FIU: (3-4, 1-2 C-USA) (2-0 home)
Old Dominion: (3-3, 1-1 C-USA) (1-1 away)
 
Date: Oct. 24, 2015
 
Location: Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium (FieldTurf) (20,000) in Miami, Fla.
 
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. ET
 
Press Box Phone: 305.348.1898
 
Television: N/A
 
Radio: 1210 ESPN Deportes (WMNA 1210 AM) - Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Wes Carroll (color analyst) on the call. Fans can listen by tuning into 1210 on their AM dial or by logging onto either www.FIUSports.com or www.1210ESPNdeportes.com
 
Live Stats: www.FIUSports.com
 
Live Video Streaming: PantherVision (www.FIUSports.com)
 
Tickets: 305.FIU.GAME (348.4263) -or- www.FIUSports.com
 
Records: FIU enters Saturday's game with a 3-4, 1-2 C-USA record following a 42-34 loss at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 17. Old Dominion enters Saturday's action with a 3-3, 1-1 C-USA record following a 37-34 win over Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 17.
 
FIU Head Coach Ron Turner: Turner (Pacific, 1977) is in his third season at FIU (8-23, .258) and 12th season overall as a head coach (50-84, .373). Turner is 0-1 all-time versus the Monarchs.
 
Old Dominion Head Coach Bobby Wilder: Wilder (Maine, 1987) is in his seventh season at Old Dominion (55-23, .705). Wilder is 1-0 all-time versus the Panthers.
 
Series History: Saturday will mark the second meeting all-time between the two programs with Old Dominion holding a 1-0 edge in the series history. The last meeting between the two schools resulted in a 38-35 win for the Monarchs on Nov. 8, 2014, in Norfolk, Va.
 
Game Eight – FIU Hosts Old Dominion for Homecoming 2015
It's Homecoming and the Panthers (3-4, 1-2 C-USA) return home to the friendly confines of Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs (3-3, 1-1 C-USA) on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be live streamed on PantherVision (www.FIUSports.com) Fans can also listen to the game on 1210AM ESPN Deportes with Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Wes Carroll (color analyst) on the call.
 
This will be ODU's first trip to Miami and just the second meeting all-time between the two teams with the Monarchs holding a 1-0 edge in the series history. The last meeting between FIU and Old Dominion resulted in a 38-35 win for the Monarchs in Norfolk, Va., last season (Nov. 8, 2014).
 
FIU is looking to rebound off of a tough loss at Middle Tennessee last weekend. The Panthers lost 42-34 to the Blue Raiders as FIU's bid to make it two-straight versus the team from Murfreesboro fell just short.  The Panthers gained 346 yards of total offense and scored their most points on the road this season but could not stop the Blue Raiders on the ground as Middle Tennessee totaled six rushing touchdowns on the day.
 
Sophomore Alex McGough completed 29-of-51 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. The 51 total attempts ranked No. 2 all-time at FIU for most passing attempts in a single game. McGough's 29 completions, tied his career-high (previously done at LA Tech - 9/26). The 260 yards passing were the 6-foot-3 signal caller's six outing with 200-or-more yards passing and ninth of his career.
 
Sophomore Alex Gardner scored two touchdowns versus the Blue Raiders last weekend, including his first-collegiate receiving TD. The Jacksonville, Fla., native carried the ball 16 times for 93 yards and caught six passes for 20 yards. Sophomore Thomas Owens tied a career-high in receptions (10) with 118 yards receiving and one touchdown. The 100-yard receiving game was the second of the wide receivers career.
 
Freshman Tyree Johnson, senior Denzell Perine and senior Jeremiah McKinnon led the Panthers with eight total tackles, each at Middle Tennessee. McKinnon forced a key fumble late in the game to set up a scored for FIU. Senior Richard Leonard picked off his first pass of the season and ninth of his career on the first play of the game. Leonard finished the day with five total tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Leonard also had one of his best return games of the season, recording 151 total return yards (95 kickoff, 16 punt return and 40 interception return).
 
