PantherNOW Sports team
With three games completed, three games postponed, and five games remaining on the schedule, the FIU Football season has been a confusing one.
FIU has seen four games canceled this season. FIU suspended all intercollegiate activities heading into September 16th and this meant canceling their matchup with the Central Florida Knights.
The Panthers also saw two games against the UMass Minutemen and Old Dominion Monarchs canceled due to both teams ending their seasons because of COVID-19. FIU canceled its game against the Texas-El Paso Miners on November 7th due to a combination of injuries and COVID-19 cases.
FIU postponed their games against the Charlotte 49ers and Marshall Thundering Herd due to a rise in COVID-19 cases within the team. Those games have been rescheduled to December, in the two weeks leading to the Conference USA Championship game.
The Panthers have not won a game this season. They have an 0-3 record with close losses to Liberty, Middle Tennessee, and Jacksonville State.
Last season, college teams needed to win at least six games in a season to become bowl eligible. Now, the NCAA Division 1 Council voted to remove the win requirement from bowl eligibility this season. Therefore, FIU has a chance to head to their fourth straight bowl game.
Three different quarterbacks have played this season. Out of all three, Stone Norton leads them with only 207 passing yards. FIU’s passing game has been subpar. Wide receiver Bryce Singleton leads all receivers with only 90 yards. The team has only made 278 passing yards in three games.
The Panthers rushing game, however, has been solid. Running back D’Vonte Price leads the team with 303 rushing yards. FIU has earned 510 total rushing yards, as well as six rushing touchdowns compared to only three passing touchdowns this season.
FIU’s defense has recorded seven sacks, two interceptions, and a single forced fumble.
Here is PantherNOW’s preview of the remaining games of FIU’s season, including team breakdowns, matchup history, and what to expect from both sides of the ball.
FIU vs the Florida Atlantic Owls
Kasey Mintz/Contributing Writer
The time has come for the game week every Panther waits for all season. It is time to play the Shula Bowl.
The Panthers will take on the Florida Atlantic University Owls at the Riccardo Silva Stadium on November 13. FAU has dominated this series with a record of 13 wins and 4 losses since both teams started playing it in 2002.
This will be the first edition of the Shula Bowl since the death of its namesake Don Shula, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins. It got this nickname because both of the original coaches from FIU and FAU had close ties to Shula.
The Owls did very well under Head Coach Lane Kiffin in 2019, reaching a 9-3 record with a win in the Conference USA Championship Game against University of Alabama-Birmingham. Also beating Southern Methodist University in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl.
However, in 2020 Lane Kiffin left Boca Raton. The Lane Train left the Owls station for the University of Mississippi, for the same position. Two days after Kiffin left, FAU hired Willie Taggert to be the new head coach. Taggert was fired earlier that year by Florida State University.
On the offensive side of the ball, FAU’s offense has quarterback Nick Tronti. FAU’s offense will rely on running back Malcolm Davidson. This season he has collected 195 yards and one touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, FAU has held all their opponents to under 25 points per game. They even held the undefeated Marshall to 20 points. FAU has two interceptions this season. FIU will need to watch out for the Owl’s sack leader Jaylen Joyner.
The 2020 edition of the Shula Bowl will come down to who can run the ball and which defense will step up to bring home the Don Shula Award.
FIU vs the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Fabio Lopez/ Contributing Writer
FIU will host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Saturday, November 21st at 2 p.m. at the Riccardo Silva Stadium.
WKU’s current record is 2-5. The Hilltoppers defeated Middle Tennessee and Chattanooga while losing against Louisville, Liberty, Marshall, Alabama-Birmingham, and Brigham-Young. Leading up to this matchup, WKU will face FAU and Southern Miss.
FIU and WKU faced each other last season in a tightly contested game which resulted in the Hilltoppers ultimately winning 20-14. One of WKU’s standout performers that game was running back Gaej Walker, who scored a touchdown and gained a total of 103 yards.
Prior to last season’s encounter, FIU and the Hilltoppers have confronted each other on two other occasions; once on November 24th, 2017, and again on October 27th, 2018. FIU won both games 41-17 and 38-17 respectively.
Last season, WKU finished with an overall record of 9-4, losing to Central Arkansas, Louisville, Marshall, and Florida Atlantic. The Hilltoppers’ nine wins secured them a place in the 2019 Servpro First Responder Bowl, where they faced Western Michigan and won by a score of 23-20.
