Blue Raiders roll to victory in home opener against UT-Martin

Sep 10, 2018 at 08:08 am by bryan


It wasn't pretty at times, but a win is a win.

That's what Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill told his team after the Blue Raiders (1-1) sent their fans home happy with a 61-37 win over UT Martin (0-2) Saturday at Floyd Stadium.

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Redshirt freshman linebacker Wayne Parks recovered a poor punt attempt after a Skyhawk drive and ignited the Floyd Stadium crowd:

Chip Walters on the Blue Raider Network with the call. That gave MT a 40-17 lead that would grow as the game went on.

Brent Stockstill finished 25 of 34 for 407 yards and five TDs through the air, his third career 400-yard passing game. Anderson was his favorite target, catching six balls for 141 yards, and Smith had five grabs for 87 yards and three touchdowns, tied for a school single-game record. Junior CJ Windham added three catches for 86 yards and two TDs.

All three receivers set career highs in yards.

Alongside Stockstill in the backfield, redshirt freshman Chaton Mobley got the first start of his Blue Raider career and responded well. The Fulton, Tennessee native finished with 12 carries for 55 yards and the first two TDs of his college career.

"I knew I would have to be the next guy up," Mobley said. "It felt amazing - I hadn't played football in like two years, so it felt pretty good."

Defensively, Middle Tennessee racked up five sacks as a team, led by two from Thomas, who also had six tackles and three tackles for loss.

Senior Wesley Bush was the high man in the tackle department with 10, and Grate finished with seven tackles, a sack and an interception.

Things don't get easy for the Blue Raiders moving forward, as they'll travel to No. 3 Georgia in Week 3.

"We're playing some real McCoys this week," Coach Stockstill said. "We have to correct our mistakes and play better than what we did today."

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