Middle Tennessee (2-1) vs. Jacksonville State (2-2) Football: 9/26/26

JACKSONVILLE, ALA, September 26, 2026- The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders fell in a hard fought game to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday night by a final score of 23-13. It was a game of momentum shifts and physicality from start to finish, with the result in doubt until the closing moments of the 4th Quarter. The Gamecocks leaned on a tremendous performance from starting quarterback Caden Creel down the stretch on their way to clinching the C-USA opener.

Jacksonville State would find some early trouble against the Blue Raider defense as Creel threw an interception to Kalen Woods, picking up where the Blue Raider defense left off after forcing three turnovers last week against Nevada. Jax State would get the ball back though, and would then move right down the field thanks to a run-heavy offense centered around Creel However, the Blue Raiders defense would get a clutch stop in the red-zone, forcing a 27 yard field goal from Garrison Ripa to put the Gamecock on top 3-0 with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Middle Tennessee would struggle to get their offense rolling as they would get stonewalled by the Gamecocks defensive line and quarterback Roman Gagliano struggled to get open looks down the field. Yet, the Gamecocks would fail to capitalize in the red zone by being stopped at the 1 yard line on 4th and Goal. Eventually, Jacksonville State would break through just past halfway in the 2nd Quarter with a touchdown run from Kreel from one yard out with 6:50 remaining in the half. Middle would finally get into a rhythm offensively with a touchdown drive of 14 plays and 90 yards to score a 5 yard touchdown pass from Roman Gagliano to

Cam’ron Lacy right before the end of the half. From there a James Johson interception would mark the second turnover of the first half as time expired. Middle Tennessee would trail 10-7 as the teams made their way to the locker room.

In the 3rd Quarter, Middle Tennessee’s air attack would come alive in a big way as they proceeded to take the ball 75 yards in 9 plays to take a 13-10 lead following a 32 yard touchdown pass from Gagliano to Markus Allen. With 13 unanswered points, it seemed as though it might be Middle’s game to lose; however, the Gamecocks would respond with a 31-Yard Field Goal from Rippa on a 10 play, 62 yard drive to notch the score at 13 with 5:43 to go in the quarter. Despite the great efforts from MTSU on offense however, the Blue Raider defense struggled to handle the bodyblows from Jax State as they would give up a 7 play, 76 yard drive capped off by a brilliant jump ball touchdown to six foot eight inch Deondre Johnson. This would give the Gamecocks a 20-13 lead with just over a minute remaining in the 3rd Quarter, which would prove to be a decisive blow in the contest.

In the 4th Quarter, the Gamecocks' ball-control style of offense would take over and would bleed tremendous amounts of clock. This would prove to be enough for Jax State as their defense made Roman Gagliano’s life difficult in the pocket with multiple quarterback pressures and sacks. Garrison Rippa would add his third field goal of the night from 29 yards out with 2:46 remaining which would give the Gamecocks a 23-13 lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the game.

Blue Raider Head Coach Derek Mason would say of the loss, “hats off to Jax State. We had our opportunities. Against a team like this, you’ve got to cut the head off the snake.” Middle Tennessee falls to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play, and will now have to fight an uphill battle if they want to find their way to the C-USA Championship Game in December. The Blue Raiders will get a chance to get back in the win column in out-of-conference play next week against the Kansas Jayhawks for their final game before Weekday C-USA action begins. Listen to the MTN Sports Network and check the MTN Sports Instagram page for live broadcasts and updates on Blue Raider Football.