2–3. North Texas Middle Tennessee's ground attack enjoyed the breakout game it has been seeking and junior tailback Phillip Tanner and a dominating offensive line was the major contributors as the Blue Raiders routed North Texas, 52–13, in the home finale at Floyd Stadium Saturday. The Blue Raiders won their third straight to improve to 5-6 overall, 3-3, in the SBC, and kept alive their hopes of becoming bowl eligible. Tanner enjoyed one of the most productive games of any Blue Raider ever and he had the greatest offensive outburst in SBC history with six touchdowns - five rushing - and 159 yards on 14 carries. A Texas native, Tanner ran roughshod through the Mean Green defense, generally breaking tackles and running over defenders on his way to touchdowns of 12, 1, 19, 66, 36 and 92 yards. The first five touchdowns were rushing scores and Tanner capped the outlandish scoring day with a 92-yard kickoff return to start the second half. Tanner finished with 301 all-purpose yards, the third-highest total in program history. Middle Tennessee's 52 points scored are the most ever under Rick Stockstill and the most by the Blue Raiders since they had 70 against Idaho in 2001. Middle Tennessee and North Texas entered play tied for the most league wins in Sun Belt Conference history with 30. The Blue Raiders broke the tie with the victory over the Mean Green to move their count to 31. Louisiana–Lafayette Middle Tennessee's strong second half run finally was derailed when Louisiana-Lafayette fought off the Blue Raiders, 42–28, at Cajun Field to end their three-game win streak. The game featured two teams seeking to gain bowl eligibility and it was indicative from the outset as the teams battled back and forth in an effort to keep their season alive. Middle Tennessee (5-7, 3-4) had pulled to within one game of becoming bowl eligible with an impressive three-game win streak that preceded the setback to Louisiana-Lafayette (6-6, 5-2). Senior quarterback Joe Craddock was outstanding in his final game as a Blue Raider. Craddock completed 22-of-28 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He became the only quarterback in school history to have 10 games with more than 200 yards passing in a single season. Craddock also tied for fifth on the single-season touchdown list with 14. References Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football seasons Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football