It is safe to say that this season has not went the way Florida Atlantic football hoped for in the summer. After a 42-24 loss to the Old Dominion Monarchs last Saturday, the Owls now hold a record of 3-8 with one game left.

Without any bowl game in sight, the team is now looking to end its 2016 season with some pride when it takes on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Blue Raiders (7-4, 4-3 Conference USA) are coming off a 38-31 victory over a Charlotte 49ers team that beat the Owls 28-23 in early October.

Middle Tennessee, who is third in the conference’s east division, will be playing for a chance of improving the quality of its bowl game.

The Owls have not been to a bowl game since 2008, marking their eighth straight bowl-less season. As dim as the light may seem for this football team, it still has plenty to be optimistic about going into the last game.

Junior running back Gregory “Buddy” Howell has amassed 777 yards on the ground with 12 touchdowns, averaging just under 5-yards per carry. Redshirt junior wide receiver Kalib Woods has accumulated 864 yards on 62 receptions.

Senior defensive end Trey Hendrickson has accounted for 49 tackles and 9.5 sacks, the second most in Conference USA.

While these individuals have performed, in the end the Owls as a whole have to improve to get back to winning.

They will play their season finale this Saturday, Nov. 26, at 5:30 p.m. at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Jordon Edwards is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @koolkidklassic.