MTSU defeats Tennessee Tech in opener: What we learned from thriller in Derek Mason's debut

Middle Tennessee State football opened the 2024 season and the Derek Mason era Saturday night with a 32-25 victory over Tennessee Tech.

But it wasn't easy. The Blue Raiders blew a 21-point lead and trailed by one point before Frank Peasant's 30-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left gave the hosts the lead back and helped them escape the upset.

The kickoff was delayed more than 2½ hours because of lightning, and the game didn't begin until nearly 8:45 p.m. CT.

"Tonight was an interesting night, to really say the least," Mason said. "(Tennessee Tech) came in here and played one heck of a ballgame. You look early and you think you're going to have an opportunity to boat-race somebody a little bit. Then all of a sudden you sputter out. Football is a game of momentum. We had it early. Tennessee Tech marched back and they took it. I don't think this group panicked. What you saw from this team was growth."

The Blue Raiders (1-0) will be at Ole Miss on Saturday (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

Here's what we learned from the season-opening win:

MTSU football coach Derek Mason no stranger to debut delays

The beginning of Mason’s debut as MTSU's coach was eerily similar to his debut at Vanderbilt a decade earlier.

His first game as coach of the Commodores on Aug. 28, 2014, was delayed more than an hour and a half because of weather. However, while Vanderbilt fell to Temple 37-7 that day, MTSU earned him the win against Tennessee Tech.

Despite the near upset, it was still a memorable night for Mason. The thrilling end made it more so.

"I look at where we are, and this is special," he said. "It was almost 10 years to the day that I had to sit and play a game at 11:30 at night. It's almost like, "Are the dark clouds coming back? But then my wife (LeighAnne) sent me a text (during the delay). As I'm sitting in the locker room . . . She said, 'Listen, this ain't that. This isn't 2014, it's 2024.' Just like that, I sort of snapped (out of it).

"First victory . . . we'll all remember it, that's for dang sure."

MTSU football scores on first three drives to set tone

The season opener began about as well as MTSU fans could have hoped, as the Blue Raiders scored on their first three drives.

After a subpar showing on offense in the second half, they would need all of those scores.

The quick start helped MTSU build a 21-0 lead before Tennessee Tech finished the half with a safety and a field goal.

MTSU drove 15 plays for 72 yards on the opening drive, resulting in a 3-yard TD run by Peasant. A 40-yard interception return by John Howse set up the second score, a 7-yard pass from Nick Vattiato to Myles Butler..

Jaiden Credle’s 11-yard TD scamper on the third possession capped an 11-play, 59-yard drive.

Nick Vattiato, MTSU offense has mixed results

With the exception of the first drive, when MTSU showed several different formations, the offense kept things pretty basic.

That was particularly true for Vattiato, who was relegated mainly to pocket passes and handoffs during the game.

Vattiato, who led MTSU with 139 carries and was second with 397 rushing yards in 2023, did not have a designed run during the game. He had a few rollouts, but passed the ball on most occasions.

He did take one big hit early in the fourth quarter on what resulted in a targeting call on Tennessee Tech's Theron Gaines, an Oakland product. That play negated a pick-six for the Golden Eagles and kept the MTSU drive alive, which culminated in a field goal and 24-11 lead.

That turned out to be a huge play, considering the Golden Eagles scored back-to-back TDs after that to take the lead with 1:06 left.

Vattiato finished the game 20 of 35 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He hit Omari Kelly on a crucial 26-yard completion on fourth-and-5 with 26 seconds left. Peasant scored the winner on the next play.

"That's actually something I've been wanting to do since I've been here," said Peasant, a 5-foot-11, 197-pound redshirt senior. "Walk-off touchdown run. It was very exciting for me. It was a great feeling."

The Blue Raiders converted 9 of 16 third downs after being successful on just 39.5% last season. They rushed for just 118 yards, including the 30 yards Peasant gained on the last play.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU defeats Tennessee Tech in opener: What we learned from thriller in Derek Mason's debut