ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (December 21, 2017) – FIU closes out its 2017 football season on Thursday night as it faces Temple in the Big Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kick off is slated for 8 p.m. with the game being televised live on ESPN.
 
The Panthers hit the field looking for their second bowl win in the programs 16-year history. FIU's last win in a bowl game came on Dec. 26, 2010, in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, in Detroit, Michigan, a thrilling 34-32 victory over Toledo. The Panthers last went bowling in this same venue – Tropicana Field – during the, then, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl on Dec. 20, 2011, against Marshall, a 20-10 loss.  
 
Click here for complete FIU 2017 Big Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl Guide.
 
TELEVISION (ESPN)
Anish Shroff: .Play-by-Play
Mike Golic Jr.: Booth Analyst
Roddy Jones: Field Analyst
 
NATIONAL RADIO (ESPN U Radio)
Tony Caridi: Play-by-Play
Brad Howe: Color Analyst
Lauren Brooks: Sideline
 
AM 790 THE TICKET (WAXY AM 790); 104.3 FM
www.theticketmiami.com; FIUSports.com
Tallahassee flagship 94.9 WTNT-FM and 1270-AM
A.J. Ricketts: Play-by-Play
Hurlie Brown: Color Analyst
 
SATELLITE RADIO
XM Channel 84
 
Bowl Notes 
- FIU and Temple meet for the first time in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Tropicana Field on Dec. 21 in St. Petersburg.
- FIU will play in its third bowl game – and second time in a bowl game at Tropicana Field. The Panthers lost to Marshall in the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl in 2011. FIU's first bowl game was the memorable Little Caesars Pizza Bowl where the "Motor City Miracle" happened -- the Panthers' late-game hook and ladder play that converted a fourth down-and-18 to spur the 34-32 comeback win over Toledo.
- FIU and Temple come into the Gasparilla Bowl with coaches in their first-year with each program in Butch Davis and Geoff Collins, respectively.
- The Panthers and Owls played two common opponents this season. Both FIU and Temple defeated UMass and each lost to Central Florida. The Panthers beat the Minutemen 63-45. The Owls defeated the Minutemen 29-21. Both FIU and Temple lost big to UCF.
- Temple will play its seventh bowl game but has never played in a St. Petersburg bowl game. The Owls first bowl game was at the first-ever Sugar Bowl in 1935 where they lost to Tulane.
- FIU is coming off a 63-45 win over UMass in which the Panthers broke several program records including most points scored in a game, most rushing touchdowns in a game and most total yards in a game.
- The Panthers (8-4) matched the program record for wins in a season after defeating the Minutemen. The 2017 FIU team matched the 2011 FIU team that went 8-5.
- Temple won three of its last four games to reach the postseason. The Owls defeated Tulsa 43-22 in their regular-season finale.
- A win would give FIU a program-record ninth win, to jump past the 2011 squad, which was 8-5, with all eight wins coming in the regular season. The Panthers won their last two games, both at home, scoring 104 points combined.
- Temple neither won or lost more than two games in a row during the season, finishing 3-3 on the road and at home.
- Other records of note in the UMass win: six rushing touchdowns is a new school mark. The Panthers finished the game 7-for-7 in red zone scoring opportunities.
- The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl is the 13th game for Butch Davis at FIU (8-4), and 134th of his collegiate head coaching career. The 8-4 mark is the best record of any first-year head coach in FIU history.
- FIU is 7-1 when scoring first this season.
- FIU has forced 13 turnovers and recorded 19 sacks in its last seven games.
- In his last five games, McGough has completed 124-of-176 passes for a 70.4% completion percentage. He has 12 touchdown passes and two interceptions in that span. McGough has a TD pass in 10-straight contests.
- Against the current crop of American Athletic Conference teams, FIU owns a 3-7 record having defeated UCF twice and Tulane. The Panthers' most recent game against an AAC opponent came earlier this season, when they shut down the then No. 5 rushing attack of Tulane, 23-10, at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami. FIU is 2-4 vs. UCF, 1-0 vs. Tulane, 0-2 vs. USF and 0-1 vs. East Carolina.
- The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg will give several Panthers a chance to play at home. Eight Panthers hail from either Tampa or St. Petersburg while another handful are from surrounding cities. Here's a look at the Panthers having a homecoming: DB Isaiah Brown/Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech; RB Napoleon Maxwell/St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut; QB Alex McGough/Tampa, Fla./Gaither; C Shane McGough/Tampa, Fla./Gaither; DB Brad Muhammad/St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut; LB Fred Russ/Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech; DB Malik Tyson/Tampa, Fla./Robinson; K Sean Young/St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut.
 
#####
 
For FIU football ticket information, contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
 
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball.