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FACTS & STATS: Site: FIU Stadium (18,000) -- Miami, Florida. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Duke 1-2, FIU 2-1. Away Record: Duke 1-0, FIU 1-0. Neutral Record: Duke 0-0, FIU 0-0. Conference Record: Duke 1-0, FIU 1-1. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The FIU Panthers surprisingly suffered their first loss of the season last week to Louisiana after opening up with three victories. Coach Mario Cristobal's squad will be looking to bounce back this week as the Duke Blue Devils travel to Miami in search of their third straight win.

The Blue Devils have recovered from their sluggish 0-2 start to the year where they were narrowly defeated by FCS opponent Richmond and thrashed by Andrew Luck and Stanford. Duke is looking for its third straight victory to follow wins over Boston College (20-19) and Tulane (48-27) in the past two weeks..

The Panthers were receiving votes in both national polls going into last week's bout with Louisiana after their hot start which consisted of victories over North Texas, Louisville, and UCF. The Ragin' Cajuns were able to halt FIU last week as they upset the Panthers 36-31 in Miami. The loss came in part due to injuries to starting quarterback Wes Carroll and wideout T.Y. Hilton, both of whom will be available for this week's non-conference battle.

This will be the inaugural game of the series between these two schools. FIU is looking for the second win in school history over a BCS conference school after knocking off Big East opponent Louisville earlier this year. However, FIU is 0-5 all time versus the ACC. The Panthers will be Duke's first ever encounter with a Sun Belt Conference school.

Duke's offense has been rolling in the past two games with Sean Renfree at the helm. The junior quarterback has been lighting it up through the air, completing 62-of-83 attempts for 646 yards in the two victories.

Last week in the 48-27 win over Tulane, the Blue Devils amassed 484 yards of total offense and six offensive touchdowns. Duke got out to a quick start against the Green Wave posting 31 first half points en route to the victory. The offense was a well-oiled machine as it scored on 8-of-13 possessions.

Leading rusher Juwan Thompson was efficient against Tulane racking up 69 yards on 14 carries with his first two touchdowns of the season. The Blue Devils have been shy to rush the ball due to their improved passing game. Connor Vernon and Donovan Varner have been one of the most dangerous receiving tandems in the country. The former high school teammates are the only active pair of teammates with 150+ career receptions and 2000+ receiving yards.

The Duke defense has improved since last season. The Blue Devils have heavily reduced their average rushing yards allowed per game as they have cut it down to a mere 109 yards per game from 2010 (208.2). Against Tulane, Duke surrendered only 55 rushing yards. The Blue Devils have shown the ability to dominate their opponents. Duke shut out Boston College in the second half in their 20-19 victory over the Eagles. Safety Matt Daniels has been the leader of the defense as he has compiled 31 tackles thus far. Duke will sorely miss Kenny Anunike the rest of the way. Anunike was leading the ACC in sacks going into the Tulane game before suffering a season-ending injury.

Despite missing their starting quarterback and game breaking receiver for most of the game, FIU still managed to post 31 points in the loss last week. The Panthers relied heavily on Kedrick Rhodes, as he rushed for 157 yards and three scores. The running back has been made a crucial part of the offense as he is now receiving the majority of the carries after previously splitting them evenly with Darriet Perry in the first few games. Rhodes' work load will be lessened this week as Carroll and Hilton return to the lineup.

Carroll has been managing the offense nicely this season.The senior quarterback has completed over sixty percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. Hilton was impressive with his receiving totals in FIU's first two victories. The senior receiver posted a 132-yard showing in the season opener against North Texas and followed it with an award winning 201-yard performance against Louisville. Hilton has struggled with injuries and missed most of the last two games for the Panthers. His availability and health is crucial to the success of the team's offense.

The FIU defense was one of the nation's best to start the season allowing less than 15 points a game through the first three outings. The Panther defense is very aggressive as it has tallied 15 sacks on the year and holds opponents to just 3.2 rushing yards per carry. In last week's loss to Louisiana, FIU's defense proved doubters correct, allowing 187 yards rushing and four offensive touchdowns. There will be a clash as FIU's defense which is allowing 245 yards through the air per game goes against the Duke aerial attack.

The Panther defense took over in the win against UCF by holding their in-state foe to only 10 points and by returning a fumble for a touchdown. They have six takeaways on the year and look to add to that total this week.

With a healthy Hilton, FIU might have won last week and remained undefeated. His effectiveness is going to be crucial against Duke as FIU will have to match Renfree's scoring. The FIU defense is going to have to get to Renfree, who has only been sacked eight times this year, for the Panthers to bounce back. FIU's ability to stop the pass will determine this game.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: FIU 31, Duke 30