Missouri State Edges Middle Tennessee 22-20 in Week 7 Thriller
Missouri State escaped Middle Tennessee with a 22-20 victory in a tightly contested Week 7 matchup. The away team built momentum early, scoring 16 points in the second quarter before adding 6 more in the second half. Middle Tennessee kept pace throughout, scoring in every quarter except the third to stay within striking distance.
Deuce Bailey led Missouri State's offense through the air with 278 passing yards, connecting with Ramone Green Jr. on a crucial 76-yard completion to the MTSU 12-yard line in the third quarter. Middle Tennessee's Nicholas Vattiato found Cam'ron Lacy twice through the air, including a 52-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
On the ground, Middle Tennessee's Jekail Middlebrook rushed for 93 yards. The game featured 10 lead changes and remained competitive until the final whistle, with Missouri State's defense making key plays down the stretch. The Bears' 22-point output came in under the 51.5-point over-under, and the result covered the 3-point spread in favor of the home team.
AI-generated recap · Aug 10, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Missouri State | 0 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
 Middle Tennessee | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Missouri State | Middle Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 16-31 | 30-42 |
| Pass Yards | 278 | 267 |
| Rush Yards | 83 | 99 |
| Total Yards | 361 | 366 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 4-15 | 7-16 |
| Penalties | 3-41 | 6-54 |
| Possession | 30:42 | 29:18 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Jekail Middlebrook run for 12 yds to the MTSU 47 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MTSU 47 Middle Tennessee Penalty, Offensive holding (-10 Yards) to the MTSU 37
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to AJ Jones for 4 yds to the MTSU 41
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Cam'ron Lacy for 15 yds to the MOST 44
Jekail Middlebrook run for 16 yds to the MOST 28 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MOST 28
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MOST 28
Nicholas Vattiato run for 1 yd to the MOST 27
Jacob Hathaway 45 Yd Field Goal
Baylen Woodman kickoff for 63 yds , Dash Luke return for 23 yds to the MOST 25
Shomari Lawrence run for 10 yds to the MOST 35 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey sacked by Reggie Johnson for a loss of 9 yards to the MOST 26
Shomari Lawrence run for 5 yds to the MOST 31
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Ramone Green Jr.
Stewart McDonald punt for 47 yds
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for no gain to the MTSU 22 Middle Tennessee Penalty, inelgible downfield on pass (-5 Yards) to the MTSU 17
Nicholas Vattiato run for 2 yds to the MTSU 19
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for 11 yds to the MTSU 30
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Cam'ron Lacy, broken up by Ryan Williams
Ashton Logan punt for 36 yds
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Jekail Middlebrook for 6 yds to the MTSU 37
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MTSU 37
run for a loss of 13 yards to the MTSU 24 fumbled, recovered by MOST Jalen Brooks
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Dash Luke
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Dash Luke for 19 yds to the MTSU 5 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey 5 Yd Run (Yousef Obeid PAT failed)
Yousef Obeid kickoff for 59 yds , DJ Taylor return for 12 yds to the MTSU 18
Jekail Middlebrook run for 18 yds to the MTSU 36 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Myles Butler for 12 yds to the MTSU 48 for a 1ST down
Cam'ron Lacy 52 Yd pass from Nicholas Vattiato (Jacob Hathaway Kick)
Baylen Woodman kickoff for 64 yds , Dash Luke return for 20 yds to the MOST 21
Deuce Bailey pass complete to James BlackStrain for 1 yd to the MOST 22
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to James BlackStrain, broken up by Damonte Smith
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Isaiah McMorris for 13 yds to the MOST 35 Middle Tennessee Penalty, personal foul (Kalen Woods) to the 50 yard line
Deuce Bailey run for 7 yds to the MTSU 43
Shomari Lawrence run for 5 yds to the MTSU 38 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Jeron Askren for a loss of 1 yard to the MTSU 39
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Ronnel Johnson, broken up by Muaaz Byard
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Tristian Gardner for 17 yds to the MTSU 22 for a 1ST down
Ramone Green Jr. run for 2 yds to the MTSU 20
Ronnel Johnson 20 Yd pass from Deuce Bailey (Yousef Obeid Kick)
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to AJ Jones for 5 yds to the MTSU 40
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to AJ Jones for 3 yds to the MTSU 43
Nicholas Vattiato sacked by Thomas Anderson for a loss of 3 yards to the MTSU 40 Middle Tennessee Penalty, illegal formation (Yards) to the MTSU 40
Ashton Logan punt for 53 yds
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Makai Cope for 14 yds to the MOST 21 for a 1ST down
Shomari Lawrence run for 6 yds to the MOST 27
Deuce Bailey run for 4 yds to the MOST 31 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Tristian Gardner for 42 yds to the MTSU 27 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey run for 8 yds to the MTSU 19
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Tristian Gardner, broken up by De'Arre McDonald
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 3 yards to the MTSU 22
Yousef Obeid 39 Yd Field Goal
Yousef Obeid kickoff for 59 yds , DJ Taylor return for 15 yds to the MTSU 21
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for 12 yds to the MTSU 33 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for 12 yds to the MTSU 45 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Nahzae Cox, broken up by Jordan Dunbar
Nicholas Vattiato run for 4 yds to the MTSU 49
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Cam'ron Lacy for 14 yds to the MOST 37 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Hunter Tipton
