MIAMI (Oct. 6, 2014) -- Having won its first two Conference USA game of the season, the FIU football team travels to San Antonio, Texas, to take on first-time C-USA foe UTSA this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The game will air on FOX College Sports with Mike Morgan (play-by-play), J.C. Pearson (color analyst) and Steffi Sorensen (sideline reporter) calling the action. Fans can also listen to the contest on 1210AM ESPN Deportes with Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Pete Pelegrin (color analyst) on the call.

After nearly a two hour weather delay at half time on Thursday, Oct. 2, FIU handed the Florida Atlantic Owls a convincing, 38-10, loss, putting the Shula Bowl Trophy back in the Panthers' possession for the first time since 2012. Redshirt junior Richard Leonard and Florida Atlantic's Lucky Whitehead were named the MVP's of the game.
 
Leonard had a career game, finishing with a 100-yard run-back and an interception in the end zone, along with four pass break-ups. The defensive unit ended the game with four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception).

Freshman quarterback Alex McGough finished the night 18-of-29 for 160 yards. Freshman running back Alex Gardner rushed for 100 yards, with a long of 24 yards in the first quarter. Redshirt junior Anthon Samuel had two scores in the game.

Through the midway point of the season, FIU sits at 3-3 with a 2-0 league record. The Panthers come into this weekend's contest with one of the top defenses in the nation. Currently ranked No. 25 in nation in total defense (328.7 yards-per-game), FIU is No. 4 nationally in redzone defense (60.0 percent), No. 1 in total turnovers (21), No. 1 in fumble recoveries (13), No. 12 in interceptions (8) and No. 22 in sacks (3.17 sacks-per-game). Leonard ranks No. 16 in the nation in passes defended and No. 9 in interceptions. Junior Michael Wakefield is currently No. 6 in forced fumbles, No. 21 in tackles for loss and tied with teammate Denzell Perine for No. 17 in sacks, nationally.  

Senior Demarkus Perkins leads the team in tackles with 39 (29 solo) followed by true freshman Anthony Wint, who comes into this weekend's action with 34 tackles (22 solo).

On the offensive side of the ball, McGough has thrown for 812 yards on 69-of-141 passing, with seven touchdowns and two picks. McGough, whose only two mishaps took place against Louisville on back-to-back passes. The Tampa native has thrown 57 passes since then without a pick. McGough has also rushed for two touchdowns, including a one-yard run versus the Owls.

In the backfield, Gardner has run for 413 yards on 85 carries, including one touchdown. The first-year back is averaging 4.9 yards-per-carry. With his 100 yards rushing against FAU, became the first true freshman running back at FIU to tally multiple 100-yard games in a season. He became just the eighth player in FIU history to have multiple 100-yards games in a season. Joining Gardner in the backfield is Samuel, who leads the team in rushing touchdowns with three. The Opa Locka, Fla., native has rushed for 136 yards on 45 carries this season.

Sophomore Jonnu Smith continues to lead the team in receptions and receiving yards. The Ocala, Fla., native has registered 30 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns. His 373 yards receiving leads the conference. Smith grabbed a game-high seven catches for 62 yards to extend his streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 18. Redshirt senior Glenn Coleman hauled in five passes for 41 yards last Thursday and has recorded 17 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns this season.

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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 the 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/.