MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Oct. 17, 2015) -- Middle Tennessee scored on three of its four possessions in the second quarter to take control of its game with FIU and go on to a 42-34 win in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Saturday afternoon.
 
FIU was led by Alex Gardner, who scored two touchdowns on the day. The Jacksonville, Fla., native rushed for 93 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 20 yards and a score. Quarterback Alex McGough completed 29-of-51 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. McGough connected with six different receivers, including sophomore Thomas Owens, who had a game-high 10 catches for 118 yards and one touchdown. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native notched his sixth-straight game with a touchdown receptions.
 
The Blue Raiders rallied from two deficits against the Panthers in the second quarter. Down to its fourth-string running back, Desmond Anderson, due to injuries MT rushed for 200 yards and six touchdowns. Anderson did most of the damage rushing for three touchdowns – the first score being the Anderson's first college touchdown.
 
Late in the first quarter FIU took a 9-7 lead fueled by the legs of Gardner. The sophomore rushed for 28 yards on the drive and finished it with a two-yard touchdown reception from McGough. The extra point was no good.
 
Anderson gained half of the Raiders yards on the ensuing drive that resulted in a one-yard touchdown plunge for the freshman. Anderson ran for 34 yards in the series. MT led 14-9 but back came FIU.

A 25-yard run by Gardner set up FIU first-and-goal from the MT two-yard line where on the next play Gardner rushed for a two-yard score. FIU was back on top 16-14 nearly midway through the second quarter.
 
Middle Tennessee responded with 14 unanswered points to finish the half. Redshirt sophomore Kamani Thomas ran for his first career touchdown, a 15-yard burst. Anderson added his third touchdown – a 10-yard run to make it 28-16 at the break.
 
The Panthers got a 22-yard field goal from Austin Taylor in the third quarter to close the MT lead to 28-19, but the Raiders extended the advantage near the end of the third quarter.
 
Middle Tennessee took its largest lead of the game to that point after Thomas scored on a 26-yard run with 1:05 left in the third quarter. The Raiders led 35-19.
 
FIU got within one score in the fourth quarter. Jeremiah McKinnon forced a fumble from Thomas to set up the Panthers in Raider territory. McGough snuck in from one yard out. FIU went for two points and got it after McGough found Jonnu Smith in the back of the end zone. FIU closed the MT lead to 35-27 with 10:34 left in the game.
 
The Raiders immediately answered with a touchdown to make it 42-27. FIU wouldn't go away as McGough connected with Owens on a 10-yard touchdown pass to bring the Panthers to 42-34 with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter.
 
FIU had one last drive but on fourth-and-13 from the Raiders 43, McGough pass to Owens sailed high to clinch the game for Middle Tennessee. 

The Panthers will return home to face Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 24. Game tme is set for 6 p.m. from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.