GAME 7
FIU Panthers (2-4; 2-0 SBC)
vs. Florida Atlantic Owls (1-5; 0-3 SBC)
Saturday, October 30, 2010 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Lockhart Stadium (20,450) • Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Gameday Central
THE GAME - Shula Bowl IX is here,
and as it always seems to be the case, there will be plenty at stake when the
Panthers and the Owls battle it out. For FIU, the game represents an
opportunity to snap a four-game losing streak against the Owls, but more
importantly, it's a chance for FIU to move to 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Panthers
are coming off a well-deserved bye week after beating the North Texas Mean
Green 34-10 in Denton. The Owls are coming off a 37-16 loss against Arkansas
State in Jonesboro, Ark. In the loss, the Owls took a 13-9 lead into the fourth
quarter before allowing 28 points in the final quarter.
WHEELS KEEP ON ROLLIN' - Against WKU
(10/9/10), the FIU running game had its best night in nearly three years,
picking up 235 yards on the ground, the best total since FIU had 264 yards
against Louisiana on November 17, 2007. FIU also scored four touchdowns on the
ground, which is tied for the most-ever in a game by FIU.
The following week, against North Texas (10/16/10), FIU maintained the
successful running game, picking up 191 yards on the ground. The 426 rushing
yards in back-to-back games are the most FIU has had since picking up 434 in
consecutive games in 2005 (168 vs. WKU - 11/19/05 & 266 vs. Florida
Atlantic - 11/26/05).
GAITOR BAIT - Known as one of the best
pass defenders in the conference, Anthony Gaitor's biggest contributions in
FIU's victory over WKU (10/9/10) came behind the line of scrimmage. With WKU
driving towards a potential game-tying touchdown, Gaitor made a stop behind the
line of scrimmage on an end-around that put WKU in a 4th-and-8 situation after
a loss of four yards. Two drives earlier, Gaitor forced WKU to punt after
sacking Kawaun Jakes on third down. Gaitor was back at it against North Texas,
picking up another sack. On the season, Gaitor now has career-highs of 6.5
tackles for loss and three sacks.
After picking off five passes in 2008, Anthony Gaitor had just two
interceptions in 2009. Already in 2010, Gaitor has picked off two passes, which
ranks second in the country. Gaitor's latest interception was a big one as he
took it 54 yards for a touchdown that gave FIU a 20-6 lead over the Texas
A&M Aggies. Gaitor also sacked Jerrod Johnson, forcing a fumble that FIU
recovered and turned into a field goal that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead at the
time.
WILD TIMES - Sophomore wide receiver
Wayne Times made his presence felt in more ways than one against North Texas
(10/16/10). Times not only made an impact in the passing game, but he scored
his first rushing touchdown when he line up in FIU's version of the Wild Cat
formation. Times' first-quarter touchdown made the score 17-3, and FIU never
looked back on its way to a 34-10 victory.
FORGED IN STEELE - The FIU
football team received 11 Phil Steele Midseason All-Sun Belt Conference
selections, including three players on the first-team. FIU's 11 selections are
the third-most in the conference, trailing only Troy (15) and Arkansas State (12).
T.Y. Hilton, Anthony Gaitor and Jonathan Cyprien were selected to the
first-team. Hilton also received second-team honors as a kick returner and he
was joined on the second-team by Greg Ellingson and Brad Serini. Caylin
Hauptman, Cedrick Mack, Jarvis Wilson, Winston Fraser and Jack Griffin all were
third-team selections.
D IS FOR DOMINANT - FIU's
defense, which was ranked second in the country after the season-opener against
Rutgers, has returned to its dominant form over the last few weeks. After allowing
just 285 yards of offense to North Texas (64 of them coming on a fake punt),
FIU's defense is now ranked 39th in the country in total defense.
FIU is especially stingy against the pass as the Panthers rank 15th in
pass defense and 28th in pass efficiency defense. Much of that success can be
attributed to the relentless pass rush as FIU ranks 32nd in the country in
sacks per game. The relentless rush has also translated into seven tackles for
loss per game, good for 24th in the country.
ELLING$ON - "Money Plays" are
defined as plays resulting in a first down or touchdown. This season, senior
wideout Greg Ellingson has been FIU's go-to "Money Man." Ellingson leads the
team with 19 such receptions (17 1st downs/ 2 TD). Through his career,
Ellingson has been one of FIU's most consistent and reliable receivers. This
season has been no different as he leads the team with 340 receiving yards on
19 receptions. Ellingson now has 1,731 career receiving yards, which is the
fifth-best total in FIU history.
OUT OF THE GATES - The FIU
defense is yet to allow a first-quarter touchdown this season. FIU has
outscored opponents 41-6 in the first quarter. The Panthers have also come out
of halftime strong, outscoring the opposition 35-17 in the third quarter.
YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS - The FIU
offensive line went through a major overhaul this offseason. Not only did Alex
Mirabal take over as new offensive line coach, but FIU lost three starters off
last year's O-line. With the addition of Caylin Hauptmann, the
emergence of Cedric Mack, Giancarlo Revilla and Rupert Bryan, and of course,
Rimmington Watchlist member Brad Serini, the FIU offensive line has been
dominant in the passing game, allowing just seven sacks through the first six
games. The 1.17 sacks-per-game allowed rank 30th in the country.