FIU comes into this weekend's game averaging 378.1 yards-per-game in total offense (No. 84 in the nation), while scoring 27.6 points-per-game (No. 78 in the nation). The Panthers are led by McGough, who has completed 164-of-257 passes for 1,659 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Tampa, Fla., native has thrown for 200-or-more yards in six of the team's seven games this season and currently ranks No. 29 in the nation in passing yards and No. 18 in the country in passing touchdowns.
 
Gardner has rushed for 454 yards on 110 carries and five touchdowns. Gardner has scored a rushing touchdown in three-straight games. He is also second on the team in receptions having already broken the FIU record for receptions (37) and receiving yards (333) by a running back in a season.
 
Owens leads an FIU receiving corps that has posted 169 catches, 1,791 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Owens has a team-best 40 catches for 510 yards and seven touchdowns. The Boynton Beach, Fla., product has caught a touchdown pass in six-straight games and ranks No. 10 in the nation in TD catches.
 
Defensively, FIU is allowing 377.6 yards-per-game of total offense (No. 58 in the nation) and 24.1 points-per-game (No. 53 in the nation). The Panthers has totaled 41 tackles for loss (151 yards) and 12 total sacks (91 yards).
 
Sophomore Anthony Wint leads the Panthers with 51 total tackles (25 solo). The linebacker has also picked off one pass and recovered two fumbles. Leonard is second on the team in total tackles with 41 (28 solo). Perine and senior Michael Wakefield have each registered 7.0 tackles for loss with Perine tallying a team-best 4.0 sacks.
 
This will mark Head Coach Ron Turner's second meeting with ODU. Coach Turner is 0-1 all-time versus the Monarchs.
 
 
Game Notables
-  Saturday will mark FIU's third home game of the season.
-  FIU will look to improve to 4-4.
-  FIU will look to improve to 2-2 in C-USA action this season.
-  Saturday will mark the 32nd game for Head Coach Ron Turner at FIU.
-  Saturday will mark Turner's 135th game as a college head coach.
-  Saturday will mark the second meeting all-time versus FIU and Old Dominion.
-  The Monarchs hold a 1-0 edge in the series history.
-  ODU won the last meeting between the two teams, 38-35 (Nov. 8, 2015)
-  FIU will be looking to record its 32nd home victory all-time on Saturday.
-  Saturday will mark the 162nd game in FIU history.
-  Coach Turner is 0-1 all-time versus Old Dominion.
-  FIU will be looking to go to 3-0 at home for the first time since the 2002 season.
-  Sophomore Thomas Owens enters Saturday having caught a touchdown pass in six-straight games.
-  Junior Jonnu Smith enters Saturday having caught a pass in 31-straight games.
-  Sophomore Alex Gardner enters Saturday having scored a rushing touchdown in three-straight games.
-  Sophomore Alex McGough has thrown a touchdown pass in seven-straight games.
-  FIU is 5-8 all-time in homecoming games.
-  FIU will look to snap a four-game losing skid in homecoming games.
 
A Quick Look at Old Dominion
David Washington found Zach Pascal in the end zone for an 11 yard touchdown pass with 2:18 to play and the ODU defense forced a Lee McNeill pass incomplete on fourth and 13 as the Monarchs came back to defeat Charlotte, 37-34, Saturday, Oct. 17, at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
 
Trailing by five with 5:11 to play in the game, Washington hit Pascal for 33 yards on third and 10 to put Old Dominion (3-3, 1-1) at the Charlotte 32.  Washington ran for 10 yards followed by a 10 yard run from Jeremy Cox before finding Pascal in the end zone.  Washington hit Jonathan Duhart for the two-point conversion.
 
Washington completed 25-of-43 passes for 365 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, all career-highs. Pascal also recorded career bests with 11 catches for 231 yards and three scores. Jeremy Cox rushed for a career best 46 yards while Washington added 37.
 
Record Watch - Richard Leonard
Senior Richard Leonard enters this Saturday's game ranked No. 2 in career kick returns (71), No. 2 in career kick return yards (1,884) and No. 2 in total return yards (2,804) in the FIU record books.
 
