MIAMI (Oct. 13, 2014) -- Coming off a tough 16-13 setback at UTSA last weekend, the FIU football team welcomes the Marshall Thundering Herd to Miami, marking the third-ever matchup between the two teams. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised live on the American Sports Network (ASN) with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Jim Donnan (color analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen to the contest on 1210AM ESPN Deportes with Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Pete Pelegrin (color analyst) calling the action.

FIU dropped a heartbreaker to the UTSA Roadrunners last Saturday in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. With the game knotted up at 13, the Roadrunners connected on a 39-yard field goal with 50 seconds to go to secure the 16-13 victory.

Offensively, the Panthers turned the ball over a season-high five times in the loss. FIU forced three turnovers and allowed 317 total yards of total offense to the Roadrunners. Additionally, FIU held UTSA to just three of 14 on third downs. Senior safety Demarkus Perkins tallied a career-high 11 tackles and 2.0 tackles for a loss in the contest.

On the offensive side of the ball, true freshman quarterback Alex McGough found sophomore tight end Jonnu Smith for a touchdown in the second quarter. The touchdown pass for McGough gives him eight-career touchdown passes, which already ranks eighth all-time at FIU. Smith, who recorded four receptions versus UTSA, has now recorded at least one catch in his first 19 career games at FIU. The touchdown reception for Smith in the second quarter is the fourth for a score for him this season and the sixth of his career. That is tied for seventh all-time at FIU for career touchdown receptions. Smith now has 73 career receptions, passing Jacob Younger (2008-12) for eighth all-time at FIU.

The Panthers enter this week's action with one of the top defenses in the country. The Panthers are ranked No. 23 in nation in total defense, allowing just 327.0 yards-per-game. FIU has forced a nations-best 24 turnovers, including 16 fumble recoveries (No. 1 in the nation). Those turnovers have resulted in 74 points for the Panthers (second-most among all FBS schools).

The Panthers are led by Perkins, who enters Saturday's contest with 50 tackles (33 solo). The Bradenton, Fla., native has also registered two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one of FIU's eight interceptions. Juniors Michael Wakefield and Denzell Perine lead the team with 5.5 sacks each. The both are tied for No. 34 in the nation in sacks-per-game (0.79). Wakefield has tallied a team-best 9.0 tackles for loss, while Perine is a close second with 7.5 tackles for loss. Defensive backs Jeremiah McKinnon and Justin Halley are coming off solid games this past week each registering six tackles. McKinnon has totaled 29 tackles this season (21 solo) and two sacks (on for a safety). Halley has recorded 33 tackles (25 solo) and has broken up three passes this season. Junior Richard Leonard leads the team with four interceptions and ranks No. 14 nationally in interceptions-per-game (0.60). The Miami native also leads the team in passes defended (6) and ranks No. 16 nationally in passes defended-per-game (1.4).

On the offensive side of the ball, McGough comes into this weekend's action, completing 80-of-166 passes for 953 yards and eight touchdowns. The Tampa, Fla., native is currently No. 7 on the FIU career passing yards list. McGough's top target is Smith, who has registered a team-high 34 catches for 411 yards. Named to the midseason John Mackey Award Watch List, Smith is second in Conference USA in total receiving yards (No. 68 nationally). His four receiving touchdown lead the conference and rank No. 46 in the nation. Smith has caught at least one pass in 19-stragiht games, averaging 4.9 catches-per-game. Redshirt senior Glenn Coleman has recorded 334 yards on 18 receptions, including two touchdowns this season to lead all FIU wide receivers. In the backfield, freshman Alex Gardner has rushed for 478 yards on 112 carries, including one touchdown, while redshirt junior Anthon Samuel has scored a team-high three touchdowns on 56 carries and 178 yards.

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FIU hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Oct. 18. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. ET from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium and will be broadcast live on the American Sports Network.
 
The game will be broadcast live on 1210AM with Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Pete Pelegrin (color analyst) calling all of the action. FIU's remaining three home games features C-USA opponents Marshall (Oct. 8), Rice (Nov. 1) and Middle Tennessee (Nov. 15).
 
For FIU football ticket information, log onto www.FIUSports.com or 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, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.