The 2024 college football season has come and gone fast, but MTSU has one more game to enjoy the ride and create momentum heading into next year. That game will be against the FIU Panthers, who have also had a tough year and sit at 3-8. However, they are a team that can give the Blue Raiders issues.

“As we look this week, FIU is a good football team. They’re well-coached, and they have weapons. Their quarterback has done a terrific job of being a point guard for this offense,” says head coach Derek Mason. “You look at Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson; they’re one of the most dynamic duos in the conference regarding production. Their front seven is dynamic on the other side of the ball, and they’ve been very opportunistic. The Blue Raiders will have to play well in all three phases to get a victory in our last game of the season.”

The FIU signal caller, Keyone Jenkins, has been a problem for opposing defenses all year. He’s accounted for 2,238 passing yards and 21 total touchdowns while putting his team in positions to succeed. However, he has turned it over eight times, so if Middle Tennessee can get pressure, they could force him into bad decisions.

Jenkins has the luxury of throwing to the best wide receiver duo in CUSA, which is a mismatch for any secondary. Rivers has a smaller frame but is a good route runner with speed who can hurt a team deep. Then you have Patterson, a bigger receiver who makes contested catches but has also been good after the catch.

Regarding the running game, the Panthers have found a three-headed monster in Kejon Owens, Lexington Joseph and Devonte Lyons, who average 4.6 YPC. All three are powerful backs who will make you pay if you don’t tackle well, which has been a struggle for MTSU.

On the other side of the ball, FIU is interesting. They don’t get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, notching just 17 sacks, but they create havoc with 23 TFLs and 15 turnovers forced. So, not making the usual MTSU mistakes is essential to beat Florida International. The Panther secondary has been a good unit this season and is catching Nick Vattiato at the right time, with the QB throwing four interceptions in the previous three games.

· Tackle well at the point of attack to minimize YAC

Florida International has three physical running backs who will run you over if your team doesn’t tackle well. That’s been an Achilles heel of MTSU, except last week when they matched up against a good New Mexico State rushing team. Despite the final stats, they held those backs in check for most of the ball game.

If the Blue Raider defense can do that to the Panthers and put the game on Jenkins’ shoulders, they have a good chance at winning.

· Establish a rushing attack to take the weight of Vattiato

The lack of a running game has killed Middle Tennessee this season by making their quarterback try to be Superman and force balls into tight windows that end in a turnover or incompletion.

Last week, they ran for a season-high 170 yards on the ground, but Vattiato made two uncharacteristic mistakes that resulted in turnovers. If MTSU can replicate those rushing numbers to keep the defense honest and help their QB, the Blue Raiders could see a lot of success offensively.

· Communicate to eliminate busted plays

MTSU allowed seven plays of 20+ yards last week, leading to all 29 offensive points. Coach Mason says it was because the defense did not communicate to fix holes in the defense, leading to a big offensive day from the Aggies.

By simply talking to each other, the Blue Raiders can fix those simple mistakes, which will be huge when they face two deep threats in Patterson and Rivers,

· Get pressure on the quarterback to force passes

Jenkins has been a good player for the Panthers this season, but when the quarterback gets pressured, he tends to force plays, which leads to turnovers. Stopping the run to make him do it all is essential, but if you do that, you must force him into bad throws to get their talented playmakers off the field.

· Play sound football and avoid back-breaking mistakes

I hate to bring it up so frequently, but it’s been consistent this season. The Blue Raiders cannot stop stepping on their toes when they do good things like force a punt, break off a big run, convert a third down, ETC.

They have to stop doing that because it’s cost them so many games this year where they competed hard, but a few mishaps caused the game to get out of hand.

Bowl eligibility is off the table, but pride is on the line. Play mistake-free football to end the season on a high note and build momentum for 2025.

Offense: Omari Kelly and Jekail Middlebrook

Kelly has been WR1 for the Blue Raider offense this year with 869 yards and four touchdowns. He was not targeted the usual amount, so expect him to get a significant workload against the Panthers.

Middlebrook has been a good runner when healthy for MTSU, and he’s coming off a big game against NMSU where he rushed for 80 yards on eight yards a touch. He’s also been a good pass catcher out of the backfield, so watch for him to have another big day.

Defense: Anthony Bynum and Xavier Williams

Bynum has been a solid option off the edge for Brian Stewart’s defense and is coming off a career day where he recorded 11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack. The FIU tackles have been rough at times this year and create a good matchup for the redshirt freshman.

Williams has arguably been the best player on this defense since converting over from quarterback. Aside from last week, he contains the run well and has stopped chunk plays from happening. Williams will be essential for Middle Tennessee on Saturday and needs to play like his usual self if they want to have a chance to win.

Kickoff on Saturday is 1 p.m. CT from Pitbull Field. Middle Tennessee is a 9.5-point underdog and ESPN gives the Blue Raiders a 23.2% chance to win,