MIAMI (Aug. 28, 2018) – FIU kicks off its 17th season of football on Saturday, Sept. 1, as the Panthers welcome the visiting Indiana Hoosiers to Riccardo Silva Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
 
For the complete game notes, click here.
 
INDIANA PREVIEW
In the first full season under head coach Tom Allen, the Hoosiers turned in a 5-7 record and finished 2-7 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers did finish the season with momentum however, as IU won two out of its last three games to close out the year.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST INDIANA
The Panthers and Hoosiers have met only twice on the gridiron, with Indiana taking both meetings in 2015 and 2016. Last time out, the Panthers dropped a 34-13 decision at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
The Panthers entered the fourth quarter with a 13-12 lead over the Hoosiers for Sept. 1, 2016's game, but Indiana responded with 22 unanswered points to pull away in the final 15 minutes.
 
Alex McGough led the Panthers with 263 yards through the air, but threw three interceptions to Hoosier defenders.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between FIU and IU in the last four years, with the Hoosiers taking both contests in the series. The two squads were scheduled to play last year, but the game was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. That game has been rescheduled for Aug. 31, 2024 in Bloomington.  
 
SEASON OPENERS
FIU has earned a 3-12 (4-12) record in season openers, with the Panthers owning a 2-4 record for season openers at home. The Panthers have not won a season opener since 2015's 15-14 slug fest against UCF in Orlando.
 
Date                       Opponent                             W-L               Score
8/29/02                 Saint Peter's                           W                    27-3
9/6/03                    at Indiana State                     L                    10-13
9/11/04                 at #Youngstown State            W            22-16 (OT)
9/3/05                    at Kansas State                     L                    21-35
8/31/06                 Middle Tennessee                  L                        6-7
9/1/07                    at No. 17 Penn State             L                     0-59
8/30/08                 at Kansas                               L                   10-40
9/12/09                 at No. 4 Alabama                   L                    14-40
9/11/10                 Rutgers                                  L                   14-19
9/1/11                    North Texas                          W                  41-16
9/1/12                    at Duke                                 L                   26-46
8/31/13                 at Maryland                           L                   10-43
8/30/14                 Bethune-Cookman                L                  12-14
9/3/15                    at UCF                                 W                  15-14
9/1/16                   Indiana                                  L                   13-34
8/31/17                 at UCF                                   L                  17-61
 
# The 2004 win over Youngstown State was later vacated
 
YEAR TWO SUCCESS FOR DAVIS
The FIU football program enters año dos in the Butch Davis era, which historically has been a very good season for Davis during his head coaching career.
 
At Miami (1996), Davis led the team to a 9-3 record and a share of the Big East title, while at North Carolina (2008) he turned around the Tar Heels for an 8-5 mark and earned the program's first ranking in almost seven years. Furthermore, Davis earned success in his second season with the Cleveland Browns as well, as he led the squad to a 9-7 record and an NFL playoff berth in 2002 -- the last since for the organization.
 
School (Affiliation)                Year            Record
FIU (NCAA)                            2018                 ???
North Carolina (NCAA)           2008                 8-5
Cleveland Browns (NFL)         2002                9-7
Miami (NCAA)                         1996                9-3
 
FIU AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Panthers have not fared well against teams from the Big Ten Conference, with FIU going winless against the current league members since the football program began in 2002. Overall, FIU is 0-10 against the league, with its last two losses coming at the hands of Indiana.
 
Date                       Opponent                          W-L         Score
9/23/06                 at Maryland                          L              10-14
9/1/07                   at No. 17 Penn State           L                0-59
9/8/07                   Maryland                              L              10-26
9/6/08                   at Iowa                                 L                0-42
9/19/09                 at Rutgers                            L              15-23
9/11/10                 Rutgers                                L              14-19
9/25/10                 at Maryland                         L               28-42
8/31/13                 at Maryland                         L              13-45
9/12/15                 at Indiana                            L              22-36
9/1/16                   Indiana                                 L             13-34
 
FIU AGAINST THE POWER 5
FIU is 1-27 all-time against current members of the Power 5 Conferences, with the Panthers' lone win coming over the ACC's Louisville in 2011.
 
Conference           W-L                         Last Opponent Faced
ACC                        1-9                                    Louisville (2014)
Big Ten                   0-10                                     Indiana (2016)
Big-12                     0-3                                      Kansas (2008)
Pac-12                    N/A                      Never Faced Pac-12 foe 
SEC                        0-5                               Texas A&M (2010)
 
HERE'S TO 2017
The 2017 football season was a banner year for the Panthers, as FIU matched the program record for wins (8) and earned the school's third bowl berth with its appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl.
 
Additionally, the Panthers finished 5-3 and second overall in the C-USA East Division, which marked the highest finish ever for the FIU football program in its C-USA history (2013-Present).
 
