FIU: (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) (1-5 away)
Marshall: (8-2, 5-1 C-USA) (5-0 home)
 
Date: Nov. 14, 2015
 
Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium (FieldTurf) (38,148) in Huntington, W.Va.
 
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
 
Press Box Phone: 304.696.6666
 
Television: FOX Sports Net (FSN) - Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (color analyst) and Leslie McCaslin (sideline reporter) will call the action.
 
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.Herdzone.com
 
Live Video Streaming: N/A
 
Tickets: 305.FIU.GAME (348.4263) -or- www.FIUSports.com
 
Records: FIU enters Saturday's game with a 5-5, 3-3 C-USA record following a 48-31 win over Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 7. Marshall enters Saturday's action with a 8-2, 5-1 C-USA record following a 27-24 (OT) loss at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 7.
 
FIU Head Coach Ron Turner: Turner (Pacific, 1977) is in his third season at FIU (10-24, .294) and 12th season overall as a head coach (52-85, .379). Turner is 0-2 all-time versus the Thundering Herd.
 
Marshall Head Coach Doc Holliday: Holliday (West Virginia, 1978) is in his sixth season at Marshall (48-27, .640). Holliday is 3-0 all-time versus the Panthers.
 
Series History: Saturday will mark the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs. Marshall holds a 3-0 edge in the series history with the last meeting between the two schools resulting in a 48-10 win for the Thundering Herd on Oct. 18, 2014 in Miami.
 
Game 11 - FIU Heads to Huntington, W.Va. to take on Marshall this Weekend
As the season winds down, FIU travels to Huntington, W.Va., for the Panthers' final road game of the 2015 season, taking on the Marshall Thundering Herd (8-2, 5-1 C-USA) on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net with Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (color analyst) and Lesley McCaslin (sideline reporter) on the call. 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.
 
Scoring in all phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams), FIU (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) won its fourth-straight home game this past Saturday with a 48-31 victory over Charlotte. FIU gained 439 yards of total offense versus the 49ers as FIU scored over 35 points in the team's fifth-straight home game, dating back to last year.
 
Sophomore Alex McGough found eight different receivers for his eighth game of 200-or-more yards passing this season. The Tampa, Fla., native totaled 284 yards on 27-of-42 passing and three touchdowns. Two of his scores went to senior Clinton Taylor, who had a career day with nine catches for 126 yards. Sophomore Thomas Owens tied the school-record for touchdown catches in a season with his eighth on two-yard slant from McGough in the fourth quarter. Owens finished the day with 73 yards on five catches.
 
In the backfield, sophomore Alex Gardner recorded his first-career multiple-score game, rushing for two touchdowns. The Jacksonville, Fla., native gained 79 yards on 19 carries versus the 49ers.
 
The FIU defensive front gave Charlotte fits all day as the Panthers tallied 7.0 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss (both second-most in a single game in FIU history). Leading the way for the Panthers is this week's C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Michael Wakefield, who tied the school records for both sacks (4.0) and tackles for loss (5.5) versus the 49ers. The senior defensive end also tied his career-best in tackles with seven. Linebacker Jephete Matilus notched a team-high nine tackles versus Charlotte, while safety Niko Gonzalez registered the first "pick six" of his FIU career with a 58-yard return for a touchdown. The return was the ninth-longest interception return in school history.
 
FIU also got it done on special teams as freshman Kenyatta Anderson blocked Charlotte's first punt attempt of the game and recovered the ball in the endzone to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
 
On the year, FIU is averaging 29.9 points-per-game (No. 60 in the nation) while averaging 379.6 total yards of offense-per-game (No. 81 in the nation). With 266.1 yards or passing offense-per-game (No. 36 in the nation), FIU is led by McGough, who comes into Saturday's game with 2,529 yards through the air and a single-season school record 21 touchdowns on 241-of-365 passing. The second-year signal caller ranks No. 18 in the nation in passing yards and No. 13 in passing TDs.
 
McGough's top target is Owens, who has recorded 49 catches for 620 yards and eight touchdowns. His eight scores tied teammate Jonnu Smith most TD receptions in a season at FIU. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native ranks No. 15 in the nation in touchdown receptions No. 53 in the nation in receiving yards. Gardner also has 49 receptions and has notched 400 yards receiving with one touchdown. Gardner already holds the school's single-season record for receptions and receiving yards by a running back.
 
Gardner has totaled 698 yards rushing on 168 carries. He ranks No. 8 in the conference in rushing yards-per-game (69.8) and ranks No. 40 in the nation is rushing touchdowns (8). His eight rushing touchdowns this season are tied for the fifth-most in school history.
 
