MIAMI (Sept. 29, 2014) -- Coming off a Conference USA opener victory at UAB, the FIU football team welcomes the Florida Atlantic Owls to Miami, marking the 13th ever matchup between the two teams. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. and will be televised live on FSN. 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 used a strong defensive effort and big plays on offense to earn a 34-20 victory at UAB on Saturday. FIU tied a school record by forcing six turnovers and also scored touchdowns on offense of 85 and 75 yards in the victory.
 
The school record of six turnovers in a game has happened twice in the history of the FIU Football program. FIU also forced six turnovers vs. Florida A&M on Nov. 27, 2004. Of the six turnovers on Saturday, four came on interceptions. The four interceptions by the FIU defense are tied for second most in a single game in school history. FIU also had four interceptions at Texas A&M on Sept. 18, 2010 and at Gardner Webb on Nov. 15, 2003. Redshirt junior Richard Leonard had two of the interceptions versus the Blazers, returning one for a score, while Demarkus Perkins also took one back all the way.
 
Offensively, the Panthers used two big plays on offense that helped set the tone in the game, tallying the second and sixth longest pass plays in school history. Freshman quarterback Alex McGough recorded his second career 200-yard passing game in the victory. McGough threw for 204 yards and two scores, while the FIU offense did not turn the ball over in the win. Sophomore Jonnu Smith (75 yards) and redshirt senior Glenn Coleman (85 yards) were responsible for the big scores.
 
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FIU returns home to face the Florida Atlantic Owls on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FSN.
 
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 four home games features C-USA opponents Florida Atlantic (Oct. 2), 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/.