The Blue Raiders came into the day 13 shots behind first-round leader and defending champion Louisiana-Lafayette and needed a strong showing to have a chance to make a run in Wednesday's final round. Led by junior Rick Cochran's sterling 4-under 68 the Blue Raiders posted the third-best round of the day but it wasn't enough to gain ground against the Pioneers, who are 12-under for the tournament and own a five-shot lead over the Ragin' Cajuns entering final round action.

South Alabama (572) is third, followed by New Orleans (574) and North Texas (576), respectively, while Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky are tied for sixth at 577.

"It doesn't surprise me that our team made such a run today because they have been battling since we made the turn (Monday)," Blue Raider Head Coach Whit Turnbow said. "They knew they had to come out and shoot under par and we did that but you have to tip your cap to Denver. They put up a really low score and distanced themselves from the field."

Cochran led Middle Tennessee with the tournament's fifth-lowest score in the first two rounds, firing a 4-under 68. The junior from Paducah, Ky., is 3-under 141 for the tournament and tied for fifth, five shots behind South Alabama's Johnny Caldwell.

Cochran collected six birdies and narrowly missed a handful more on a strong day for him.

"It was actually the easiest 68 you can get," Cochran said. "I hit a bunch of greens and made some putts but I missed a handful of putts, barely, and I missed a couple short ones late or I could have finished with four straight birdies."

He had to settle with closing his round with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18 but Cochran and the rest of the Blue Raiders realized their opportunity for a fifth straight tournament win and their first Sun Belt Men's Golf Championship may have eluded them. "We took a great step forward today but Denver had a great day," Cochran said. "We knew we left a lot of shots out there (Monday) and could come back. Today was more like it but it may not be enough. We just have to come back tomorrow and give it another solid effort and see what happens."

Sophomore Kent Bulle was 1-under Tuesday and is 3-over for the tournament, tied for 31st. Senior Nick Bailes, who replaced injured Craig Smith in the Blue Raider lineup, bounced back from a tough opening day to play even par Tuesday and Turnbow said that provided a lift for his team.

"Nick is in a tough spot and he played well today," Turnbow said. "To shoot 72 was a good score and being the first guy in with that 72 really freed up some stuff for others as we came down the stretch. I couldn't be more proud of Nick and this is a good way for him to go out.

"(Cochran) has played well all spring and he made some putts today to put himself in contention for the individual championship so that was good."

Chas Narramore is tied for 16th after shooting 1-over 73 Tuesday. He has shot even par, 144, through the first two rounds. Freshman Jason Millard is tied for 36th with a 4-over 148 entering Wednesday's final round.

Middle Tennessee won the doubles point winning two of three doubles matches. Sophomore Joao Paoliello and freshman Kyle Wishing fell 8-3 to Joe Cadogan and Lawrence Harradine.

Then the Blue Raiders rallied as junior Morgan Richard and sophomore Marc Rocafort defeated Oliver Sajous and Karol Szmurlo 8-6. Freshmen Alex McCann and John Peers clinched the point with their 8-5 win over Marc Abdeinour and Eddie Majcher.

In singles play, FAU tied the score at 1 all as Majcher defeated McCann 6-1, 6-2. Then Joe Cadogan put the Owls up 2-1 as he won his match over Wishing 6-3, 6-2.

Rocafort fell 6-4, 6-4 to Sajous as FAU pulled ahead by two. Then freshman Chris Nowak started a rally as he defeated Daniel Vardag 6-4, 6-4. Peers tied the match at 3 with his win over Abdeinout 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

Richard's match was the last to finish as he fell to Szmurlo 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) who clinched the match for the Owls.

The Blue Raiders end the 2008 season 9-16 overall ad 2-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

The White team piled up 324 yards total offense and had 17 first downs while scoring on three of its first four offensive possessions. The Blue team managed 180 yards total offense and scored its only touchdown in the third quarter after the White team had jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead.

It wasn't just about winning and losing, though, it was about having fun, competing and getting out of the game without additional injuries that have continued to mount through the spring. Discipline continued to be a trademark of the Blue Raiders during the Rick Stockstill era as the team's combined for just two penalties and one turnover.

"The most important thing about today is the fact we got through it without any injuries," Stockstill said. "We had some decent plays today on both sides of the ball but the guys really had fun playing and that's what it is all about. We only have 10 seniors so we are a very young football team and this spring was very important to us. We will just keep developing and working hard over the summer to get ready for 2008. I really appreciate all the fans who came out today and supported our program."

Craddock, who has split his time between football and baseball this spring, connected for a 34-yard touchdown with Caleb Dugger on the game's opening possession to give the White team the early 7-0 lead after David DeFatta's kick was good.

After holding the Blue team on downs, the White team was at it once again on its second possession. Craddock capped the nine-play, 42-yard drive with a 5-yard pass to Patrick Honeycutt in the front of the end zone. It would be the first of many outstanding catches for Honeycutt in the Spring game.

Honeycutt had 11 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns as he continued to demonstrate outstanding progression from the fall into the spring. He capped the first-half scoring with a 9-yard scoring strike from Craddock and DeFatta's point after extended the lead to 21-0.

"I enjoyed being the go-to guy today and making a lot of catches. It was a lot of fun," Honeycutt said. "Even when we were up 21 we never counted the Blue out because of Dwight (Dasher) and Phillip (Tanner). The game was never out of reach, but we are glad we will be eating Steak and Shrimp on Monday."

Craddock would play in the second half but he did the bulk of his damage in the first two quarters with his 19 completions in 25 attempts for 235 yards with a long of 34. His passed for three touchdowns and ran for another.

Desmond Gee led the ground attack for the White team with 41 yards on 10 carries, while Elijah Johnson finished with 28 yards on seven rushes. Rising junior Phillip Tanner led the Blue team's ground attack with 29 yards on nine rushes and accounted for his team's only touchdown with a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

Blue team quarterback Dwight Dasher completed 12-of-20 passes for 110 yards and was intercepted once by safety Kevin Brown. The White team capped its scoring in the fourth quarter when Craddock ran in from the 3 to provide the 28-7 margin.

The Blue team's defense was led by linebacker Cam Robinson's 10 tackles, while Antwan Davis and Devin Dutton added five each. Defensive lineman Chris McCoy had two sacks, while Rod Issac and Jeremy Kellem each had one tackle for loss.

Corner Ted Riley led the White defense with six tackles and linebacker Jamari Lattimore finished with five, including a sack. Wes Hofacker had two tackles for loss.

The Spring Game concludes Middle Tennessee's spring practice.