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FIU: (3-6, 3-2 C-USA) (2-1 away) |
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WKU: (6-3, 4-1 C-USA) (3-1 home) |
Date: Nov. 5, 2016
Location: Houchens-Smith Stadium (FieldTurf) (22,113) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
Press Box Phone: 270.745.6940
Television: beIN Sports - Matt Martucci (play-by-play), Brett Romberg (color analyst) and Jordan Daigle (sideline) will call the action.
Radio: AM 790 The Ticket (WAXY AM 790) - Josh Appel (play-by-play) and Wes Carroll (color analyst) on the call. Fans can listen by tuning into 790 on their AM dial or by logging onto either www.FIUSports.com or www.theticketmiami.com
Live Stats: www.WKUSports.com
Live Video Streaming: N/A
Tickets: 305.FIU.GAME (348.4263) -or- www.FIUSports.com
Records: FIU enters Saturday's game with a 3-6 (3-2 C-USA) record following a 42-35 loss to Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 29. WKU comes into this week's action with a 6-3 (4-1 C-USA) mark after a 52-3 win at Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Oct. 29.
FIU Interim Head Coach Ron Cooper: Cooper (Jacksonville State, 1983) is in his first season as interim head coach (3-2, .600) and 10th season overall as a head coach (47-58, .448). Cooper is 25-35 as an FBS head coach and 22-23 as an FCS head coach. He has never faced WKU.
WKU Head Coach Jeff Brohm: Brohm (Louisville, 1994) is in his third season at WKU (26-10, .722). Brohm is 1-0 all-time versus the Panthers.
Series History: Saturday will mark the 10th meeting all-time between the two programs with WKU holding a 5-3 edge in the series history (5-4 actual on-field record - one win vacated by FIU due to NCAA sanctions). The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 63-7 win for the Hilltoppers on Nov. 21, 2015, in Miami, Florida.
Game 10 – Panthers to Take on First-Place WKU on Saturday
The FIU football team hits the road to take on the WKU Hilltoppers on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff from Houchens-Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is set for 5:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on beIN Sports with Matt Martucci (play-by-play), Brett Romberg (color analyst) and Jordan Daigle (sideline) calling the action. Fans can also listen to the game on AM 790 The Ticket with Josh Appel (play-by-play) and Wes Carroll (color analyst) in the booth all season long.
The Hilltoppers (6-3) come into Saturday atop the C-USA East Standings (4-1) having won three-straight.
FIU (3-6, 3-2 C-USA) is coming off a tough loss to Middle Tennessee last Saturday as a pick-six late in the fourth quarter gave the Blue Raiders a 42-35 win. The Panthers out-paced the Blue Raiders in total offense 517-466 and held a 39:32-20:28 edge in time of possession. Quarterback
Alex McGough threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The 300-yard performance was the third of his career. McGough connected with seven different receivers, including
Thomas Owens for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Owens, along with tight end
Jonnu Smith, had six catches on the night. Smith had 75 yards receiving and one touchdown. On the ground, the Panthers rattled off 210 yards of rushing led by junior
Alex Gardner who had 95 yards on 19 carries. Sophomore
Anthony Jones carried the ball 12 times for 61 yards and a touchdown, while McGough scampered for 46 yards and a touchdown. The 517 total yards of offense were the ninth-most in FIU history.
The Panthers come into this week's action averaging 23.1 points-per-game and 382.7 yards of total offense-per-contest. McGough has completed 58.4 percent of his passes on the year for 1,891 yards and 13 touchdowns. The school's all-time leader in career touchdown passes comes into Saturday's game with 48. His top target is Owens, who has totaled seven touchdown catches on the year. The Boynton Beach, Florida, native has recorded 594 yards on 41 catches. Smith, second on the team in receiving has tallied 39 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Defensively, FIU is allowing 34.8 points-per-game, while the opposition is averaging 421.8 yards of total offense-per-game. Junior
Anthony Wint leads FIU with 88 total tackles (50 solo). The Homestead, Florida, product currently ranks tied for 10th in career tackles with 224. Following Wint is redshirt junior
Treyvon Williams, who has totaled 87 tackles on the year (52 solo). The Miami native's 52 solo tackles rank No. 9 all-time at FIU for unassisted tackles in a season. Both Wint and Williams rank in the top five in the conference in tackles-per-game – Wint ranks No. 3 with 9.8 and Williams rank No. 5 with 9.7.
