MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee could not have asked for more to start the game from their defense. But a second-half rally from Western Kentucky and a stalling offense put the game out of reach, as the Blue Raiders fell to the Hilltoppers 35-17 at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
MTSU (3-4, 0-3 C-USA) took advantage of a fumble on the first offensive play from WKU (4-3, 2-1 C-USA), scoring a touchdown on a 14-yard run from Chase Cunningham to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. But after the Hilltoppers scored two more touchdowns and Zeke Rankin added a Blue Raider field goal, MTSU hit the locker room at halftime trailing just 14-10.