It was a rough afternoon in Miami Gardens on Saturday as No. 25 Miami (2–2) lost its second game of the season in a stunning upset against Middle Tennessee (3–1).
Led by coach Rick Stockstill, the Blue Raiders put together all-around dominant effort to shock the Hurricanes, recording a whopping 507 yards of offense while holding Miami to 10 first-half points en route to securing a 45–31 victory on the road.
The win marked MTSU’s first over an AP-ranked opponent in program history (previously 0–24), and improved the team’s record against Miami to 3–0 all-time. The embarrassing loss is Miami’s third in its last four games against Conference USA competition, a startling stat made worse by the fact that Saturday’s defeat just so happened to fall on first-year coach and Miami alum Mario Cristobal’s 52nd birthday.
The events of Saturday’s rout captivated the college football world as viewers looked to see if MTSU, whom Miami paid $1.5 million to play on its own turf, could pull off the huge win.
MTSU’s defense set the tone early with two interceptions and a fumble recovery on Miami’s first three possessions; the second INT was returned by defensive tackle Zaylin Wood for a 15-yard touchdown. After setting up a field goal on MTSU’s first possession, quarterback Chase Cunningham recovered from a pick of his own and tossed a 71-yard TD. Cunningham also ran in another to give MTSU a 24–3 lead.
From there, the Blue Raiders continued to apply pressure, forcing a turnover on downs and another fumble while allowing one TD before halftime. The Hurricanes began the second half with two punts before attempting to mount a furious comeback, only to be matched by MTSU at nearly every turn. The teams accounted for three touchdown drives a piece, two of which came on absurd 69 and 98-yard Cunningham completions. But, in the end, it was the Blue Raiders who emerged from Hard Rock Stadium with the bragging rights.
In the immediate aftermath of the blowout, the CFB world had quite a few things to say about Miami’s meltdown. Check out some of the best reactions to Saturday’s stunner below:
