UI can’t keep good thing going

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Clint Marks threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead Middle Tennessee State to a 34-14 victory Saturday over Idaho.

Idaho (2-6, 1-3 Sun Belt Conference) took an early 7-0 lead on Michael Harrington’s 20-yard pass to Luke Smith-Anderson. Harrington finished the day 25 of 38 for 200 yards for the Vandals.

Middle Tennessee (3-4, 2-2) drove 70 yards to tie it on Lee Baker’s 1-yard run early in the second quarter.

The Vandals retook the lead on Jason Bird’s 5-yard run with 10 minutes left in the half, but from there it was all Blue Raiders.

Marks’ 5-yard TD run capped a 56-yard drive to tie it 14-all with 58 seconds left in the half. Idaho mishandled the ensuing kickoff and the Blue Raiders recovered, leading to a field goal with 23 seconds left and a 17-14 MTSU lead.

Terry Jackson, who led all rushers with 77 yards, broke a 52-yard run early in the third period and scored from the 1 two plays later to put the Blue Raiders up 24-14.

Marks’ 14-yard pass to Pedro Holiday late in the third capped a short drive set up by a poor punt and a penalty against Idaho to make it 31-14.

Marks completed 18 of 26 passes for 194 yards on the day, and caught a 9-yard pass from Holiday on a trick play.

“Except for a few highlights, we really stunk it up” Idaho coach Nick Holt said in a UI press release.

The troubles came from everywhere. Dropped passes. A hit-and-miss running game. And a defense that held steady but was susceptible to the big play.

“We couldn’t find any consistency and continuity,” said Holt, whose team struck first and led until late in the second quarter. “I don’t think the kids played with the intensity we needed. I’m really disappointed.”

Harrington was the victim of dropped passes throughout the game. A running game that was effective early netted just 87 yards with Rolly Lumbala going for 42 and Jayson Bird for 33.

The Vandals scored first on a length-of-the-field drive that was capped by Harrington’s pass to Smith-Anderson. The keys to the drive, however, were an illegal substitution penalty on the Blue Raiders and the subsequent fourth-down conversion that kept the drive alive at the MTSU 36. Harrington hooked up with Bird for the fourth-down conversion. Four plays later Smith-Anderson scored and with Mike Barrow’s kick UI led 7-0 with 10:30 left in the first.

The Blue Raiders scored on Baker’s 1-yard dive just as the second quarter started. Colby Smith’s PAT tied the game with 14:26 to go in the first half.

Idaho responded immediately. Bird capped an 11-play drive that featured Lumbala through most of the 73-yard march. Again, though, the Vandals benefited from a Blue Raider miscue when MTSU was called for roughing the passer on what was an incomplete pass on third down. Bird’s TD was a 5-yard push through the middle with 10 minutes left in the opening half.

But UI failed to build a cushion and turned the ball over on downs after being stopped at the MTSU 43.

MTSU did capitalize when presented with the short field and marched 56 yards in seven plays with Marks scoring from 5 yards out with :58 to go before halftime to tie the game at 14.

That change of possessions, Holt said, was a turning point.

The Blue Raiders struck again before the half ended when, after recovering a fumbled kickoff on a short kick at the UI 25, Smith booted a 29-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play in the half for a 17-14 edge.

MTSU increased its lead to 24-14 when it scored on the first drive of the second half. From favorable field position at the Idaho 23 following a kick-catch interference penalty, the Blue Raiders needed just two plays to go up 31-14 with 46 second left in the quarter.

After forcing the Vandals to turn the ball over on downs on UI’s first possession of the fourth quarter, MTSU bolstered its lead to 34-14 on Smith’s 42-yard field goal.

“We were trying to eliminate the big plays,” defensive end Mike Anderson said. “For the most part, we did that in the first half. The second half, it was big play after big play.”

MTSU allowed fans who came to the game to stay for a free concert afterward by hip-hop star Big Boi, an effort to meet the NCAA’s minimum attendance requirements to stay in Division I-A. The game drew an estimated 16,718 people, below what school officials had hoped for.