— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Middle Tennessee football coach Derek Mason hopes his program is turning in a positive direction.
After consecutive 3-9 seasons to start Mason’s tenure with the Blue Raiders, the program seeks to show it is moving in the right direction come 7 p.m. Saturday in Huntington when a matchup with Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium awaits.
The Blue Raiders overcame lengthy weather delays in a 38-14 victory over Murray State of the FCS last Saturday to start on the right foot.
Weather delays also came into play last season when these two teams meet, a game the visiting Herd won, 42-28.
Mason, who was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014-20, has won only seven of 25 games as Middle Tennessee head coach and knows the Blue Raiders will face a team still hurting and in need of a bounce back after being drubbed at 18th-ranked Penn State, 45-0.
“Competing on the road is different, because you have to be ready for the crowd and the change in environment,” Mason said. “It will be a good test for us. This game will be physical and fun and both teams will be trying to make sure that they make progress.”
Mason realizes teams often make major improvements in between Game 1 and Game 2, and understands Marshall’s performance against the Nittany Lions is fuel that the Blue Raiders must match.
“It’s in the books,” Mason said. “You look at the film and learn from it and then you move on. Marshall is going to give us a boatload to deal with. They’re a good football team with explosive players. They’ve got a defense that runs and they play hard on special teams. They’re going to give us everything and then some.”
The Blue Raiders have a mix of returnees and new additions and welcomed 50 new players to the program during the offseason.
A focus of several additions was to bolster the offensive line, where there are four new starters. In the win over Murray State, that new-look line enabled running backs Antonio Martin and Terrence Brown to combine for 170 rushing yards in what was a 196-yard effort on the ground for Middle Tennessee.
Roman Gagliano was a backup quarterback much of last year but now has the reins to the Blue Raider attack.
Gagliano was pressed into service last season after injuries knocked out previous starter Nicholas Vattiato and guided the team to victories in two of its final three games.
In the 2026 opener, Gagliano had a solid night with 200 yards through the air and two touchdowns. He also had a 22-yard touchdown run against the Racers.
“He’s a really good player and he’s athletic, too,” Marshall head coach Tony Gibson said. “He throws it well and looks like he’s smart and has control of what they want to do with him. He distributes the ball. We have to try and disrupt him and get him off of his spots while accounting for the run game.”
Mason knows his squad will need to be better as it pertains to slowing Herd quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. In last year’s matchup, Del Rio-Wilson burned the Blue Raiders for 261 yards and four touchdowns.
“They hit us with a flurry of points,” Mason said. “We can’t go back and get plays that weren’t advantageous. They scratch where it itches on the edges or inside and they’re going to test the umbrella coverage of our defense.”