We asked five key questions about Middle Tennessee to GoMiddle.com publisher Casey Bowman, he provided us with great answers in preparation for Saturday's "100 Miles of Hate" showdown.

1. Sum up Middle Tennessee's season so far, what's been the biggest keys to their 4-1 start?

The biggest key in MT's successful start this year has been around their ability to overcome adversity. Every team gets hit by the injury bug - it's bound to happen at some point during the season. But, for MT, that injury bug struck with a vengeance during Fall Camp, before the season even started. They lost 3 starting wide outs (and a fourth in the season opener) to season ending injuries, and have been forced to rely on a cast of unproven receivers to produce for the offense. Those players have stepped up in big ways, but you can't say enough about the running game and the job that RB I'Tavius Mathers has done at keeping the offense balanced. He's a one-and-done player having transferred from Ole Miss to finish out his eligibility, but he's on track to make it a memorable season for sure. Mathers is on pace to rush for about 1,400 yards this year. To put that into perspective, the team - as a whole - only generated 1,894 yards on the ground last year. Mathers is a two-headed monster, though, as he's third on the team with 20 receptions and has 10 total TD's already this year.

2. Offensively, many know about Brent Stockstill, but talk about some of the other weapons that make up this unit that's averaging 528 yards per game?

As I mentioned, MT lost four receivers to injury at the beginning of the year, so there's been some musical chairs going at the receiver position, to say the least. In fact, eight different receivers have caught a touchdown pass so far this year. Obviously there's Richie James, who is having another stellar campaign, but some names worth mentioning are true freshman Ty Lee and RS-junior Patrick Smith, who have 22 and 19 receptions, respectively. Lee's story might not be that shocking as he was a a pretty highly touted recruit coming out of high school. He's just getting his shot well before many thought he would. But, Smith on the other hand - his journey is quite the different story. He's actually a walk-on who came to MT from nearby East Nashville Magnet High. He hadn't played a down for MT coming in to this year, and likely wouldn't have if not for the injuries. He's certainly making the most of his opportunity, though, as he's fourth on the team in receptions (just behind Lee and Mathers with 19) and is one of the more sure-handed receivers on the roster.

3. Speaking of Brent Stockstill, what improvements have you seen in his play this season compared to last year?

I think the biggest improvements with Stockstill are in two areas. The first is his strength. Stockstill got after it in the weight room during the spring and summer months, and it paid off for him. He's not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination, but he's built much better now to handle the rigors and physicality of a season than he was a year ago. He's tougher to bring down, and can extend plays a bit longer because of it. The second area is with his footwork in the pocket. If you go back and watch tape from last year and compare it to this year, you would think you were watching two different quarterbacks. Stockstill has developed this area to the point where he can move and shift around the pocket with little effort, all whilst keeping his eyes downfield and working through his progressions.

4. What can you tell us about the Blue Raiders defensively so far this season - what do they do well and who are their biggest playmakers?

MT is much more balanced this year from a defensive standpoint. There were a lot of questions around the secondary and linebacking corps heading into the year, but both units have played pretty well, all things considered. Their strength is on the defensive line, which has improved in stopping the run and, more importantly, putting pressure on the quarterback. Some playmakers on that side of the ball include CB Jeremy Cutrer, LB DJ Sanders, S Alex Dale, DL Shaq Huff and DE Steven Rhodes - each of these guys have stepped up and made plays at various times this year.

5. Obviously, a big rivalry game and both teams have traded home wins the last two seasons - how do you see this playing out on Saturday?

I'm expecting a lot of back and forth in this one. I think last year's game was kind of an anomaly in that WKU just trounced MT from start to finish. These games are usually close and usually physical, and I expect we'll see that type of game again. I do give the edge to MT ever so slightly in this one just based off of the home field advantage aspect and the way the offense is clicking right now. There's a lot on the line for MT in this one. If they win, they'll be 5-1 and flying high into a showdown with Mizzou. A loss, however, and they could potentially be 4-3 after next week with a tough slate still ahead. While I do give the Blue Raiders the edge in this one, MT has a propensity for laying eggs in big games like this, so it wouldn't shock me to see WKU ride out of town with another road win in this series. This is the kind of game that'll show MT fans just what kind of team they have on their hands. I'll go with a final score of 37-34 in favor of the Blue Raiders.