North Texas Loses At Middle Tennessee
MURFREESBORO, TN – Saturday’s game at Floyd Stadium played out just as it appeared it would: one team limping towards the finish line, its opponent seeking to become bowl eligible.
North Texas surrendered touchdowns on Middle Tennessee’s first four possessions of a 41-7 loss that drops the Mean Green’s 2015 campaign to a 1-10 record – the fifth season in program history with 10 or more losses and fourth in the last 10 years – and boosts MTSU to its sixth win of the season, making the Blue Raiders eligible for one of Conference USA’s bowl berths.
In a surprisingly sparsely-attended final MTSU home game of the year, Saturday was the same verse as has been sung all season by the Mean Green: a slow start with no first-quarter touchdowns combined with early opponent scoring leading to a quick double-digit deficit. In 11 games this year, North Texas has yet to score a TD in the opening period.
“Seven road games and three in a row have taken a toll on us,” said North Texas coach Mike Canales, whose team just completed a three-game road trip and have played seven of its 11 games thus far away
from home. “It showed today. We missed opportunities, didn’t take care of the ball, and we wouldn’t stop them on defense.”
The Mean Green defense, which turned in its best performance of the season a week ago against the SEC’s Tennessee, could not get off the field against Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders did not punt until the 3:57 mark of the third quarter and was slowed only by a first-half interception by NT’s Kishawn McClain, which was erased three plays later by a Mean Green fumble. MTSU was able to pick the Mean Green apart with a short-passing game that piled up yards after the catch.
The NT offense, meanwhile, generated just 133 yards passing and 324 yards total offense, its third lowest output of the season, The Mean Green managed three drives into scoring territory, the first ending in a missed field goal, the second in a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback DaMarcus Smith and the third in a lost fumble at the MTSU five-yard line.
