FIU: (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) (0-0 home)
	Indiana: (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) (0-0 away)

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Date: Sept. 1, 2016
Location: Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium (FieldTurf) (20,000) in Miami, Fla.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Press Box Phone: 305.348.1898
Television: ESPNU - Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (color analyst) 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 104.3 on their FM dial or by logging onto either www.FIUSports.com or www.theticketmiami.com
Live Stats: www.FIUSports.com
Live Video Streaming: WatchESPN
Tickets: 305.FIU.GAME (348.4263) -or- www.FIUSports.com
Records: Thursday's game will mark the season openers for both FIU and Indiana. Last season the Panthers finished 5-7 (3-5 C-USA), while the Hoosiers went 6-7 (2-6 Big Ten) during the 2015 season.
FIU Head Coach Ron Turner: Turner (Pacific, 1977) is in his fourth season at FIU (10-26, .278) and 13th season overall as a head coach (52-87, .374). Turner is 5-4 all-time versus Indiana.
IU Head Coach Kevin Wilson: Wilson (North Carolina, 1984) is in his sixth season at Indiana (20-41, .373). Wilson is 1-0 versus the Panthers.
Series History: Thursday will mark the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The Hoosiers hold a 1-0 edge in the series history. The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 36-22 win for Indiana on Sept. 12, 2015, in Bloomington, Ind.

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The 2016 season begins on Thursday as FIU hosts the Indiana Hoosiers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (color analyst) calling the action. Fans can also listen to the game on 790 the Ticket, the Panthers' official radio broadcast home for the 2016 season. Josh Appel (play-by-play) and Wes Carroll (color analyst) will be in the booth all season long.
 
Thursday will mark just the second meeting all-time between FIU and IU as both teams squad off last season in Bloomington, Indiana. The Panthers fell 36-22 despite producing 406 yards of total offense, including 283 through the air. Thursday will be Indiana's first trip to Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium (scheduled to return on Sept. 1, 2018).
 
FIU is coming off a 2015 campaign in which it produced some of the program's most-impressive offensive numbers. The Panthers gained 4,173 yards (fifth-most in school history), including 2,854 yards through the air (second-most in school history). FIU averaged 25.5 points-per-game (third-most in school history), posting 306 points in 2015.
 
Quarterback Alex McGough had a stellar sophomore year. The Tampa native finished the year completing 269-of-420 for 2,722 yards and 21 touchdowns. McGough set FIU single-season records in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns during 2015. He threw for over 200 yards eight times, including a career-best 390 yards versus Old Dominion (Oct. 24, 2015).
 
One of McGough's top targets was wide receiver Thomas Owens, who recorded 51 catches for a team-high 638 yards and eight touchdowns. His eight TD receptions tied the school record for touchdown catches in a season. Owens averaged 12.5 yards-per-catch and 53.2 yards receiving-per-game. He was second on the team in receptions and set the school record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception (6 – Sept. 12, 2015 – Oct. 17, 2015).
 
In the backfield, Alex Gardner returns for his third season at FIU. The Jacksonville native rushed for 760 yards on 186 carries and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry and 63.3 yards-per-game in 2015. His nine scores were tied for the third-most in a season at FIU. Gardner also caught 60 passes for 442 yards and one touchdown.
 
2016 will mark the senior season for tight end Jonnu Smith. Named to the Preseason John Mackey Award Watch List, Smith caught 36 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns last season. Before missing the final four games due to injury, Smith caught a pass in 32-straight games. He enters the season first at FIU in career catches (136), yards (1,495) and touchdowns (14) by a tight end.
 
Despite losing a number of starters on the defensive side of the ball, FIU returns a total 193 games played from 2015 (losing just 121). Highlighting those returns is a veteran linebacking corps made up of Anthony Wint, Treyvon Williams and Davison Colimon, who have combined for 58 starts and 75 total games played.
 
Wint led FIU with 88 tackles (41 solo), ranking No. 16 in C-USA in total tackles last season. The Homestead, Florida, native also notched 5.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. His two fumble recoveries ranked No. 24 in the nation.
 