Saturday will mark the 10th meeting all-time between FIU and WKU with the Hilltoppers holding a 5-3 edge in the series history (5-4 actual on-field record – FIU vacated one win due to NCAA sanctions).
Saturday will also mark Interim Head Coach
Ron Cooper's 105th game overall and first versus the Hilltoppers as a collegiate head coach.
Game Notables
- Saturday will be the fourth road game for the Panthers this season.
- FIU will look to improve to 4-6 on the year.
- FIU will look to improve to 4-2 in C-USA action on the year.
- FIU will look to improve to 19-30 all-time in the month of November.
- Saturday will mark the sixth game for Interim Head Coach
Ron Cooper at FIU (3-2).
- Saturday will mark Cooper's 106th game as a college head coach (both FBS and FCS).
- Saturday will mark the 10th meeting all-time between FIU and WKU.
- WKU leads the series history, 5-3 (actual on-field is 5-4 - one win vacated by FIU due to NCAA sanctions).
- The Hilltoppers won the last meeting between the two teams with a 63-7 victory on Nov. 21, 2015 in Miami, Florida.
- FIU is 25-38 all-time versus teams from Conference USA.
- FIU will look to improve to 6-8 all-time versus teams from the state of Kentucky.
- Coach Cooper will look to improve to 5-8 all-time versus teams from Kentucky.
- FIU will be looking to record its 21st road victory all-time on Saturday.
- Saturday will mark the 176th game in FIU history.
- Saturday will mark Coach Cooper's first meeting with the WKU.
Ron Cooper Named Interim Head Coach
On Sunday, Sept. 25,
Ron Cooper was named interim head coach of the FIU football team. Cooper, who entered the year as the team's defensive coordinator also served as the team's defensive backs coach in 2015.
This marks Cooper's fourth head coaching stint (Eastern Michigan – 1993-1994; Louisville – 1995-1997; Alabama A&M – 1998-2001). Saturday will mark his 106th game as a collegiate head coach (FBS and FCS).
Offensive Explosion
On Saturday, Oct. 29, FIU produced a season-high 517 yards of total offense versus the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The total was the ninth-most in school history and the most since the Panthers put up 518 verses UTEP last season (10/10/15).
Controlling the Clock
During FIU's game versus Middle Tennessee on Oct. 29, 2016, the Panthers held a nearly 20-minute advantage in time of possession. FIU's time of possession in the game was 39:32 – the third-highest TOP in school history. The Panthers have made it a point to control the clock in 2016. Entering Saturday's game with WKU, FIU ranks second in the conference and 38th in the nation in time of possession, averaging 31:42.
Versus the Blue Grass State
Saturday will mark FIU's 14th meeting all-time versus a team from the state of Kentucky. The Panthers own a 5-8 mark in those contests and a 2-3 record in games played in the Bluegrass State.
|
Overall |
In Kentucky |
| Louisville |
1-3 |
|
1-1 |
|
| WKU |
4-5 |
|
1-2 |
|
|
5-8 |
|
2-3 |
|
Top TD Passer
On Saturday, Oct. 22, junior
Alex McGough found tight end
Jonnu Smith for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 52 second's left in the second quarter. The TD pass was the 43rd of McGough's FIU career and set the school mark for career touchdown passes previously held by Josh Padrick (2002-2006). McGough enters Saturday's game with 48-career touchdown passes.
2,000-Yard Club
On Saturday, Oct. 29, junior
Alex Gardner became the third running back in FIU history to reach the 2,000-yard rushing mark. The Jacksonville, Florida, native sits at third on the school's all-time rushers list and is 121 yards shy of breaking the school record held by Rashod Smith (2,195 - 2002-04).
1. 2,195 Rashod Smith - 2002-04
2. 2,156 Kedrick Rhodes - 2010-12
3. 2,075
Alex Gardner - 2014-present
Consecutive Catches - 41
Senior
Jonnu Smith enters Saturday's game with a pass reception in 41-consecutive games. That is the tied for fifth-longest streak in the nation.