Defensively, FIU comes into this weekend's contest allowing 24.3 points-per-game (No. 49 in the nation) and 393.3 yards of total offense-per-game (No. 63 in the nation). The Panthers are led by sophomore Anthony Wint, who comes into Saturday's game with 73 total tackles (No. 16 in the conference). The Homestead, Fla., product has recorded 5.5 tackles for loss with two fumble recoveries and one interception. Senior Richard Leonard is second on the squad with 53 total tackles with one pick and a team-high six pass breakups. Wakefield leads the team and is tied for the conference lead in both tackles for loss (14.0) and sacks (7.5).
 
On special teams, FIU is averaging 23.24 yards-per-kick return (No. 33 in the nation) and 11.17 yards-per-punt return (No. 35 in the nation). Leonard leads the team, averaging 24.1 yards-per-kick return (No. 3 in the conference and No. 44 nationally) and 10.7 yards-per-punt return (No. 1 in the conference and No. 24 nationally).
 
Game Notables
-  Saturday will mark FIU's seventh and final road game of the season.
-  FIU will look to improve to 6-5.
-  FIU will look to improve to 4-3 in C-USA action this season.
-  Saturday will mark the 35th game for Head Coach Ron Turner at FIU.
-  Saturday will mark Turner's 138th game as a college head coach.
-  Saturday will mark the fourth meeting all-time between FIU and Marshall.
-  The Thundering Herd is 3-0 all-time versus the Panthers.
-  Saturday will mark FIU's first trip to Huntington, W.Va.
-  Saturday will mark FIU's 90th game on television.
-  Saturday will mark the Panthers' fourth game on FSN (1-2 all-time).
-  FIU will be looking to record its 19th road victory all-time on Saturday.
-  Saturday will mark the 165th game in FIU history.
-  Coach Turner is 0-2 all-time versus Marshall.
-  Junior Jonnu Smith enters Saturday having caught a pass in 32-straight games.
-  Sophomore Alex McGough has thrown a touchdown pass in 10-straight games.
 
A Quick Look at Marshall
Marshall football faced a setback on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Middle Tennessee, as it fell to the Blue Raiders in the third overtime period, 27-24.
 
The Herd drops to 8-2 (5-1 C-USA), while Middle Tennessee moves to 4-5 (3-2 C-USA).
 
Marshall was led on offense by freshman quarterback Chase Litton (Tampa, Fla.) with 346 yards passing and three touchdowns. Hyleck Foster (Gaffney, S.C.) had a team high 61 yards on the ground, while had 30 yards passing and 14 receiving yards. Pacing the Herd in receiving was Davonte Allen (Belle Glade, Fla.) with 112 yards and one touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, the Herd was led by Taj Letman (Elberton, Ga.) with 12 tackles and Gary Thompson (La Mesa, Calif.), who had six tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.
 
Record Watch - Richard Leonard
Senior Richard Leonard enters this Saturday's game ranked No. 2 in career kick returns (76), No. 2 in career kick return yards (1,989) and No. 2 in total return yards (2,957) in the FIU record books.
 
A Look Back at the Charlotte Game
Heavy favorites going into Saturday's game against FBS rookie Charlotte and with Conference USA stalwarts on deck, FIU took care of business with a 48-31 win over the 49ers.
 
The victory moved FIU (5-5, 3-3 Conference USA) one win away from becoming bowl-eligible. The Panthers need to either defeat Marshall in West Virginia on Saturday or Western Kentucky at FIU Stadium on Nov. 21 to close the regular season to get to the necessary six wins. The 49ers are now 2-7 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
 
FIU wasted no time taking control of the game racing out to a 21-7 lead. Kenyatta Anderson opened the scoring for the Panthers, blocking Arthur Hart's punt at the Charlotte 23. The ball rolled into the end zone where Anderson fell on top of it for the touchdown.
 
Charlotte quarterback Lee McNeill connected with Austin Duke on a 29-yard touchdown to tie the score with 9:49 left in the first quarter.
 
FIU receiver Clinton Taylor, who had a career day with nine catches for 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns, put the Panthers back on top with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Alex McGough. Alex Gardner followed up with a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.
 
FIU answered the 49ers' first touchdown with 27 unanswered points to essentially end the game right before halftime.
 
Taylor caught his second touchdown pass of the game from McGough – a 24-yard strike – with 56 seconds left in the second quarter. On the very next play, the 49ers didn't pick up the FIU kickoff so Panthers safety Deonte Wilson scooped up the free football at the Charlotte 9 with 49 seconds left in the first half.
 
Gardner found an open lane on the first play after the kickoff and scored from 9 yards out to make it 34-7, FIU.
 
The 49ers got a bit of a lift as time expired in the first half. Kicker Blake Brewer nailed a 56-yard field goal – the longest in FIU Stadium history. Brewer broke the FIU Stadium field goal record of 52 yards shared by current FIU kicker Austin Taylor and former FIU kicker Adam Moss.
 
FIU safety Niko Gonzalez added to the Panthers scoring with a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter. It was Gonzalez' second interception of the season.
 
