MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A bad start put Middle Tennessee in too big of a hole to climb out of Saturday with the Rice Owls visiting Floyd Stadium.
In their annual Salute to Veterans & Armed Forces game and first matchup all-time with the Owls (1-9, 1-5), the Blue Raiders (3-7, 2-4) were defeated 31-28. It put the blue and white's bowl eligibility dreams out of reach for the first time in eight years.
"I'm really disappointed in how we performed in the first half," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill said. "It was just a poor performance in the first half, and we didn't give ourselves a chance.