SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 9, 2013
Middle Tennessee 48, Florida International 0: Logan Kilgore passed for 269 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing score as the host Blue Raiders blanked the Golden Panthers.
Shane Tucker rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while Corey Carmichael chipped in a scoring run for Middle Tennessee (6-4, 4-2 Conference USA), which picked up its third straight win and stayed alive in the hunt for the East Division title. The Blue Raiders are bowl-eligible for the second straight season.
E.J. Hilliard completed 10-of-15 passes for 133 yards and an interception for Florida International (1-8, 1-4), which turned the ball over four times in its fourth straight setback.
Tucker carved his way through the Golden Panthers’ run defense for scoring bursts of 48 and 17 yards within the first eight minutes of the opening quarter. Kilgore’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:45 left in the second made it a 24-0 gap at the half.
Kevin Byard returned Hilliard’s interception 51 yards for a score 52 seconds into the second half and Kilgore found Tavarres Jefferson for a 7-yard score 4:27 later. Middle Tennessee added a 32-yard field goal and Carmichael’s 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter to complete the rout.