By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

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Middle Tennessee racked up 584 yards of total offense on its way to an upset win over Missouri.

Quarterback Brent Stockstill threw four touchdown passes to help visiting Middle Tennessee beat Missouri 51-45 in a non-conference game Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia Mo.

Stockstill completed 23 of 41 passes for 280 yards and rushed for 70 yards on seven carries for Middle Tennessee (4-2). Running back I’Tavius Mathers also had a huge game rushing for 215 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.

Drew Lock completed 20 of 40 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns for Missouri (2-4). Damarea Crockett rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries and Ish Witter gained 121 yards on 19 carries for the Tigers.

The shootout started early in the opening period when Stockstill led Middle Tennessee on a five-play 84-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Andrews. Missouri mounted two touchdown drives to take a 14-13 lead late in the first quarter and went up 21-13 early in the second.

The Blue Raiders led 34-28 at the half after responding with three scoring drives including a 71-yard touchdown run by Mathers and a 56-yard touchdown pass from Stockstill to Richie James.

Both defenses tightened up in the third quarter. Crockett scored on a 21-yard run early in the third and Mathers reached the end zone on a 4-yard run moments later but neither team scored again until the fourth quarter.

Missouri kicker Tucker McCann converted a 21-yard field goal attempt to cut Middle Tennessee’s lead to 41-38 early in the fourth.

The Blue Raiders extended their lead to 10 on Stockstill’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Andrews but the Tigers answered with a 75-yard drive capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Lock to Ray Wingo. Middle Tennessee scored a field goal on its next possession to go up 51-45 with just over six minutes to play.