Derek Mason made a gutsy call with the game on the line for Middle Tennessee State football.
And the risk paid off for the Blue Raiders coach in a 26-23 victory against FIU (3-4, 1-2) on Oct. 20 in Miami.
After allowing a fourth-quarter FIU touchdown that cut the MTSU (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) lead to three, the Blue Raiders got the ball back with 6:06 left in regulation.
They didn't give it back, thanks to a 4th-and-10 conversion from the FIU 40 with just over 1:30 remaining.
A 25-yard completion from Roman Gagliano to Cam Lacy gave MTSU the first down and the Blue Raiders were able to eat the remainder of the clock.
"We didn't want to give it back to them," said Mason, on electing to go for the first down instead of punting. "We wanted to move the chains. I'm sure they weren't expecting it. They thought we would punt. You've got to seize opportunities and take advantage of things when they show up."
The Blue Raiders will try to make it three conference wins in a row when they play host to Kennesaw State in the team's final weekday contest on Oct. 28 at Floyd Stadium.
Here are things we learned from MTSU's second-consecutive CUSA victory:
MORE: MTSU football knocks off FIU 26-23 to improve to 2-1 in Conference USA
MTSU football two wins from bowl eligibility
It's been a while since MTSU has boasted a winning record in CUSA.
And, while it's still a small sample size, a 2-1 mark in the conference is the first time the Blue Raiders have been over .500 in league play since 2019, when they opened with a 24-13 win over Marshall before ultimately finishing 3-5 in CUSA.
It's the earliest in the season MTSU has captured its fourth overall victory since 2018, when MTSU also won No. 4 on Oct. 20. The Blue Raiders finished 8-5 and 7-1 in CUSA that season.
MTSU is now two wins from being bowl eligible with five games left. The last time the Blue Raiders were in a bowl game was 2022, when they defeated San Diego State 25-23 in Hawaii to finish 8-5.
Bourgeois, Brown lead MTSU football to CUSA victory
Placekicker Dominic Bourgeois set two MTSU records while hitting four field goals. He nailed two from 50-plus, becoming the first for MTSU to do that in a game. He now has three of 50 or longer on the season, another program mark.
"It's about trusting the process and the operation," said Bourgeois, whose 28-yarder early in the fourth was the difference in the game. "I knew as soon as I had my visit here, I wanted to come here, earn the job and have my team trust me. It's been an awe3some experience going from (DIII) to FBS."
The senior, a transfer from Division III Susquehanna, is fifth in program history for longest field goal, kicking a 52-yarder against Murray State earlier in the season. He's 10 of 11 on field goals and 17 of 17 on extra points.
Running back Terrence Brown Jr., a senior and Saginaw State transfer, had 18 carries for 158 yards and a 54-yard touchdown late in the third quarter while catching two passes for 25 yards.
"(Coaches) trust me a lot," said Brown, who entered the game with 154 yards rushing in six games. "They've been trying to get me going all season."
MTSU surpassed 200 yards rushing as a team for the second time this season, tallying 248 of the team's 448 yards on the ground. Quarterback Roman Gagliano was 16 of 27 for 200 yards and a TD.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Gusty call off in fourth quarter for Derek Mason, MTSU football in win at FIU