Thursday will mark the ninth time in school history that FIU will take the field on a Thursday night. The Panthers enter this week's action 5-3 in Thursday games are 3-1 all-time season openers on Thursdays. Last season, the Panthers traveled to Orlando to take on UCF on Thursday, Sept. 3, to open the season, defeating the Knights, 15-14.
 
Game Notables
-  Thursday will mark the home opener for FIU (its third home opener all-time set on a Thursday).
-  FIU is 4-1 all-time in season openers set on Thursdays.
-  FIU is 2-0 all-time when opening the season at home on Thursday.
-  FIU is 5-3 all-time in games played on Thursdays.
-  FIU will look to start the year 1-0.
-  FIU will look to improve to 6-9 all-time in home openers.
-  Thursday will mark the 37th game for Head Coach Ron Turner at FIU.
-  Thursday will mark Turner's 140th game as a college head coach.
-  Thursday will mark the second meeting all-time between FIU and IU.
-  IU holds a 1-0 edge in the series history.
-  IU won the last meeting, 36-22, on Sept. 12, 2015.
-  FIU is 0-9 all-time versus teams from the Big Ten Conference.
-  Thursday will mark FIU's 90th televised game all-time (22-64).
-  Thursday will mark the Panthers' seventh game on ESPNU (1-5 all-time).
-  FIU will be looking to record its 34th home victory all-time on Thursday.
-  Thursday will mark the 167th game in FIU history.
-  Coach Turner is 5-4 all-time versus Indiana.
 
 
Home Openers
FIU enters Thursday's contest with a 5-9 record all-time in home openers. The Panthers hosted NC Central in last season's home opener, defeating the Eagles, 39-14.
 
Season Openers
Entering the program's 15th season in 2016, FIU holds a 4-10 mark in season-opening games. The Panthers will be looking to make it two-straight season-opening victories after FIU defeated UCF last season 15-14.
 
Thursday Night Football
During the 166 games played at FIU, only eight have taken place on Thursday nights. In those eight games, the Panthers have registered a 5-3 mark, winning the last two outings, 15-14 over UCF on Sept. 3, 2015 and 41-16 over North Texas on Sept. 1, 2011.
 
Air Raid
The 2015 passing attacked finished the year with 2,854 yards through the air (No. 2 all-time at FIU) with 22 touchdowns (No. 1 all-time at FIU) as the Panthers completed 62.3 percent of their passes (No. 1 all-time at FIU). FIU's offense finished the year with 4,173 yards (No. 5 all-time at FIU) as the Panthers scored 306 points in 2015 (No. 3 all-time at FIU).
 
The Numbers Don't Lie
Entering his senior season, tight end Jonnu Smith is one of the top tight ends in the nation. His career numbers among all active tight ends are among the nation's best. Smith's 136 career receptions are the most among any active player in the nation, while his yards receiving (1,495) and touchdowns (14) are the second-most to UCLA's Thomas Duarte (1,626 - 17). Duarte has played in six more games than Smith.
 
Red Means Stop
During the 2015 season, FIU had one of the top redzone defenses in the nation. The Panthers stopped the opposition from scoring nearly 25 percent of the time to rank No. 16 among all 127 FBS teams.
 
Block the Kick
FIU blocked four kicks during the 2015 season to rank No. 1 in C-USA and No. 7 nationally. The four blocked kicks were the third-most at FIU in a season.
 
Points in a Season
FIU averaged 25.5 points-per-game in 2015. That proved to be third-highest points-per-game average in school history. FIU finished the year with 306 points (No. 3 all-time). The school record for points in a season is 374 (13 games) in 2010.
 
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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 [ESPNU]; 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 9          MARYLAND [CBSSN]; 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 17         at UMass [ASN/NESN]; 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 24         UCF [beIN]; 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 1            FLORIDA ATLANTIC* [beIN]; 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 8            at UTEP; 8:00 p.m.
Oct. 15          at Charlotte; 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 22          LOUISIANA TECH* [ESPN3] (Homecoming); 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 29          MIDDLE TENNESSEE* [ESPN3]; 7:00 p.m.
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/.