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Myles Butler for 14 yds to the MOST 23 for a 1ST down
Jacob Hathaway 40 Yd Field Goal
Baylen Woodman kickoff for 58 yds , Dash Luke return for 5 yds to the MOST 12
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Ramone Green Jr. for 76 yds to the MTSU 12 for a 1ST down
Shomari Lawrence run for 4 yds to the MTSU 8
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 1 yard to the MTSU 9
Deuce Bailey run for 1 yd to the MTSU 8
Yousef Obeid 25 Yd Field Goal
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Jekail Middlebrook for 7 yds to the MTSU 32
Jekail Middlebrook run for 6 yds to the MTSU 38 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for 9 yds Nicholas Vattiato fumbled, recovered by MTSU
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to AJ Jones
Jekail Middlebrook run for 7 yds to the MOST 46 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Cam'ron Lacy for 4 yds to the MOST 42
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Hunter Tipton
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Kason Stokes for 4 yds to the MOST 38
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Kason Stokes, broken up by Jordan Dunbar
Shomari Lawrence run for 7 yds to the MOST 45
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Connor Lair
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Brendon McQueen, broken up by Anthony Bynum
Stewart McDonald punt for 55 yds
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to AJ Jones for 5 yds to the MTSU 25
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Jekail Middlebrook for 6 yds to the MTSU 31 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Hunter Tipton
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Myles Butler, broken up by Christian Ford
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Jekail Middlebrook, broken up by Jalen Brooks
Ashton Logan punt for 49 yds
Deuce Bailey pass complete to James BlackStrain for 11 yds to the MOST 31 for a 1ST down
Shomari Lawrence run for 10 yds to the MOST 41 for a 1ST down
Shomari Lawrence run for 2 yds to the MOST 43
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to James BlackStrain
Deuce Bailey run for 7 yds to the 50 yard line
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 1 yard to the MOST 49 Deuce Bailey fumbled, recovered by MOST Deuce Bailey
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Evan Poticher for 5 yds to the MOST 44
Jekail Middlebrook run for 4 yds to the MOST 40
Middle Tennessee Penalty, false start (Mateo Guevara) to the MOST 44
Nicholas Vattiato run for 1 yd to the MOST 43
Jekail Middlebrook run for 1 yd to the MOST 42
Deuce Bailey sacked by Anthony Bynum for a loss of 20 yards to the MOST 22 Deuce Bailey fumbled, recovered by MOST Jeron Askren , return for 0 yards
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete
Deuce Bailey run for 11 yds to the MOST 33
Stewart McDonald punt for 39 yds
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Myles Butler for 11 yds to the MTSU 39 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for 10 yds to the MTSU 49 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for 5 yds to the MOST 46
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Nahzae Cox for 4 yds to the MOST 42
Jekail Middlebrook run for 3 yds to the MOST 39 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato sacked by Dylan Dixson for a loss of 1 yard to the MOST 40 for a 1ST down Missouri State Penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct (Ryan Williams) to the MOST 25 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass incomplete to Jekail Middlebrook
Jekail Middlebrook run for 3 yds to the MOST 22
Nicholas Vattiato sacked by Cooper Roy for 0 yards to the MOST 22 for a 1ST down Missouri State Penalty, face mask (11 yards) (Mitchell Toney) to the MOST 11 for a 1ST down
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Nahzae Cox for a loss of 2 yards to the MOST 13
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MOST 13 Middle Tennessee Penalty, face mask (0 yards) (Kanye Young) to the MOST 13
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Nahzae Cox for 3 yds to the MOST 10
Cam'ron Lacy 10 Yd pass from Nicholas Vattiato (Jacob Hathaway Kick)
Baylen Woodman kickoff for 58 yds , Dash Luke return for 25 yds to the MOST 32
Shomari Lawrence run for 4 yds to the MOST 36
Deuce Bailey run for 7 yds to the MOST 43 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to Jeron Askren
Deuce Bailey sacked by Brandon Buckner for a loss of 4 yards to the MOST 39
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Tristian Gardner for 11 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down Middle Tennessee Penalty, face mask (15 yards) (Korey Smith) to the MTSU 35 for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Ronnel Johnson for 20 yds Deuce Bailey fumbled, recovered by MOST Cash Hudson for a 1ST down
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 3 yards to the MTSU 18
Deuce Bailey pass incomplete to James BlackStrain, broken up by De'Arre McDonald
Deuce Bailey pass complete to Dash Luke for 6 yds to the MTSU 12
Yousef Obeid 29 Yd Field Goal
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Cam'ron Lacy for 19 yds to the MTSU 44 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for 4 yds to the MTSU 48
Nicholas Vattiato run for 2 yds to the 50 yard line
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to AJ Jones for 5 yds to the MOST 45 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MOST 45 for a 1ST down Missouri State Penalty, face mask (15 yards) (Tim Brantley Jr.) to the MOST 30 for a 1ST down
Jekail Middlebrook run for a loss of 1 yard to the MOST 31
Jekail Middlebrook run for no gain to the MOST 31
Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Hunter Tipton for no gain to the MOST 31
Jacob Hathaway 50 yd FG MISSED
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 4 yards to the MOST 27
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 4 yards to the MOST 23
Deuce Bailey run for a loss of 5 yards to the MOST 23