Led by fourth-year head coach Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders compiled an overall record 10–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the Sun Belt.
The Blue Raiders returned to Maryland for a third time, and hosted their first ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent, Mississippi State, in school history.
[2] Pregame line: Middle Tennessee -1.0 Blackout proved once again to be a winning theme for the Middle Tennessee football team as they rode the back of quarterback Dwight Dasher in earning its first victory of the season, a 31–14 decision against Memphis, in front of a Floyd Stadium-record 28,105 in attendance in the home opener in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Saturday evening.
It kicked off the 74th season of Blue Raider football at its home venue and surpassed the previous stadium attendance mark of 27,568 against Tennessee State September 5, 1998.
"[4] Pregame line: Middle Tennessee -6.5 Middle Tennessee football opened Sun Belt action by winning its third-straight game and improved on its best start in eight years with a 37–21 victory at North Texas Saturday evening in front of 22,346 at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas.
The three-game winning streak is the first for the Blue Raiders since they won three late last season, while the 3-1 start is the second best in the school's FBS (1999–present) era, following the 4-0 opening by the 2001 squad.
Dwight Dasher entered play tonight ranked sixth nationally in total offense and first in touches per game.
[7] Pregame line: Middle Tennessee -18 Dwight Dasher's career day on a record-breaking afternoon spurred Middle Tennessee football to a 62–24 win over rival Western Kentucky in front of 17,787 on a cool Homecoming outing at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Dasher finished 22-of-35 for 355 yards and three scores, the eighth-highest passing day in school history.
[8] Pregame line: Florida Atlantic -1 Quarterback Dwight Dasher sprinted for a career-long 74-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to provide the winning difference in a come-from-behind 27-20 Middle Tennessee victory at Florida Atlantic Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt action.
The Owls had one last chance, but a fourth-down pass was ruled out-of-bounds, ending the thriller on Halloween in front of 15,568 fans at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Dasher's career-best dash with 5:31 remaining gave the Blue Raiders a pair of players over the 100-yard barrier, as he finished with 108, trailing only the 140 accumulated by teammate D.D.
Danny Carmichael led the Blue Raider defense with a career-high 15 tackles, while Cam Robinson added a career-best 14 stops.
Sherman Neal grabbed the loose ball behind punter Mickey Groody and returned it 29 yards to bring Middle Tennessee (5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt) within three, 10-7.
Jeremy Kellem was able to get a hand on a Groody punt halfway through the period to raise the blocked kick total to three, the highest by a Middle Tennessee team since the Blue Raiders matched the effort in 2002 against North Texas.
[9] Pregame line: Middle Tennessee -13 Middle Tennessee tallied 34 unanswered points behind a strong performance on the ground, led by quarterback Dwight Dasher, and was able to hold on for a 48–21 win Saturday afternoon against visiting FIU in front of 17,808 at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee finished with 385 rushing yards, the fourth-highest total in a school history, and the third-straight contest in which the Blue Raiders surpassed the 200-yard plateau.
With Middle Tennessee's win over FIU ran its record to 6-3 which is the best start to a season since 2006 when the Blue Raiders competed in the Motor City Bowl.
The Blue Raider defense sacked Ragin' Cajun quarterback Chris Masson five times, one more instance than the Louisiana–Lafayette offense had allowed all season, tying for the fewest in the nation entering the contest.
Dasher finished 16-of-25 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, leading Middle Tennessee to four scores on seven drives in the final 30 minutes after trailing by three at halftime.
[11] Pregame line: Middle Tennessee -11.5 It was "Senior Day" at Middle Tennessee but a standout underclassman continued to steal headlines on the field as the Blue Raiders capped the home portion of their schedule with an emphatic 38-14 win against visiting Arkansas State in front of 19,111 at Floyd Stadium Saturday.
Junior quarterback Dwight Dasher threw touchdowns to four different players to lead a Blue Raider offense that piled up 427 yards and dominated the Red Wolves from the opening quarter.
Middle Tennessee climaxed its dynamic regular season in the much the same manner it has achieved success all season – nasty defense, productive offense and special teams contributions, but the big story was junior quarterback Dwight Dasher who danced his way into the Blue Raider record books with his arm and legs.
While the spotlight would shine on Dasher it was still that blue-collar, blue-clad defense that stiffened after a slow start and dominated the game following the opening quarter when it surrendered two touchdowns on Southern Miss' first two drives.
Making the turnovers even more impressive was the fact Southern Miss quarterback Martevious Young had thrown just two interceptions all season and had 165 consecutive completions without a pick before Suber turned him over in the second quarter.
The win demonstrated the continued growth of Middle Tennessee's program under fourth-year head coach Rick Stockstill, who has led the Blue Raiders to both of their bowl appearances of the FBS era.