MIAMI (Oct. 27, 2014) -- The Panthers host the Rice Owls on Saturday, Nov. 1, looking to snap a two-game losing skid. The team's seventh home game will kick off a noon and will be televised live on the American Sports Network (ASN) with Dave Anderson (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 its last contest to then-ranked No. 25 Marshall, 45-13. Freshman running back Alex Gardner finished the night with 104 yards on the ground, marking his third career 100-yard game. Freshman quarterback Alex McGough threw for 176 yards on 14 completions with a long of 46 yards to redshirt senior Cory White in the first quarter. The reception is also the longest catch of White's career. McGough also ran for a touchdown in the effort. Sophomore Jonnu Smith paced the receiving corps with a team-high 74 yards, highlighted by a 24-yard route on the Panthers' first scoring drive.
 
Offensively, McGough enters this week's action having thrown for 1,129 yards with eight touchdowns. His 1,129 yards through the air ranks No. 7 all-time on the career FIU passing list, while his eight passing TDs are the eight-most in school history. McGough has also accounted for three rushing touchdowns tied with redshirt junior running back Anthon Samuel for the team lead. Samuel has rushed for 203 yards this season on 63 carries. Along with Samuel in the backfield is Gardner who has already set the FIU freshman record in rushing yards with 582 yards on 137 carries. His three 100-yard outings this season is tied for third all-time at FIU with Darriet Perry (2010) and Adam Gorman (2003).
 
Smith leads all FIU receivers with 485 yards on 42 catches this season. The Ocala, Fla., native has caught at least one pass in 20-straight games. With six career touchdown receptions, Smith is tied for sixth all-time at FIU and his 873 career receiving yards are good for ninth all-time at FIU. Redshirt junior Glenn Coleman is second on the team with 18 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns this season.
 
Defensively, the Panthers come into this week's action ranked No. 31 in the nation in total defense, allowing just 343.4 yards-per-game. FIU has forced a nations-best 25 turnovers, including 16 fumble recoveries (No. 1 in the nation). Those turnovers have resulted in 74 points for the Panthers.
 
The Panthers are led by senior Demarkus Perkins, who enters Saturday's contest with 55 tackles (37 solo). The Bradenton, Fla., native has also registered two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one of FIU's nine interceptions. Juniors Michael Wakefield and Denzell Perine lead the team with 5.5 sacks each. Both are tied for No. 38 in the nation in sacks-per-game (0.68). Wakefield has tallied a team-best 9.0 tackles for loss, while Perine is a close second with 7.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt junior Richard Leonard leads the team with five interceptions and ranks No. 8 nationally in interceptions-per-game (0.60). The Miami native also leads the team in passes defended (6) and ranks No. 20 nationally in passes defended-per-game (1.4).

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FIU hosts the Rice Owls on Saturday, Nov. 1, at noon from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
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 two home games features C-USA opponents 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. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.