Panthers look for win on Senior Day

Jorge Corrales/Staff Writer

FIU welcomes Middle Tennessee State University to The Cage on Saturday, Nov. 15, for the final home game of the season. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the American Sports Network. Prior to kickoff, the Panthers will be holding senior day festivities to honor those who will be playing their final home game for FIU.

The Panthers are coming off yet another tough loss, this one coming against the Old Dominion University Monarchs. The Panthers led for most of the second half before giving up a late touchdown and a fieldgoal as time expired; eventually falling by a score of 38-35.

The Panthers were led on the ground by redshirt junior running back Anthon Samuel and freshman running back Napoleon Maxwell. Samuel recorded his first 100-yard game as a member of the Panthers, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown. Maxwell added 70 yards on 14 carries.

“We knew out of high school that [Maxwell] had the potential to be a really good player,” said Head Coach Ron Turner. “He’s strong, he’s fast and he’s done a great job of learning to run with his pads down. I’m not surprised but I’m pleased with it. He’s playing well– so is Anthon.”

Freshman quarterback Alex McGough added 49 yards on the ground while throwing for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

The loss dropped the Panthers to 3-7 for the year and crushed the slim hopes they had at being invited to a bowl game.

“We just gotta finish,” said Turner. “We’re a young team and we just haven’t learned how to finish yet. We made some undisciplined mental errors at critical times.”

Samuel and Maxwell will once again spearhead the Panther offense against the Blue Raiders, as freshman running back Alex Gardner continues to recover from a shoulder injury. The Panthers have rushed for a total of 1,692 yards in 2014, already surpassing last year’s total of 1,447.

Through the air, McGough will rely on sophomore tight end Jonnu Smith. Smith leads the team in receptions (49), touchdown receptions (5) and receiving yards (555). Redshirt senior Glenn Coleman leads all wide receivers with 21 catches for 452 yards and three touchdowns. He and all other seniors will be honored prior to the game.

The Panthers enter Saturday’s contest ranked 46 in the nation in total defense. Senior safety Demarkus Perkins leads the team with 60 tackles. Junior defensive end Michael Wakefield leads the team with 8 sacks and ranks No. 16 in the nation with 8.0 sacks per game.

The captain of the secondary is redshirt junior cornerback RIchard Leonard. Leonard leads the team with five interceptions and four fumbles. He also leads all defenders with 3 touchdowns.

The Blue Raiders are coming off a 27-7 home loss to Brigham Young University, putting them at 5-4 . Much like Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee has struggled to stop opposing offenses. The Blue Raiders are allowing nearly 500 yards of total offense per game. Look for Samuel and Maxwell to rack up a great deal of yards on the ground.

“These guys are much more physical [than Old Dominion],” said Turner. “It’s a different front. We’re not gonna run the ball 55 times. We’ve gotta have some balance.”

Quarterback Austin Grammer captains the Blue Raider offense. He has thrown for 12 touchdowns while completing over 65 percent of his passes in 2014.

The Blue Raiders run a two running back system with Reggie Whatley and Jordan Parker. Both backs are averaging over 4.5 yards per carry.

The Blue Raiders are looking to get their sixth win of the season in order to gain bowl eligibility.