MIAMI (Oct. 6, 2014) – College Football Performance Awards has announced that FIU senior
Richard Leonard has earned Defensive Back Performer of the Week honorable mention honors for his effort during the Panthers' win over Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Leonard continues to be an impact player for the FIU Panthers. The Miami native was a key factor in the Panthers' 38-10 Shula Bowl victory over Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Oct. 2. Leonard finished the night, tying a school-record with four pass breakups, while registering his fourth interception of the season. Leonard picked off FAU's Jaquez Johnson in the third quarter to halt a potential Owls scoring chance. The interception moved Leonard in a tie for the second-most picks by a Panther in a season and gave the redshirt junior seven for his career (tied for No. 4 all-time at FIU).
Leonard also tied and set a school record with a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown. The play tied the longest return in FIU history (100-yard kickoff return by Leonard on Nov. 16, 2012) and set the school record for longest fumble recovery (previously 89 yards by Venson Jones Jr. vs. Florida A&M on Nov. 27, 2004). Leonard's return marked just the fourth time in NCAA history (since 1992) a fumble has been returned for 100 yards. Leonard's scoop and score from two-yards deep in the endzone was the first of its kind since Kevin Thompson (UNLV) did it versus Baylor in 1999.
The fumble also marked the second time the FIU defense forced a fumble in the red zone versus the Owls and the seventh in the redzone this season (13 total fumble recoveries – No. 1 in the nation).
On the year, Leonard has recorded 20 tackles (16 solo), four interceptions, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
With the fumble recovery for a touchdown, Leonard now has five career returns for a score (two interceptions, one kickoff, one punt, one fumble), good for second all-time at FIU.
Leonard currently ranks No. 16 in passes defended and No. 9 in interceptions, nationally.
The honor from College Football Performance Awards is the fifth of Leonard's career.
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FIU travel to San Antonio, Texas, to take on the UTSA Roadrunners on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Alamodome and will be broadcast live on FOX College Sports.
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/.
