Category: Story

NASSAU, Bahamas – Freshman quarterback Nicholas Vattiato completed 23 of 35 passes for 270 yards and two scores to lead Middle Tennessee past Toledo 31-24 in the seventh edition of the Bahamas Bowl at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Trailing 17-14 after three quarters, the Blue Raiders (7-6) scored 17 consecutive points in the fourth…

Head Coach Rick Stockstill Opening statement… “First of all I’d like to congratulate Toledo on the season they had. It was a great fight out there today. I’m really proud of our team. The toughness, the guts, the competitiveness, the resilience, the mental toughness they showed today, was fun to watch. I told them at…

Head Coach Jason Candle Opening statement… “In the first half we produced a lot of yards, but not points. In the third quarter there was a little bit of a lull. We didn’t make some of the tough plays, I thought, in the second half offensively. Too many penalties, self-inflicted, on both sides of the…

Superlatives: Dequan Finn’s 90-yard touchdown pass to Matt Landers for Toledo in the second quarter was the longest play in Bahamas Bowl history. It was also Toledo’s longest play of the year and a career-long rush for Finn. Landers finished with 137 receiving yards, tied for the third-most in the game’s history. Middle Tennessee set…

NASSAU, Bahamas – Middle Tennessee and Toledo players have heard the “Something has to give” cliché all week long as the two teams prepare to play in the annual Bahamas Bowl on Friday (Noon kickoff, ESPN). MTSU (6-6 overall, 4-4 in Conference USA) leads the nation when it comes to forcing and recovering turnovers. The…

Co-Offensive Coordinator/OL Coach Mike Hallett On the week of practice… “I think we are pretty sharp mentally. You have to make the transition from football in Ohio in December to football in the Bahamas in December. It’s been warmer here that we have had in the last few weeks back home. The guys are in…

Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Scott Shafer On the team’s defensive identity… “We are a very young defense. We have a couple older kids at safety with Reed Blankenship and at linebacker with DQ Thomas, but most of them have three years left, some have four, and a handful with two years [of eligibility remaining], so just…

NASSAU, Bahamas — With less than 48 hours to kickoff, Middle Tennessee and Toledo student-athletes and coaches are embracing the memories they’re making off the field, but are ready to cap off the season with a bang on the field. The teams met with the media during a press conference Wednesday to chat about their…

Head Coach Jason Candle Opening statement… “On behalf of the University of Toledo, our football staff, the athletic department and certainly our players, we are honored to be here in the Bahamas for this football game. We are very humbled by the hospitality and great support we have been shown by the locals here and…

Head Coach Rick Stockstill Opening statement… “First of all I’d like to thank Lea [Miller-Tooley], Richard [Giannini], Chris Pika and everyone associated with the Bahamas Bowl. This is our second time here. Just the effort that everybody puts in to making this bowl a success is very much appreciated. I’ve been to a lot of…