MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Cody Stroud recorded two touchdowns and McNeese State racked up 298 rushing yards as the Cowboys defeated Middle Tennessee 27-21 on the road Thursday night.
Marcus Wiltz led the ground attack with 105 yards on 20 carries for McNeese State (1-0), which recorded its first win against an FBS school since 2001.
Middle Tennessee (0-1) opened up a 6-0 lead behind field goals from Carlos Lopez.
However, Tyler Bolfing, who entered the game after Stroud was sidelined briefly following a quarterback sneak, connected with Josh Jordan from 2-yards out to tie the game at 6-6.
Stroud returned late in the second quarter to lead McNeese State on an 87-yard scoring drive before halftime and his 1-yard rushing touchdown gave the Cowboys a 23-6 lead late in the third quarter.
Logan Kilgore's two second half touchdown's help cut the deficit to 27-21 but the Blue Raiders could not complete the rally.
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| Scoring Summary |
| MTSU | Carlos Lopez 20 yd FG |
| MTSU | Carlos Lopez 28 yd FG |
| MCN | Josh Jordan 2 yd pass from Tyler Bolfing (Josh Lewis kick) |
| MCN | Champlain Babin 8 yd pass from Cody Stroud (Josh Lewis kick) |
| MCN | Josh Lewis 46 yd FG |
| MCN | Cody Stroud 1 yd run (Josh Lewis kick) |
| MTSU | Anthony Amos 6 yd pass from Logan Kilgore (Jordan Parker 2pt pass from Logan Kilgore) |
| MCN | Josh Lewis 33 yd FG |
| MTSU | Kyle Griswould 15 yd pass from Logan Kilgore (Carlos Lopez kick) |
| Team Stats | ||
| MCN | MTSU | |
| First Downs | 24 | 20 |
| Third Down Efficiency | 3-11 | 6-14 |
| Fourth Down Efficiency | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Plays-Net Yards | 70-450 | 68-343 |
| Rushes-Yds | 51-298 | 27-103 |
| Passing Yds | 152 | 240 |
| Kick Return Yds | 86 | 241 |
| Punt Return Yds | 42 | 26 |
| Passes | 12-19-0 | 27-41-1 |
| Punts | 5-191 | 4-184 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Penalties-Yds | 9-69 | 6-50 |
| Time of Poss. | 36:5 | 23:55 |
| Individual Stats |
| RUSHING |
| MCN: Marcus Wiltz 20-105, Champlain Babin 11-64, Javaris Murray 7-50, Ernest Celestie 3-42, Darius Carey 4-31, Cody Stroud 5-5, Diontae Spencer 1-1 |
| MTSU: Jordan Parker 9-39, Benny Cunningham 9-34, Drayton Calhoun 8-27, Jeremiah Bryson 1-3 |
| PASSING |
| MCN: Cody Stroud 10-17-139-0, Tyler Bolfing 2-2-13-0 |
| MTSU: Logan Kilgore 27-41-240-1 |
| RECEIVING |
| MCN: Champlain Babin 4-32, Diontae Spencer 2-35, Javaris Murray 2-20, Ernest Celestie 1-30, Darius Carey 1-24, Marcus Wiltz 1-9, Josh Jordan 1-2 |
| MTSU: Anthony Amos 8-70, Kyle Griswould 5-63, Tavarres Jefferson 4-24, Christian Collis 3-41, Marcus Henry 2-24, Harold Turner 2-22, Reggie Whatley 1-4, Drayton Calhoun 1-3, Jordan Parker 1--2, Logan Kilgore 0--9 |
