By Lazaro Gaston/Contributing Writer
The season kicks off on August 31st as the Panthers travel to Orlando to take on the University of Central Florida and are looking for redemption after falling to the same opponent 53-14 last year.
In anticipation for the season ahead Alexis Roca, a senior and history and international business major, explains his optimism for what he expects to see on the field.
“Coming off the loss from last season, I expect to see the team respond. I think we learned a few things from that game, and it will show on August 31st,” said Roca.
On September 16th, the Panthers will be in Bloomington, Indiana as the will take on the University Of Indiana Hoosiers. FIU is looking to play better this time around as last season the Hoosiers opened the 2016 season with a 34-13 victory on the Panther’s home turf.
Undoubtedly a tough test for FIU as they face a team from the prestigious Big 10 conference. Even though the Hoosiers struggled to secure a (6-7) record last year, Indiana did feature a (4-3) record at home.
The following three weeks of the schedule will be crucial to the rest of the season as the Panthers begin conference play with 2 of 3 on the road against conference USA rivals. The stretch begins September 23rd in Houston, Texas as Head Coach Butch Davis leads his group against Rice University. The Owls finished last in the western division of the conference with a 3-9 record.
FIU will then return home to face the Charlotte University 49ers on the 30th of September. Like the Panthers in the 2016 campaign, Charlotte finished with a (4-8) record. In the previous meeting, the Panthers took a road game against the 49ers with a final score of 27-26.
The Panthers after will head to Murfreesboro, Tennessee on October 7th to take on Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders managed to post an impressive (8-5) overall record with a (5-3) record in Conference USA play. In the previous season, FIU hosted the Blue Raiders last year at the FIU Football stadium and received a 42-35 loss.
This year’s schedule features two opponents that the Panthers have yet to face in the program’s history. The first being the home opener on September 9th against Alcorn State, the other opponent will also be at home on week 7 against Tulane University.
Following the bye week, the Panthers will resume their season play on October 28th with a matchup on the road in Huntington, West Virginia, against conference opponent Marshall University. The Thunder Herd is coming off a (2-6) record in conference last season. One of those losses came at the hand of FIU as the Panthers reeled off 14 points in the final quarter to take the game 31-14.
The homecoming opponent this season will be the UTSA Roadrunners. The game will take place on the November 4th. Five of the six wins that UTSA compiled last season were against Conference USA opposition.
A week after the homecoming game, the Panthers welcome one of the top teams in the conference from a year ago to Miami, Florida, Old Dominion. Under Head Coach Bobby Wilder, the Big Blue managed to compile a (10-3) overall record as well as going (7-1) in conference play, tying them for first in the entire conference. Last season the Panthers lost at Old Dominion 42-28 to finish off the 2016 season. Kickoff is slated for November 11th.
The Final two weeks of the regular season include a short trip up to Boca Raton, Florida, to take on rival Florida Atlantic University on November 18th. Followed by Senior Day on the November 24th, when the Panthers play host to the reigning Conference USA champions, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
FIU got their first win of the 2016 season against the Owls with a 33-31 result here in Miami, Florida. In regards to WKU however, the Panthers suffered a 49-21 loss in Bowling Green, Kentucky a year ago.
FIU quarterback Alex McGough is excited for the season opener against the University of Central Florida and has established the mentality of game-by-game.
“For me, I always try to take it one game at a time,” explained the senior quarterback. “I’ve really been looking forward to UCF.” “Including the entire team, we seem pretty geared up for season opener.”
About Post Author
