Middle Tennessee starting QB for Week 9: Who is Derek Mason's QB1 for game against Jacksonville State?

Derek Mason's Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have had a tough ride this season, having already lost five games, with them holding a 2-5 overall and a 1-2 record in Conference USA play. On Wednesday, they'll be up against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (3-3, 2-0 CUSA), who are on a three-game winning streak.

So far, all seven games for the Blue Raiders have been started by junior quarterback Nicholas Vattiato. A change in top job is unlikely at the moment, as Mason would hope Vattiato gives him back-to-back wins.

Will Nicholas Vattiato continue to start for Derek Mason's Blue Raiders?

With no injury setbacks, Nicholas Vattaito is expected to start the game and live up to the Gamecocks challenge in a hostile environment. The Blue Raiders QB room also has freshman signal-caller Roman Gogliano, who has seen fringe action, connecting 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards.

There's no reason for Derek Mason to move on from Vattiato, who is in his fourth year and has been the program's starting quarterback in the last two years. Last season, he threw for 3092 yards, 23 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

"You've got to take what they give you," Vattiato said ahead of the game against Jacksonville State. "You've got to play fast, and you've obviously got to know that they're coming and they're going to be real physical."

Nicholas Vattiato's performance this season

It's not been a great season for the junior signal caller, but he is hardly to blame, given how weak Middle Tennessee's offensive line has been this season, leading to him being sacked 21 times already.

The pass-heavy quarterback has rarely turned up his rushing game, logging -16 rushing yards this season. In passing, he has connected 63.6% of his passes for 1760 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

His best performance came in against Western Kentucky, where he threw for 456 yards on 24 of 31 passes, resulting in three touchdowns and one interception. However, Middle Tennessee would go on to lose the game 49-21.

The Week 9 matchup shouldn't be any easy, with oddsmakers not expecting Nicholas Vattiato to land an upset win.

"What we know and understand is that it's going to be a physical game," Derek Mason said of Gamecocks challenge. "We're not going to be surprised by the physicality of Jax State. They can run the football, they can also spread you out and push you down the field. Defensively, they've been opportunistic."

Though it'd be a surprise, if Nicholas Vattiato upsets Jacksonville State, he'll be confident in his games going forward.