NASHVILLE SPORTS COUNCIL HOSTS M.T.S.U. VS. LOUISVILLE ON ESPN2

Middle Tennessee and Louisville will meet during the 2006 football season on national television, officials at both universities and ESPN announced today. The game, which will be played in Nashville at LP Field, will air on ESPN2 at 7 PM on Friday, Oct. 6. The Blue Raiders, 3-0 in the Music City since turning I-A, will be playing at LP Field for the first time. ?We are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase our program and University to a nation-wide audience,? said Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. ?This type of exposure is invaluable to our entire university.? Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the Nashville Sports Council, agrees, adding, not only is it a great situation for Middle Tennessee but for the city of Nashville as well. \"We are excited about this unique opportunity to have the college football world focused on Nashville,\" said Ramsey. \"We feel a Friday night nationally televised game on ESPN2 will not only provide great exposure for our community, but also attract thousands of fans from both Middle Tennessee and Louisville to our city.\" The Nashville Sports Council, which is a private, not-for-profit, membership-based organization of area corporations and individual sports enthusiasts, will serve as hosts of the first-ever meeting between Middle Tennessee and Louisville on the gridiron. The game will mark the Blue Raiders? first nationally televised contest in the I-A era, and the second in the school?s history. It also will go down as the first national broadcast of a Blue Raider home game. The last time Middle Tennessee played a nationally televised game was in 1989 against Georgia Southern on ESPN in what was coined the Hurricane Bowl due to the effects of approaching Hurricane Hugo. ?This matchup will be a great addition to our Friday night schedule of games,? said Dave Brown, vice president, ESPN programming and acquisitions. ?We look forward to televising Louisville against Middle Tennessee to our national audience from the beautiful city of Nashville and a great venue like LP Field.? Upon researching the playing date, Middle Tennessee discovered that October 6 fell on the week of fall break for Rutherford County schools which eliminates a lot of competition with Friday night high school football. ?Middle Tennessee?s commitment to high school sports has always been strong, not only to their commitment to hosting our events, but also their relationships with high schools across the state,? said TSSAA Executive Director Ronnie Carter. ?We are very appreciative that we have been contacted by Middle Tennessee throughout this process. We know it?s not something they desire, but we understand that it?s a business decision that?s a positive one for Middle Tennessee. Ironically, this works well that Rutherford County schools will be playing on a Thursday night.? The Blue Raiders will welcome 16 returning starters and a new coaching staff led by Rick Stockstill in 2006, while the Cardinals are coming off a 9-3 season, a final ranking of 19th and return all-star players Brian Brohm and Michael Bush. ?To have Louisville at home is great for our program, but playing them on national television at home is tremendous,? said Head Coach Rick Stockstill. ?Anytime you have the opportunity to put your program before the nation it can only help recruiting, so we are very excited to let people see where our program is headed.?