STRIVING FOR GREATNESS
FIU has only earned back-to-back winning seasons once in the program's history, with the 2010 and 2011 squads stringing together consecutive winning seasons.
 
Furthermore, the Panthers have only earned seven or more wins three times over the course of 16 years.
 
Winning Seasons at FIU
Year        Head Coach                          Record
2017       Butch Davis                            8-5
2011       Mario Cristobal                       8-5
2010       Mario Cristobal                       7-6
 
CLUTCH CATS
FIU finished the 2017 regular season leading the nation in red zone scoring offense, converting 98 percent of its red-zone chances (40-of-41), which included 30 touchdowns.
 
FORCING THE ISSUE
FIU forced 13 turnovers and recorded 19 sacks in its last seven games of 2017, finishing the season with 15 forced miscues and 23 sacks registered.
 
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Last season, the Panthers recovered 11 fumbles to rank 19th overall in the country and first in the C-USA. Former Panther and current New York Jet, Anthony Wint led the team with three recoveries in 2017.
 
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Head coach Butch Davis had quite the haul for his first recruiting class at FIU, with the Panthers topping C-USA with the best recruiting class in the league. Additionally the 2018 class ranked 67th nationally.
 
Top Recruits From Class of 2018
No.         Player                                  Pos.        Yr.           Rating  
SILVA SHINING
Defensive end Fermin Silva earned second team All-CUSA honors in 2017 after having his best season as a Panther. Silva posted a team-best 14.0 tackles for loss and tied for second on the team in sacks with 7.0.
 
Quarterback sacks
1.             9.5          Jarvis Wilson (9-1/65)                         2010
                9.5          Antwan Barnes (8-3/72)                     2005
3.             8.0          Mike Wakefield (7-2/54)                    2014
4.             7.5          Mike Wakefield (7-1/41)                    2015
                7.5          Alexander Bostic (7-1/54)                  2006
6.            7.0          Fermin Silva (6-2/30)                         2017
7.             6.5          Tourek Williams (5-3/56)                   2012
                6.5          Denzell Perine (4-5/33)                      2014
9.             6.0          Antwan Barnes (6-0/51)                     2006
                6.0          Tourek Williams (5-2/36)                   2010
 
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Quarterback James Morgan and kicker Jose Borregales nabbed preseason watch list honors for their respective positions prior to the start of the 2018 season.
 
Morgan was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List, with the potential of having a great season under head coach Butch Davis. Morgan transferred to FIU after graduating from Bowling Green last season and will have two years of eligibility. As a freshman, Morgan threw for over 2,000 yards at Bowling Green and set a program record with 16 touchdown tosses in only seven starts.
 
Borregales was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List after earning an 83.3% accuracy rate last season, which was second-best in 2017 among FBS freshmen who attempted at least 15 field goals. Overall, the kicker booted 15 of his 18 attempts last season through the uprights.
 
C-USA PRESEASON HONORS
The Panther duo of Jordan Budwig and Fermin Silva picked up Conference USA Coaches Preseason honors, with the pair poised to close out their FIU careers with a stellar season.
 
Budwig led the offensive line last season to one of its best years on the ground in school history, as he helped the Panthers rush for 2,069 yards in 2017. The offensive guard was granted a fifth year prior to the 2018 season.
 
For Silva, the defensive end was the team leader in tackles-for-loss (14.0), sacks (7.0) and quarterback hurries (6) while also racking up 50 total tackles in 2017.
 
REPLACING MCGOUGH
The 2018 season will be a new era under center for the Panthers, as FIU seeks to replace its most prolific passer in program history, Alex McGough.
 
McGough was drafted in the seventh round of 2018's NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. The former Panther quarterback has been turning heads since then as he rises up Pete Carroll's depth chart with his solid play this NFL preseason.
 
Where McGough Ranks at FIU
>> Career leader in touchdown passes (65)
>> Second for career completed passes (806)
>> Second for career passing yards (9,091)
>> Broke single-season record for yards (2,798) in 2017
 
PROMOTIONS
Stadium Renovation Reveal – Students are encouraged to pack Riccardo Silva Stadium on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET to get a sneak peak of the renovations made over the offseason. The first 100 students will get a free t-shirt, while free food will also be available while supplies last.
 
Poster Giveaway – Fans will have a chance to grab the 2018 FIU football poster on Saturday at various marketing tables set up throughout the stadium.
 
Freshman Frenzy – Students can help form the tunnel for the football team as they take the field on Saturday. For those interested click here.  
 
C-USA Championship Ring Ceremony – At halftime of Saturday's game the men's soccer, swimming and diving and tennis teams will be presented with their C-USA Championship rings.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.