FIU defensive back Richard Dames has 24 total tackles in his opening three games. Dames should prove vital in this matchup as WKU’s quarterback, Tyrrell Pigrome, who has been pivotal in both WKU’s wins this season.
For the Hilltoppers, Walker could be a headache for FIU’s offense. He leads the team with 71 rushing attempts and is a standout performer in an underwhelming season.
WKU has yet to win a game with more than 20 points this season while FIU’s offense has done well but has suffered from an inconsistent defense. FIU’s best chance at winning this game will rely on its defensive performance.
FIU vs the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Jared Parker/ Staff Writer
FIU will play against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on November 28, at 12 p.m.
Currently, LA Tech holds a 4-3 record and sits at 1st in the C-USA West Division. The Bulldogs offense is led by quarterback Luke Anthony, who’s thrown 1,208 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Anthony ranks 15th in the nation for touchdowns thrown. The senior also has a 62.5% completion rate, which puts him in the top 50 in the nation.
FIU’s defense has not been outstanding, allowing 288 passing yards per game, along with giving up 33.5 points per game. It would come as no surprise if LA Tech attempts to take advantage of that.
The Panthers rushing offense matches up favorably against the Bulldogs. Opponents this season have averaged 179.7 yards against LA Tech, so expect Butch Davis to rely on the ground game against the Bulldogs.
LA Tech has won all four meetings against and the Panthers since 2013 winning 23-7, in 2013, 27-17 in 2015, 44-24 in 2016, and 43-31 in 2019. If the Panthers hope to stay competitive in Conference USA and for bowl game contention, this is a must-win game.
FIU has an opportunity to exploit LA Tech’s shaky offensive line, which has allowed 19 sacks this season. If the Panthers bring pressure in the pass rush, they can slow down Anthony.
FIU vs the Charlotte 49ers
Carlos Rivero/ Contributing Writer
The Charlotte 49ers will host the Panthers on December 5th, at 12 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
The 49ers are currently 2-3 this season, third place in Conference USA East. They beat North Texas and the University of Texas at El Paso, but have lost to Appalachian State, Florida Atlantic, and Duke. The 49ers matchup against Georgia State was also postponed due to COVID-19 cases and contract tracing within the Georgia State football program.
FIU has a winning record against the Charlotte 49ers. The Panthers have won all five games vs the 49ers since November 2015. Last year, Charlotte lost to FIU 48-23. The 49ers won seven of their 12 season games last year and moved on to the Makers Wanted Bahama Bowl, losing to the Buffalo Bulls 31-9.
This season, 49ers quarterback Chris Reynolds has thrown 1100 yards and scored six touchdowns. Running back Tre Harbison III has rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Victor Tucker has earned 289 receiving yards with two touchdowns. Charlotte’s defense has recorded four sacks, three fumbles, and five interceptions.
The 2019 49ers lost to FIU despite winning more games during the regular season. This season, the 49ers have five games under their belt while FIU has only three. This game will come down to offensive and defensive consistency. Defensive consistency limiting Chris Reynold would be ideal for the Panthers.
FIU vs the Marshall Thundering Herd
Jared Parker/ Staff Writer
FIU is set to host the 16th ranked Marshall University on December 11, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. This is the Panther’s toughest challenge for the remainder of the season as Marshall’s record is 5-0.
The last game between FIU and Marshall was an overtime thriller that saw the Thundering Herd come out on top 30-27. FIU has won two of eight games against Marshall since 2011.
Marshall has won all their games this season by double digits. Their offense will be tough to stop as their ground game is one of the best in the nation. It’s led by running back Brenden Knox who totals 556 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Their rushing game is paired with a passing game that has thrown nine touchdowns, Quarterback Grant Wells scored eight of them.
The Thundering Herd’s receiving core has seen five players total more than 100 yards this season, and eight players have scored a touchdown or more.
Offensively, FIU has relied on rushing to succeed, but Marshall has one of the best run defenses in the nation, only allowing 68.5 yards per game.
FIU’s passing game has been weak all season, but they’ll need to be successful against Marshall. The Thundering Herd’s biggest weakness this season has been in the air, giving up 221.2 passing yards per game. If the Panthers can get in rhythm with their aerial offense, they should be able to challenge Marshall.
This is the last game of the regular season for both teams, so a win will be essential for a potential spot in the Conference USA Championship Game.
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