Middle Tennessee Rushes Past Mean Green Football

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Schedule

Sep 5

11:00 AM CT

Football

at Indiana

Sep 12

2:45 PM CT

Football

vs UNLV

Sep 19

11:00 AM CT

Football

at Texas State

Sep 26

6:30 PM CT

Football

vs Houston Christian

Murfreesboro, Tenn. (11/22/08) Phillip Tanner scored six touchdowns to lead the Middle Tennessee football team to a 52-13 victory on Saturday night at Floyd Stadium.

The Mean Green falls to 1-10 and 0-6 in the Sun Belt, while the Blue Raiders improve to 5-6 and 3-3 in the conference. MT has now won the last three meetings between the two teams but trails the series, 5-3.

Tanner rushed for 159 yards on 12 carries. He scored five rushing touchdowns in the first half, including four straight. Tanner started the second half with a 92-yard kick-off return for a touchdown to add to his total.

Middle Tennessee took advantage of two North Texas fumbles to take an early 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The Blue Raiders started the game with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Joe Craddock to Eldred King. MT added 10 points off the Mean Green fumbles: a 28-yard field goal and Tanner’s first rushing touchdown of 12 yards.

North Texas responded with two scores to cut the lead to four points, 17-13, after a blocked extra point at the end of the first quarter. Casey Fitzgerald caught a 57-yard pass from Giovanni Vizza, and Cam Montgomery followed with 12-yard rush.

The 57-yard touchdown pass is the longest pass play of the season by North Texas. It was also the 20^th touchdown reception of Fitzgerald’s career. Fitzgerald moved into fourth place in career receiving yards at North Texas with his performance tonight. Fitzgerald now has 2,443 career receiving yards, which ranks just below Ron Shanklin who ranks third in Mean Green history with 2,465.

The rushing touchdown by Montgomery was his seventh of the season. He leads the team in rushing and rushing touchdowns.

Montgomery was close to a second score at the end of the second quarter. He was stopped for no gain on Middle Tennessee’s one-yard run on fourth down. Adryan Adams set up the Mean Green with an interception that he ran back 48 yards to the Blue Raiders’ 47-yard line. The interception was the longest by any Mean Green defender this season.

Vizza threw for 221 yards and completed 25 of 39 passes, including one touchdown. Montgomery rushed for 77 yards on 12 carries. Fitzgerald caught 12 passes for 118 yards.

Phillip Taylor scored four straight rushing touchdowns to extend the Blue Raiders’ lead to 45-13 at the half. His third was a long of 66 yards. The Blue Raiders outscored the Mean Green, 28-0, in the second quarter.

North Texas rounds out the 2008 season with a game against Arkansas State on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 1 pm.

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Players Mentioned

Adryan Adams

Casey Fitzgerald

Cam Montgomery

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