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MIAMI (AP) -Paul McCall threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead FlU to a 31-21 win against Middle Tennessee on Saturday night.

McCall completed 13 of 29 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception, running for another score and 53 yards on nine carries for the Golden Panthers (3-3, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference).

Phillip Tanner rushed 18 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Raiders (2-4, 1-3).

FlU reached the .500 mark for the first time since 2002, and tied a school record with its third consecutive win.

McCall's 9-yard touchdown run gave FlU a 7-3 lead with 4:12 before the half, and Dustin Rivest's 20-yard field goal extended the lead to 10-3 at halftime.

""[McCall] hurt us more on scrambles than designated runs," said Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill. "I thought we got some good pressure on him, but give him credit. He did a nice job of buying some time, getting in the seams and making something happen. What he did is about what we expected him to do. We didn't think he would do some predesigned quarterback runs, but we knew he was a scrambler out of the pocket."

Anthony Gaitor opened the second half with a 27-yard interception return for the Golden Panthers, and A'mod Ned's 1-yard touchdown run gave FlU a 24-6 lead at the 3:29 mark in the third quarter. Tanner's 3-yard touchdown run cut Middle Tennessee's deficit to 11 points at the end of the third.

But McCall hit T.Y. Hilton on a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-13, and Tanner's 3-yard run with 4:41 left wouldn't be enough for the Blue Raiders.

"We're getting better," said FIU head coach Mario Cristobal. "We're playing hard and we're playing physical but we are still making mistakes, too. I definitely think Middle Tennessee is a good football team. They beat Maryland and were about to beat Kentucky. After last year ( a 47-6 Middle Tennessee win in Murfreesboro), we knew they were a good team. But we're also on a roll right now."

The Golden Panthers are back on the road next weekend to take on Troy in a game that will be televised live on ESPN+ and carried locally by Comcast SportsSoutheast.