Football opens Conference USA play against Louisiana Tech

Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer

The FIU football team is playing the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday, Sep. 28, 2024, at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

The Panthers come into the game at 1-3 after a disastrous loss to the FCS Monmouth Hawks last Saturday, Sep. 21, 2024. The game marked Monmouth’s first win against an FBS opponent in program history and FIU’s first loss to an FCS team since 2020.

Entering conference play in desperate need of a momentum shift, they will hope to get a win against the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are 1-2 on the year so far, their most recent game being a 23-20 overtime loss at the hands of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. 

Louisiana Tech’s quarterback position is in flux, with junior Jack Turner and freshman Evan Bullock competing for the starting job coming into Thursday. 

Turner has been the starter for all three Bulldogs games, in which he completed 30 of 58 passes for 392 yards and a 2:2 TD:INT ratio. Bullock played mop-up duty against Tulsa, completing 4 of 6 passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. 

In terms of stats, LA Tech’s offense is middling among CUSA teams. The Bulldogs are scoring 21.7 points per game with 331.3 yards per game, coming out to sixth and seventh in the conference respectively. 

LA Tech heavily leans toward the passing game. The Bulldogs average 251 passing yards per game, third in the conference, as opposed to their 79.7 rushing yards per game, which is ninth in the conference.

The Bulldogs have a reliable defense. Louisiana Tech has allowed the least yards per game among CUSA teams with 298. They allow 23.3 points per game, ranking third in the conference.

Their run defense is the superior front, with their 106 rush yards allowed per game. This ranks first in the conference as well. Their passing defense is not bad either, with their average of 192 yards allowed being 3rd in the conference.

Another statistic to note is that the Bulldogs have only committed 12 penalties for a total of 90 yards across the season, both conference lows. The Panthers committed 12 penalties in their loss to Monmouth alone, so they will need to find discipline quickly.

If the Panthers want to come out on top in this game, they will need to reign in the careless penalties we saw last week and take advantage of the Bulldogs’ unclear quarterback situation by taking away from their passing attack.

In dire need of a win, the FIU football team will be looking to shift momentum when they play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday, Sep. 28, 2024, at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Prediction: LA Tech 30, FIU 17

PantherNOW Staff Predictions

Jonathan Suarez:

A struggling LA Tech offense heads to Pitbull Stadium to face a lackluster FIU defense. Last week, the Panthers allowed 540 yards to FCS Monmouth, and the Bulldogs are poised to exploit this weakness through the air.

LA Tech 35, FIU 17

Brian Olmo:

All the pressure is on the Panthers to deliver. LA Tech is one of the toughest defenses in CUSA so far, only giving up seven touchdowns and 3.1 yards per attempt in three games. However, the Bulldogs don’t have the same offensive potency as this FIU squad, tied for the most passing touchdowns in the conference with eight. 

LA Tech 27, FIU 20