FIU enters its final home game of the 2014 season looking to get back to its winning ways as the Panthers host long-time conference foe Middle Tennessee this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the American Sports Network (ASN) with Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Keith Moreland (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. Prior to kickoff, the Panthers will honor its senior class, which will be playing in its last home game as members of the FIU football program.
 
The Panthers are coming off a tough, 38-35, loss at Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 8. A last-second field goal handed FIU the three-point loss, despite breaking off 256 yards of offense on the ground – the seventh-highest, single-game rushing total in program history.

Redshirt junior Anthon Samuel notched his first 100-yard game as a Panther, rushing for 137 yards on 25 carries, including one touchdown. Freshman Napoleon Maxwell accounted for 70 yards on 14 carries, while freshman quarterback Alex McGough rushed for 49 yards on 16 carries, including one touchdown. On the ground, FIU rushed 55 times for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Through the air, McGough completed 8-of-13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The Tampa, Fla., native connected on touchdowns to Maxwell for 57 yards and sophomore Jonnu Smith for seven.

Offensively, the Panthers will be led by Samuel and Maxwell in the backfield this Saturday. Samuel, having started each of the Panthers' last two games, has rushed for 373 yards on 99 carries this season. The Miami native is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with McGough (4). Maxwell has rushed for 173 yards on 35 carries this season with one touchdown. One the year, FIU has rushed for 1,692 yards, surpassing last year's total on 1,447.   

McGough has thrown for 1,393 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Completing 48.9 percent (110-of-225) of his passes, McGough's 11 TD passes rank No. 10 in the FIU record books for touchdown passes in a season.

McGough's top target is Smith, who leads all Panthers with 49 receptions, including five touchdowns for 555 yards. The Ocala, Fla., native has made at least one catch in 22-straight games and has led the team in receptions in 16 of his 22 career games at FIU. His 49 catches are the ninth-most at FIU for catches in a season. His five touchdown receptions are tied for No. 6 all-time for TD receptions in a season at FIU. Redshirt senior Glenn Coleman is second on the team and the top wide receiver with 21 catches for 452 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman is averaging 21.5 yards-per-catch and has had 10 plays of 20 yards-or-more this season.

Defensively, the Panthers come into this week's action ranked No. 46 in the nation in total defense, allowing 367.1 yards-per-game. FIU has forced 26 turnovers (No. 5 in the nation), including 17 fumble recoveries (No. 1 in the nation). Those turnovers have resulted in 77 points for the Panthers.

The Panther defense is led by senior Demarkus Perkins, who enters Saturday's contest with 60 tackles (42 solo). The Bradenton, Fla., native has also registered two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one of FIU's nine interceptions. Junior Michael Wakefield leads the team with 8.0 sacks each. Wakefield ranks No. 16 in the nation in sacks-per-game (0.80). He has tallied a team-best 12.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt junior Richard Leonard leads the team with five interceptions and ranks No. 14 nationally in interceptions-per-game (0.50). The Miami native also leads the team in passes defended (7) and ranks No. 37 nationally in passes defended-per-game (1.2).

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FIU hosts the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast 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.
 
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/.