Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer
The FIU football team is traveling up the east coast to face the Liberty Flames on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In their previous game, the Panthers beat the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 17-10 in a vital win that improved the team’s record to 2-3 and kept their bowl hopes from slipping further. Despite this, the Liberty game presents a much bigger challenge.
The Liberty Flames are a perfect 4-0 on the season, their most recent game being a 35-24 win against East Carolina on Saturday, Sep. 21. Liberty had a game scheduled against Appalachian State on the 28 which was canceled due to Hurricane Helene.
Liberty’s success is predicated on junior quarterback Kaidon Salter, who won the CUSA Michael L. Slive Male Athlete of the Year award in 2023 after leading the Flames to a 13-0 regular season record and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
This season, Salter has completed 66 of 103 passes for 949 yards and a 7:1 TD:INT ratio. His one pick is the fewest interceptions thrown among CUSA quarterbacks.
Liberty leans toward the rush on offense. Senior running backs Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas have combined for 635 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season. In particular, Cooley is averaging 92.8 rush yards per game, which leads the conference.
Other notable contributors include senior wide receiver Treon Sibley, who is averaging 87.3 reception yards per game. On defense, sophomore defensive end TJ Bush Jr. has recorded 4.5 sacks on the year, leading the conference.
Much like last year, Liberty is running one of the cleanest operations in the C-USA, if not the entire Group of Six. The Flames are among the top two teams in the conference in offensive and defensive points and yards per game.
The Flames can make their running game superior in any matchup. The Flames are second among CUSA teams in both rushing offense and defense, gaining 218.5 per game while only allowing 112.8 per game.
Though their passing statistics aren’t as good, they still rank in the top half of the conference. The Flames are passing for 240.3 yards per game on offense and allowing 200 passing yards per game on the year so far.
One more thing to note is that the Flames are a dominant force on third down. Liberty has a 50.9% conversion rate on third down, while their defense holds other offenses to a 30.4% conversion rate. Both of these rank first in the CUSA.
If the Panthers want to beat the odds and get a win here, they need to step up on offense. A 17-point effort isn’t going to work this week. FIU also needs to be disciplined. Only giving up four penalties last game was good, but it shouldn’t be a one-game thing.
Looking to start conference play 2-0 for the first time since 2018, The FIU football team is going on the road to play the Liberty Flames on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Prediction: Liberty 38, FIU 21
PantherNOW Staff Predictions:
Brian Olmo:
FIU’s record on the road since 2000 is The Panthers face a Liberty team that has been
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