FIU Panthers (3-0; 1-0 SBC)
vs.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (2-1; 0-0 SBC
Saturday, September 24, 2011 • 6:04 p.m. (ET)
Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium (18,000) • Miami, Fla.
Series: UL Leads 6-2
Radio: WHIM-1080 AM (Tony Calatayud, pbp/Rick Sanchez, color)
TV: ESPN3.com (Erik Kohler, pbp/Warrick Dunn, color)
Rankings (AP/Coaches): FIU (RV/RV) Louisiana (UR/UR)
THE GAME - Coming off a 17-10 win over UCF, the Panthers are 3-0 and receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top-25 Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. However, the Panthers must now turn their attention to the always-challenging task of hosting a conference rival, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Louisiana comes to FIU with a 2-1 record and fresh off a victory over Nicholls State.
Despite the Cajuns' winning record in the all-time series against FIU, the Panthers are currently on a two-game winning streak against UL, including a 38-17 win in Lafayette last year.
This will mark FIU's third home game of the season, and the second of three consecutive home contests for the Panthers.
NOWHERE TO RUN - FIU's defense has been outstanding against the run this year, holding opposing runners to just 2.5 yards-per-carry. Against UCF (9/17), the Panthers allowed just 119 rushing yards at a clip of 3.0 yards per carry. Going into the game, the Knights were averaging 275 yards-per-game on the ground and 5.9 yards-per-carry.
THE ICEMAN COMETH - Isame “Iceman” Faciane didn't fill up the stat sheet against UCF (9/17), but he had arguably the biggest play of the game when he picked up a Jeff Godfrey fumble and returned it 51 yards for a game-tying touchdown with six seconds left in the first half. He finished the game with just one tackle, but his play inside freed up linebackers Winston Fraser and Jordan Hunt who combined for 21 tackles vs. UCF.
SACK LUNCH - Against UCF (9/17), the Panthers recorded six sacks, one shy of the program record. Winston Fraser led the way for the Panthers with a pair of sacks, and Jordan Hunt, Jonathan Cyprien, Sam Miller and Tevin Blanchard each pitched in with one. The Panthers are currently ranked second in the country with an average of five sacks-per-game.
DON'T PICK ON ME - FIU quarterback Wes Carroll has been incredibly accurate this year for the Panthers, completing 62.5% of his passes. Even more impressive has been his ability to take care of the football, as he hasn't thrown an interception all year. In fact, Carroll has thrown 78 consecutive passes without an interception, dating back to the 2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (12/26/10). Carroll's efficency rating of 154.52 leads all Sun Belt Conference QBs.
A WHOLE SEASON'S WORTH - Dating back to FIU's 28-21 win over WKU on October 9, 2010, FIU is 10-2 over its last 12 contests.
OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE - Coming into the season, FIU had just two wins against non-conference opponents, both coming against Toledo (2008 & 2010). With wins against Louisville (BIG EAST) and UCF (C-USA), FIU has now doubled its number of out-of-conference wins. Including the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Toledo, FIU has now won its last three OOC games.
NO HILTON, NO PROBLEM - Against UCF (9/17), T.Y. Hilton suffered an injury in the second quarter and although he returned in the third, was limited the rest of the game. Despite that, FIU was able to best the Knights for their third win of the season.
BCS BUSTER - With their win against Louisville (9/9), FIU busted into the win column against teams from automatic qualifying conferences. Previously the Panthers had been 0-22 against “BCS teams.”
MR. WORLDWIDE – After his second touchdown catch against Louisville (9/9), “TY Hilton” became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter.
DOWN GOES... EVERYBODY – The linebacker position has always been one of strength for the Panthers. In 2011, redshirt-junior Winston Fraser is the veteran and he's off to a scorching start. The 2010 Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference selection leads FIU and is second in the Sun Belt Conference with 29 tackles. He also has two sacks and an interception, which he returned 71 yards for FIU's first touchdown against Louisville (9/9).
