle Tennessee State football suffered its sixth consecutive loss and ninth of 10 defeats against rival Western Kentucky, losing 21-49 at Floyd Stadium on Saturday.
The Blue Raiders (1-2, 0-1, Conference USA) trailed 21-0 at halftime and were unable to close the gap in the second half as the Hilltoppers (2-1, 1-0) stepped up offensively.
“These guys were opportunistic,” new MTSU coach Derek Mason said of the Hilltoppers. “They played hard, they’re a good football team, and you can’t ask a good football team to score 21 points … period.”
It was the fourth consecutive game against the Hilltoppers that was decided by 18 points or more.
The Blue Raiders are back at home in Week 4 at 3:00 p.m. to play against Duke.
Here’s what we learned from MTSU’s first CUSA setback:
MTSU football players Nick Vattiato and Omari Kelly have almost set record games
Blue Raider quarterback Nick Vattiato had one of his best passing days as a Blue Raider.
Vattiato was just three yards shy of setting the MTSU record for most passing yards in a game, completing 24 of 41 passes for 456 yards and three touchdowns. Former Oakland star Wes Counts holds the record (459), set in 2001.
Kelly was five yards short of the Blue Raiders’ record for most receiving yards in a game, catching nine passes for 239 yards and scoring three touchdowns. The record is held by Demetric Mostiller (1995) with 244 yards.
“(Vattiato) trusted me and other guys to just play,” Kelly said. “I just did my part the best I could.”
Vattiato, who made his first career start in 2021 as a true freshman against Western Kentucky, connected with Kelly on touchdown passes of 71, 37 and 8.
WKU Football loses starting QB, replacement pass of 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 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 put up a wall inside and set an edge. That’s really where it starts.”
“We never really hit (Caden Veltkamp) hard. We didn’t win enough one-on-one situations outside and didn’t tackle well. That, combined with third downs (WKU made 7 of 10) … all of that is a recipe for not good defense.”
The biggest 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 the game completing 27 of 30 passes for 398 yards and five touchdowns.
“Obviously we need to set better edges and attack,” said Mason. “That has 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 incomplete passes in the last two games.
MTSU football moves the ball well but has trouble finishing drives
MTSU allowed at least 14 points in the first half and trailed 21-0 at halftime.
The Blue Raiders had two drives inside the Western Kentucky 15-yard line, including a first-and-goal drive from the WKU 1-yard line on one possession. However, MTSU was unable to score on either drive, as they failed to convert a fourth-down attempt at the 1-yard line and threw an interception from the 13-yard line.
“I don’t think we’re missing too much,” Kelly said of missed opportunities. “The biggest thing we really need to work on is coming to practice with intention and actually having better practice habits than we’ve had in the past.”
MTSU also made it to the Hilltoppers’ 40-yard line on its first possession, but failed to convert a fourth down and a third down. The Blue Raiders failed to convert a fourth down at the WKU 36-yard line late in the third quarter.
MTSU finished the race with a total of 514 yards.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @Cecil_Joyce.
