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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football vs. Middle Tennessee: Series Snapshot
9/3/2024 | Football
OXFORD, Miss – The Ole Miss football team won its second meeting ever with Furman last week, and the No. 6 Rebels will look to do the same in their second meeting ever with Middle Tennessee this Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Single-game tickets are still available at OleMissTix.com, but supplies are limited, so act fast to secure your seat. Scroll on for a look at the series history between Ole Miss and MTSU, as well as how the Red Raiders have fared against teams the like Rebels in recent years.
Last Meeting
The lone meeting between Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee came in 2001, when the Rebels used a balanced offense led by Eli Manning to dismantle the Blue Raiders, 45-17. Manning went 25-for-31 for 257 yards and threw three touchdown passes, while Joe Gunn ran for 111 yards and one score on 19 carries. The Rebels outgained the Blue Raiders 478-328 in the victory.
Common Foe: Alabama
Middle Tennessee met two SEC foes last year, Alabama and Missouri. The Blue Raiders opened the 2023 season with a 56-7 defeat at the hands of the Crimson Tide. Ole Miss fared a bit better in Tuscaloosa, though also falling 24-10. The following week, however, MTSU showed that it can handle SEC competition. The Blue Raiders drove into Missouri territory down by four in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter but ultimately came up short as the Tigers escaped the upset with a 23-19 victory.
MTSU vs. Top 25
Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, the Blue Raiders have faced 23 teams ranked in the nation's Top 25. The Ole Miss game will be the seventh straight year the Blue Raiders have met a ranked team, including eight total during that span. The Blue Raiders have faced 10 teams ranked in the Top 10, including at No. 4 Alabama in 2023. MT picked up its first win ever against a Top 25 team in 2022 when it defeated No. 25 Miami, 45-31.
Ole Miss vs. Derek Mason
Derek Mason is in his first year as Middle Tennessee's head coach, and already he's seeing a familiar opponent. Mason was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014-20. Ole Miss went 5-2 on the field against Mason's Commodores, falling in 2016 in Nashville and again in the Music City in overtime in 2018. The following year, Mason was the defensive coordinator at Auburn when Ole Miss fell 31-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
Single-game tickets are still available at OleMissTix.com, but supplies are limited, so act fast to secure your seat. Scroll on for a look at the series history between Ole Miss and MTSU, as well as how the Red Raiders have fared against teams the like Rebels in recent years.
Last Meeting
The lone meeting between Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee came in 2001, when the Rebels used a balanced offense led by Eli Manning to dismantle the Blue Raiders, 45-17. Manning went 25-for-31 for 257 yards and threw three touchdown passes, while Joe Gunn ran for 111 yards and one score on 19 carries. The Rebels outgained the Blue Raiders 478-328 in the victory.
Common Foe: Alabama
Middle Tennessee met two SEC foes last year, Alabama and Missouri. The Blue Raiders opened the 2023 season with a 56-7 defeat at the hands of the Crimson Tide. Ole Miss fared a bit better in Tuscaloosa, though also falling 24-10. The following week, however, MTSU showed that it can handle SEC competition. The Blue Raiders drove into Missouri territory down by four in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter but ultimately came up short as the Tigers escaped the upset with a 23-19 victory.
MTSU vs. Top 25
Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, the Blue Raiders have faced 23 teams ranked in the nation's Top 25. The Ole Miss game will be the seventh straight year the Blue Raiders have met a ranked team, including eight total during that span. The Blue Raiders have faced 10 teams ranked in the Top 10, including at No. 4 Alabama in 2023. MT picked up its first win ever against a Top 25 team in 2022 when it defeated No. 25 Miami, 45-31.
Ole Miss vs. Derek Mason
Derek Mason is in his first year as Middle Tennessee's head coach, and already he's seeing a familiar opponent. Mason was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014-20. Ole Miss went 5-2 on the field against Mason's Commodores, falling in 2016 in Nashville and again in the Music City in overtime in 2018. The following year, Mason was the defensive coordinator at Auburn when Ole Miss fell 31-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
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