By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Halloween is 28 days away but this weekend FIU heads to its personal house of horrors, Floyd Stadium, one of the toughest places for the Panthers to win a game over the years.

Since FIU first played at Middle Tennessee in 2006, the Panthers are 1-5 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The one win was in 2011 during FIU's best football season (8-5) when the Panthers defeated the Blue Raiders, 31-18. FIU started 3-1 in 2011 and for the second time in the program's 16-year history, FIU has started 3-1 this season.

Maybe this is the year the Panthers change the outcome at the Blue Raiders home where they have been outscored 210-98 in six games.

FIU (3-1, 2-0 Conference USA) comes in riding a three-game winning streak and seeking just its second 3-0 start in conference play. Former FIU interim coach Ron Cooper led last year's team to a 3-0 start in league play.

Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee (2-3, 0-1 C-USA) will be without their starting quarterback Brent Stockstill again. Stockstill has a cracked sternum and separated collarbone, which he sustained against Syracuse in early September. The Raiders will also be missing arguably their best player, receiver Richie James (high ankle sprain), who had 231 receiving yards and two touchdowns against FIU in the last two meetings.

Still, MT has other weapons such as elusive running backs Brad Anderson and Jocquez Bruce and do-it-all receiver Ty Lee, who leads the Raiders with four touchdowns.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback John Urzua has stepped in for Stockstill with mixed results. Urzua threw for 359 yards last week in a loss at Florida Atlantic but he was also picked off three times. Urzua's issue has been poor decision-making. He has thrown six interceptions in the three games he's played for Stockstill.

Overall, turnovers have been the problem for the Raiders. MT has lost four fumbles and thrown eight interceptions putting them at -10 in the turnover battle. FIU is a little better at -4.

The FIU defense could take advantage of the turnover-prone MT offense. The Panthers defense will have to bring the run-stuffing defense from last week's second half against Charlotte. FIU allowed just 72 yards on the ground in the final 30 minutes after giving up 277 rushing yards in the first half.

Despite its 2-3 overall record, the MT defense has done a decent job thus far allowing 348 yards per game, including 214 passing yards per contest. MT is fifth in C-USA in both rushing and passing defense. FIU is eighth in rushing defense and 12^th in pass defense.

In non-conference play, the Raiders won at Syracuse and beat Bowling Green. MT lost to Vanderbilt and Minnesota. Like FIU coach Butch Davis said about the Raiders this morning after practice, "Their record is not indicative of how talented that they actually are." MT is always a handful at home and FIU will need to get off to a fast start.

That fast start means getting some early points and it's encouraging that FIU is 18 for 18 in its red zone trips this season. Twelve of those 18 trips resulted in touchdowns for FIU.

Although FIU (11^th with 17.4 points per game) and MT (12^th with 16.6 points per game) are in the bottom half of C-USA in scoring, the last three games between these two teams have been shootouts. Last year at FIU Stadium, MT came away with a 42-35 win and the Raiders defeated the Panthers 42-34 in Murfreesboro in 2015. FIU won 38-28 against MT at FIU Stadium in 2014.