MIAMI (Nov. 3, 2014) -- Looking to snap a three-game losing skid with a trip to Norfolk, Va., the FIU football team will take on the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday, Nov. 8. The game is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the American Sports Network. Mike Gleason (play-by-play), Ken Dunek (color analyst) and Lauren Ivy (sideline reporter) will call 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.
FIU is coming off a 31-17 loss to the Rice Owls on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Panthers trailed by one touchdown at halftime, but were outscored 7-0 in the second half.
Redshirt senior
Glenn Coleman recorded his third career 100-yard receiving game and his second this season, tallying two receptions for 101 yards. True freshman running back
Napoleon Maxwell gained a career-best 88 yards on the ground and scored his first collegiate touchdown, as he averaged 5.5 yards-per-carry.
Freshman quarterback
Alex McGough threw for 132 yards and one touchdown on Saturday with a 52-yard TD pass to Coleman for FIU's first score of the game. The Tampa, Fla., native has thrown for 1,261 yards and nine touchdowns this season. His 1,261 yards rank No. 7 all-time at FIU and his nine TD passes are tied for No. 10 in touchdowns in a season (Wayne Younger – 2007) and ranks No. 8 all-time for career touchdown passes at FIU.
Redshirt junior
Anthon Samuel made his first start at FIU this past weekend, while Maxwell had the best outing in his young Panther career. FIU has rushed for 1,011 yards on the ground with eight touch downs this season. The Panthers are led by McGough and Samuel who have each notched three rushing touchdowns.
Sophomore tight end
Jonnu Smith leads all Panthers with 47 receptions, including four touchdowns for 502 yards. The Ocala, Fla., native has made at least one catch in 21-straight games and has led the team in receptions in 15 of his 21-career games at FIU. His 47 catches are tied for the ninth-most at FIU for catches in a season (Samuel Smith – 2006). Coleman is second on the team and the top wide receiver with 20 catches for 435 yards and three touchdowns. Coleman is averaging 21.8 yards-per-catch and has had 10 players of 20 yards-or-more this season.
Defensively, the Panthers come into this week's action ranked No. 33 in the nation in total defense, allowing just 349.4 yards-per-game. FIU has forced 25 turnovers (No. 2 in the nation), 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 60 tackles (42 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 6.0 sacks each. Both are tied for No. 41 in the nation in sacks-per-game (0.67). Wakefield has tallied a team-best 10.5 tackles for loss, while Perine is a close second with 8.0 tackles for loss. Redshirt junior
Richard Leonard leads the team with five interceptions and ranks No. 10 nationally in interceptions-per-game (0.60). The Miami native also leads the team in passes defended (6) and ranks No. 28 nationally in passes defended-per-game (1.2).
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FIU travel to Norfolk, Va., to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 3:30 p.m.
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 home game features 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.