| Robert Davis, Georgia State |
45 |
| Corey Davis, Western Michigan |
44 |
| Zach Pascal, Old Dominion |
44 |
| Zay Jones, East Carolina |
43 |
| Nate Phillips, Arizona |
41 |
| Taquan Mizzell, Virginia |
41 |
| Jonnu Smith, Florida International |
41 |
| Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green |
38 |
| River Carcraft, Washington State |
37 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC |
36 |
| Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech |
36 |
| DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State |
34 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Stanford |
33 |
| Corey Jones, Toledo |
33 |
| Jordan Westerkamp, Nebraska |
32 |
| KD Cannon, Baylor |
32 |
| Victor Bolden Jr., Oregon State |
32 |
| Cam Serigne, Wake Forest |
31 |
| Allen Lazard, Iowa State |
31 |
| Thomas Sperbeck, Boise State |
31 |
| Artavis Scott, Clemson |
30 |
| Fred Ross, Mississippi State |
30 |
| Amara Darboh, Michigan |
28 |
| Jerico Richardson, Nevada |
27 |
| Tanner Gentry, Wyoming |
27 |
| James Washington, Oklahoma State |
27 |
| Nicholas Norris, Western Kentucky |
27 |
| Keon Hatcher, Arkansas |
26 |
| Travis Rudolph, Florida State |
26 |
| Ryan Yurachek, Marshall |
26 |
| Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky |
26 |
| Jake Butt, Michigan |
24 |
| Phil Mayhue, Memphis |
24 |
| Gabe Marks, Washington State |
24 |
| Drew Morgan, Arkansas |
22 |
| Ken Golladay, Northern Illinois |
22 |
| Jesus Wilson, Florida State |
22 |
| Drew Wolitarsky, Minnesota |
21 |
| Richie James, Middle Tennessee |
21 |
| Steve Ishmael, Syracuse |
20 |
| Daikiel Shorts Jr., West Virginia |
20 |
Dynamic Duo
Anthony Wint and
Treyvon Williams have combined for 175 total tackles this season. That is the most by any pair of players from a Conference USA team in 2016 as they are the only teammates that rank in the top five among all league players. Wint ranks No. 3 in the conference and No. 18 nationally in tackles per game (9.8), while Williams is No. 5 in the conference and No. 21 in the nation (9.7).
Under Cooper
FIU will play its sixth game under Interim Head Coach
Ron Cooper this Saturday. Since taking over the reins, Cooper has led the Panthers to a 3-2 mark, averaging 30.8 points-per-game and 447.4 yards of total offense-per-game, while the defense has allowed 32.8 points-per-game and 387.6 yards of total offense-per-game.
First 4 Games Under Cooper (last 5)
Offense
PPG 13.5 30.8
Total Offense (Avg.) 301.8 447.4
Rushing Yards (Avg.) 120.5 168.8
Passing Yards (Avg.) 181.2 278.6
Defense
PPG Allowed 37.2 30.8
Total Offense Allowed (Avg.) 464.5 387.6
Rushing Yards Allowed (Avg.) 219.5 179.4
Passing Yards Allowed (Avg.) 245.2 208.2
In November
FIU will play three games during the month of November this season. FIU enters Saturday's game with an 18-30 record all-time during the 11th month of the year.
FIU - WKU Connections
Below are members of both teams that went to the same high school:
Miami Central (Miami, Florida)
FIU -
Anthony Jones,
Fermin Silva,
Olin Cushion III,
Jordan Hinojosa
WKU - Devante Duclos
Booker T. Washington (Miami, Florida)
FIU -
Maurice Alexander,
Darrius Scott,
Jose Borregales
WKU - Nicholas Norris
University (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)
FIU -
Jordan Budwig
WKU - Mike White
100-Yard Rusher
Junior
Alex Gardner notched his eighth 100-yard game, registering 141 yards on 21 carries versus UTEP. The eight 100-yard games rank tied for first in the FIU record books for the most 100-yard games by a Panther.
Wint Racking Up the Tackles
Junior
Anthony Wint broke into the top 10 in career tackles at FIU last game (224 - t-10). The starting linebacker is currently first on the team in tackles this season (88) and has collected double-digit tackles in five games in 2016.
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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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2016 FIU Football Schedule
Sept. 1 INDIANA – L, 13-34
Sept. 9 MARYLAND – L, 14-41
Sept. 17 at UMass – L, 13-21
Sept. 24 UCF – L, 14-53
Oct. 1 FLORIDA ATLANTIC* - W, 33-31
Oct. 8 at UTEP* – W, 35-21
Oct. 15 at Charlotte* - W, 27-26
Oct. 22 LOUISIANA TECH – L, 24-44
Oct. 29 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* - L, 35-42
Nov. 5 at WKU* [beIN]; 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 19 MARSHALL* [ASN]; 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Old Dominion* [ESPN3]; 3:30 p.m.
* denotes Conference USA Games
Home games at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium are capitalized and bolded;
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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 $8.9 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/.