A Look Back at the Middle Tennessee Game
-  Saturday marked FIU's fifth road game of the season. The Panthers are now 1-4 away from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium in 2015. 
-  With the loss, FIU is now 4-7 all-time versus Middle Tennessee.
-  Saturday marked FIU's sixth contest all-time in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Panthers are now 1-5 all-time versus the Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro.
-  Jonnu Smith extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 31 games. Smith finished the day with five catches for 62 yards.
-  Richard Leonard recorded his first interception of the season and the ninth of his career.
-  Alex Gardner recorded his first-collegiate receiving touchdown with a 2-yard catch in the first quarter.
-  Gardner rushed for 93 yards on 16 carries, including a touchdown. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has scored a rushing touchdown in three-straight games.
-  Alex McGough's interception in the second quarter snapped a string of 138-straight passes without a pick – third-longest streak in school history.
-  McGough recorded 260 yards on 29-of-51 passing and two touchdowns.
-  McGough has thrown for 200-or-more yards in six of the team's seven games this season.
-  Sophomore Thomas Owens tied his career-best in receptions with 10 versus the Blue Raiders.
-  Owens recorded 118 yards receiving and one touchdown.
-  The Boynton Beach, Fla., native has caught a touchdown pass in six-straight games.
- Senior Akil Dan-Fodio had career-highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (48).
 
3-0 at Home
FIU will be looking to improve to 3-0 at home this season with a win over Old Dominion on Saturday. It would mark the first time since the 2002 season (the program's first year) that the Panthers would open its home slate with three-straight wins.
 
Homecoming
Saturday's contest with Old Dominion will be the Panthers' 14th Homecoming game all-time. FIU owns a 5-8 record in those contests and will look to snap a current four-game losing skid on Homecoming. The team's last victory on Homecoming was a 42-35 win over ULM on Nov. 6, 2010.
 
Three-in-a-Row
Sophomore Alex Gardner has recorded a rushing touchdown in three-straight games. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has registered five rushing TDs this season - tied for No. 10 all-time at FIU for rushing touchdowns in a single season.
 
Home (Ocean Bank) Field Advantage
Through the seven games FIU has played this season, the Panthers have totaled 2,647 yards of total offense (378.1 yards-per-game). In the team's two home games, FIU has recorded 1,008 yards of total offense (504.0 yards-per-game). On the year, FIU is averaging 27.6 points-per-game, while allowing 24.1 points-per-contest. In the Panthers two home games this season, FIU is averaging 45.5 points-per-game, while allowing just 13.0 points-per-contest.
 
He Doesn't Just Run the Ball
Sophomore Alex Gardner enters Saturday's game with 37 catches for 333 yards and one touchdown. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has already set the FIU single-season record for receptions and receiving yards for a running back. The previous records were held by Kedrick Rhodes, who posted 27 catches for 252 yards in 2011.
 
31 and Counting
Junior Jonnu Smith enters Saturday's game having caught a pass in 31-straight games. That currently ranks tied for No. 10 among all active players, nationally.
 
            Rk.       Player                           School                          No.                 
           1.         D.J. Foster                   Arizona State                47                                           
            2.         Alonzo Russell              Toledo                          44                                           
            3.         Tajae Sharpe                 UMass                          41 
            4.         Rashan Caesar              ULM                             34                                          
                        Tommylee Lewis            Northern Illinois             34                                           
            6.         Bryce Treggs                California                      32                                           
                        Shaq Washington          Cincinnati                      32                                           
                        Rashard Higgins            Colorado State              32                                         
                        Nelson Spruce              Colorado                      32                                           
            10.        Jonnu Smith                  FIU                               31
                        Tyler Boyd                    Pittsburgh                     31                                           
                        Jordan Williams             Ball State                      31 
 
TO = TDs
Sophomore Thomas Owens enters Saturday's game with a team-high seven touchdown receptions this season. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native has caught a touchdown pass in each of the team's last six games. Owens is also one TD reception shy of tying the school record for touchdown catches in a season held by teammate Jonnu Smith, who caught eight last season.
 
200+
Sophomore Alex McGough enters Saturday's game with 1,659 yards on 164-of-257 passing (63.8 percent) and 14 touchdowns. The Tampa native has thrown for over 200 yards in six of the Panthers' seven contests this season.