Sun Belt Sports Blog

Up 10-0 in the 4th quarter the FAU Owls had to feel good about their chances at getting an important Sun Belt Conference road victory @ MTSU. But settling for a field goal with 1:15 remaining proved to be the Owls’ undoing as Middle Tennessee drove the the FAU 32-yard line with 9 seconds remaining. That is where MTSU senior QB Joe Craddock launched a Hail Mary pass that came down in the hands of Malcolm Beyah to tie the game at 13-13. The PAT was good giving Middle Tennessee the home win over FAU to improve their Sun Belt Conference record to 1-2 and their overall record to 2-3 on the season. With the loss, FAU falls to 0-1 in the Sun Belt standings and a disappointing 1-4 overall.

Tuesday night football on ESPN2 this week features a Sun Belt Conference matchup of Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders (1-3, 0-2) came in a 3.5 point favorite at home over the Owls (1-3, 0-1), whose lone win was over a 1-4 UAB Blazers team from Conference USA. MTSU’s lone win of 2008 was a bit more impressive, a 24-14 win over the ACC’s Maryland Terrapins which is one of the top non-conference performances by the Sun Belt this season.

In a sloppy game where the offenses seem more interested in moving backwards than forwards, FAU leads 10-0 in the MTSU Blue Raiders with about five minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Final note: Just when I was about to give credit to the MTSU marching band for sounding good on “Word Up” and another song from the stands the ESPN cameras panned the crowd only to show a band full of flip folders. Look, I like the marching bands and feel they can add a lot to the game. But I just cannot respect any band that cannot memorize their music, whether it be on the field or in the stands. It’s unprofessional and high school (heck, many high school bands memorize their music!).