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Middle Tennessee Coach Calls Historic Upset Over Miami a ‘Butt Kickin’

The Blue Raiders earned a statement win over the Hurricanes in Miami Gardens on Saturday.

Jelani Scott

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After embarrassing Miami in a lopsided road victory on Saturday, Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill didn’t hold back while reflecting on the win after the game.

Stockstill, MTSU’s head coach since 2006, led the Blue Raiders into a meeting with the No. 25-ranked Hurricanes in Miami Gardens and left with a stunning 45–31 win. MTSU maintained a 21-point lead for much of the contest and generated 507 yards of offense en route to earning the program’s first-ever victory over an AP Top-25 opponent.

Speaking with reporters during his postgame press conference, Stockstill praised his players for the dominant performance and assured the doubters that the Blue Raiders are in it for the long haul. The 64-year-old also alluded to the betting odds coming into Saturday’s game, which tabbed MTSU as a 25.5-point underdog.

“Fantastic win, extremely proud, happy for our players. It’s always fun to do stuff that nobody thinks you can do,” Stockstill said. “Coming down here, 26-point dogs and kickin’ their butt like we did because it was a butt kickin’, it was no fluke to this and just really proud of our team. The toughness that we played with, we were the tougher team here tonight. … We never flinched, and that’s what I’m proud of, knocked these suckers off.”

In addition to leaving with well-earned bragging rights, MTSU also secured a nice lump sum for traveling to face the Hurricanes.

According to The Tennessean, Miami paid Middle Tennessee $1.5 million in guarantees to play the game at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. The ‘Canes also paid an additional $40,000 in travel expenses for the Blue Raiders as part of the agreement.

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Jelani Scott
JELANI SCOTT

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