FIU Panthers (2-5; 2-1 SBC)
vs.ULM Warhawks (4-4; 3-2 SBC)
Saturday, November 6, 2010 • 7:30 p.m. (ET)
FIU Stadium (20,000) • Miami, Fla.
Gameday Central
Series vs. ULM: ULM leads, 5-0*
Last Meeting: 10/3/09 – at ULM 48, FIU 35Radio: 790 The Ticket (Jeremy Marks-Peltz, pbp/Jorge Sedano, color)
TV: Sun Belt Network (Joe Block, pbp/Cole Cubelic, analyst/Sandra Golden, sideline)
*FIU's 2005 31-29 victory over ULM was vacated due to NCAA infractions. It was FIU's first division I victory.
It's Homecoming week for the Panthers as FIU looks to get back in the win column when they host the ULM Warhawks. The game will mark the 100th football game in FIU's history.
FIU is coming off a loss to rival Florida Atlantic in Shula Bowl IX, while the Warhawks are coming off an impressive 28-14 home win over Sun Belt Conference powerhouse Troy. With a victory against the Warhawks, FIU would notch its third Sun Belt victory of the year, matching the program's highest total for conference victories. FIU is looking for its first victory over the ULM Warhawks, as they dropped a 48-35 decision in Monroe last time the teams met.
T.Y. 2K - With 124 receiving yards against Florida Atlantic (10/30/10), junior wide receiver T.Y. Hilton became the third Panther ever to go over 2,000 receiving yards for his career, with 2,067. It was also Hilton's sixth-career 100-yard receiving game.
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 wheels kept on rolling against Florida Atlantic (10/30/10) as the Panthers picked up 150 rushing yards. The 576 rushing yards in three consecutive games are the most FIU has had since picking up 558 in consecutive games in 2005 (168 vs WKU - 11/19/05, 266 vs Florida Atlantic - 11/26/05 & 124 vs Middle Tennessee - 12/3/05).
CROSS RHODES - Freshman Kedrick Rhodes had a breakout performance against Florida Atlantic (10/30/10), rushing for 100 yards on 18 carries. Rhodes became the first Panther to rush for over 100 yards since Kendall Berry did it against Middle Tennessee on November 7, 2009.
JACK-ED UP - Sophomore kicker Jack Griffin went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts against Florida Atlantic, setting a new career-high. For his efforts, Griffin was named one of collegefootballperformance.com's Kicker Performer of the Week
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.
FOUR OF A KIND - With his 100-yard performance against FAU, Kedrick Rhodes now has 260 rushing yards, becoming the fourth Panther to rush for over 200-yards this year. Rhodes, Jeremiah Harden (242), Darriet Perry (236) and Darian Mallary (224) are the only quartet in FIU history to each run for over 200 yards in a season.