Receiver Thomas Owens caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season in the fourth quarter. The 2-yard touchdown reception tied Owens with tight end Jonnu Smith for the FIU single-season receiving touchdown record. Smith broke the record last season. It was previously held by former FIU receivers T.Y. Hilton and Cory McKinney.
 
FIU defensive end Michael Wakefield tied a single-game FIU program record with four sacks Saturday. Wakefield tied Antwan Barnes and Audric Adger. Barnes had four sacks against Middle Tennessee in 2006 and Adger recorded four sacks against North Texas in the final game played in the Orange Bowl in 2007.
 
The Panthers had seven sacks against the 49ers, which tied the second most sacks in a game for an FIU team. The seven sacks tied the mark held by the 2010 FIU defense that had seven sacks against Louisiana. The FIU program single-game team sacks record is eight set by the 2002 inaugural FIU squad against Butler.
 
Wakefield Named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week
Senior defensive end Michael Wakefield was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 8 the league announced on Nov. 9.
 
Wakefield had a monster day versus the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, recording a career-high-tying seven tackles, while tying school records in tackles for loss (5.5) and sacks (4.0), as FIU dominated its fourth-straight game at home, 48-31. The four sacks rank tied for fifth all-time in the C-USA record books. His TFL yardage was 25 yards, while his four sacks accumulated 22 yards for the FIU defense. His four sacks added to a team total of 7.0 on the day, tying the season-high in the conference. The seven sacks were also the second-most by a Panther defense in the school's history. Wakefield also had one pass breakup and six quarterback knockdowns. His pressure also assisted in teammate Niko Gonzalez recording his first-collegiate pick six – the ninth-longest interception return in school history (58 yards).
 
Points in a Season
FIU enters Saturday's game averaging 29.9 points-per-game. That is the highest points-per-game average in school history. FIU has 299 points (No. 4 all-time) with two games remaining in the regular season.  The school record for points in a season is 374 (13 games) in 2010.
 
Home (Ocean Bank) Field Advantage
Through the 10 games FIU has played this season, the Panthers have totaled 3,796 yards of total offense (379.6 yards-per-game). In the team's four home games, FIU has recorded 1,895 yards of total offense (473.7 yards-per-game). On the year, FIU is averaging 29.9 points-per-game, while allowing 24.3 points-per-contest. In the Panthers four home games this season, FIU is averaging 45.0 points-per-game, while allowing just 17.2 points-per-contest.
 
4-0 at Home
FIU moved to 4-0 at home this season following its 48-31 win over Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 7. It marked the first time in school history an FIU team has gone 4-0 at home.
 
Sacks on Sacks on Sacks
On Saturday, Nov. 7, senior Michael Wakefield tied the school record for sacks in a game, producing 4.0 versus the Charlotte 49ers. The Valdosta, Ga., native also tied the school record for tackles for loss (5.5) in the contest.
 
Playing the Percentages
Sophomore Alex McGough completed a school-record 79.5 percent of his passes for 390 yards versus Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 24. The completion percentage bested the previous high set by Wes Carroll versus Arkansas State (21-of-27) on Nov. 27, 2010.
 
Next Man Up
The injury bug is no stranger to this year's FIU football team as to date the Panthers have lost over 100 games from starters and key reserves due to injury, including Jordan Budwig (12 games), Davison Colimon (11 games) and Napoleon Maxwell (12 games), who are each out for the season. Despite the total number of lost games, the Panthers have been resilient as teammates have stepped in a filled the voids left due to injury as FIU sits at 5-5 this season and 3-3 in league action.
 
O-Line By Committee
FIU's has used six different starting lineups in its 10 games this season on the offensive line. With the "next man up" mantra, FIU has had eight different Panthers record at least one start this season, including three freshmen.  
 
McGough Named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week
Sophomore quarterback Alex McGough was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 25 the league announced on Monday, Oct. 26.
 
McGough had a career night on Saturday, throwing for 390 yards on 31-of-39 passing and three touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Old Dominion, 41-12, on Homecoming. The Tampa, Fla., native completed a school-record 79.5 percent of his passes as the 390 yards through the air were the second-most in school history. McGough connected with tight end Jonnu Smith for a pair of scores and found wide out Clinton Taylor for a 38-yard strike. The 6-foot-3 quarterback also rushed for a score; his second rushing TD of the season.
 
His performance helped FIU to its most-lopsided victory on Homecoming in school history.
 
Throwing the Old Pigskin Around
Sophomore Alex McGough has put up some good numbers this season. McGough comes into the Marshall game with 241 completions (fourth-most in a season at FIU) on 365 attempts (sixth-most in a season at FIU) for 2,529 (second-most in a season at FIU) with 21 touchdowns (most in a season at FIU). He is completing 66.0 percent of his passes (highest completion percentage in a season at FIU) while recording eight outings of 200-or-more yards through the air (most in a season at FIU)