"Except for a few highlights," coach Nick Holt said, "We really stunk it up."

Idaho dropped to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt. Middle Tennessee is 3-4, 2-2.

The troubles came from everywhere. Dropped passes. A hit-and-miss running game. And a defense that held steady but was susceptible to the big play.

"We couldn't find any consistency and continuity," said Holt, whose team struck first and led until late in the second quarter. "I don't think the kids played with the intensity we needed. I'm really disappointed."

Michael Harrington completed 25-of-38 passes for 200 yards but only one TD. While his completion percentage was commendable, he still was the victim of dropped passes throughout the game. A running game that was effective early netted just 87 yards with Rolly Lumbala going for 42 and Jayson Bird for 33.

The Vandals scored first on a length-of-the-field drive that was capped by Luke Smith-Anderson's 20-yard reception from Harrington. The keys to the drive, however, were an illegal substitution penalty on the Blue Raiders and the subsequent fourth-down conversion that kept the drive alive at the MTSU 36. Harrington hooked up with Bird for the fourth-down conversion. Four plays later Smith-Anderson scored and with Mike Barrow's kick UI led 7-0 with 10:30 left in the first.

Robert Davis brought an end to what had been a productive MTSU drive when he picked off Marks at the UI 9 and returned the ball 11 yards to the UI 20.

The Vandals, however, didn't capitalize on the opportunity and wound up punting and giving MTSU the ball at its own 30. The Blue Raiders made the most of the chance and scored on Lee Baker's one-yard dive just as the second quarter started. Colby Smith's PAT tied the game with 14:26 to go in the first half.

 Idaho responded immediately. Bird capped an 11-play drive that featured Lumbala through most of the 73-yard march. Again, though, the Vandals benefited from a Blue Raider miscue when MTSU was called for roughing the passer on what was an incomplete pass on third down. Bird's TD was a 5-yard push through the middle with 10 minutes left in the opening half. Barrow's kick was good for the 14-7 lead.

Once again, the Vandals failed to build a cushion and turned the ball over on downs after being stopped at the MTSU 43.

MTSU did capitalize when presented with the short field and marched 56 yards in seven plays with Marks scoring from five yards out with :58 to go before halftime. Smith's kick tied the game at 14.

 That change of possessions, Holt said, was a turning point.The Blue Raiders struck again before the half ended when, after recovering a fumbled kickoff on a short kick at the UI 25, Smith booted a 29-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play in the half for a 17-14 edge at the break.

 MTSU increased its lead to 24-14 when it scored on the first drive of the second half. The big play in the march was Terry Jackson's 52-yard run that moved the Blue Raiders to the UI 7. Jackson scored three plays later from the one. Smith's kick boosted the spread to 10 with 13:21 left in the third.

Idaho's third-quarter woes continued. It was unable to score on its first possession of the second half and again was stopped short on its second after an MTSU punt left it at its own four. Adding to the misery was a kick-catch interference penalty that gave the Blue Raiders the ball at the Idaho 23 with 1:17 left in the third.

From that favorable field position, the Blue Raiders needed just two plays and another Smith PAT to go up 31-14 with :46 left in the quarter.

After forcing the Vandals to turn the ball over on downs on UI's first possession of the fourth quarter, MTSU bolstered its lead to 34-14 on Colby Smith's 42-yard field goal with 6:36 to play.

"We were trying to eliminate the big plays," defensive end Mike Anderson said. "For the most part, we did that in the first half. The second half, it was big play after big play."