Middle Tennessee State University’s Blue Raiders opened the 2026 football season with a commanding 38‑14 victory over Murray State, the most points the program has scored under head coach Derek Mason and the highest total of his tenure.
A Storm‑Riddled Showcase
Quarterback Roman Gagliano, a redshirt sophomore, orchestrated the offense with a 76.9% completion rate, throwing for two touchdowns and adding a rushing score in his fourth career start.
Junior wideout Cam'ron Lacy turned in a career‑night performance, hauling in eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, while redshirt freshman Neo Clifton celebrated his first collegiate touchdown on the opening drive.
Running back Antonio Martin burst onto the scene with 103 rushing yards, and Terrence Brown contributed 66 yards and a touchdown on four carries, bolstering a ground game that helped the Raiders earn 12 first downs in the opening quarter.
Defensively, Kalen Woods made a career‑high seven tackles and returned a fumble for a 39‑yard touchdown, his first as a Blue Raider, while Ashton Taylor’s forced fumble set the play in motion.
The contest was repeatedly halted by severe weather, with three delays accumulating more than four hours and fifteen minutes, pushing the start time well past its original 10:17 p.m. kickoff and ultimately leading to the game’s conclusion after the decisive lead was established.
The win not only marks the highest point total of Mason’s tenure but also the 112th season of MTSU football, and it propels the Raiders onto their first road trip, a showdown at West Virginia’s Marshall University.