| WEEK 6: FIU (2-2, 0-1) vs. Connecticut (2-4) |
QUICK HITS
- Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and Huskies in the sport of football.
- The teams are also scheduled to meet in 2023 in East Hartford, Conn., with additional games slated for the 2025 (UConn) and 2027 (FIU) seasons.
HEAD COACH INFO
FIU
Head Coach:
Mike MacIntyre (Georgia Tech '89)
Overall Record: 48-67 (10th season)
Record at FIU: 2-2 (1st season)
Connecticut
Head Coach: Jim Mora (Washington '84)
Overall Record: 48-34 (7th season)
Record at UConn: 2-4 (1st season)
SETTING THE STAGE
PANTHERS HOST CONNECTICUT SATURDAY FOR HOMECOMING
FIU returns to its home turf for the first time in 37 days as it hosts Connecticut in its annual Homecoming Game on Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m. ET at FIU Stadium.
The game will be aired on ESPN3 with
AJ Ricketts (pxp) and Corey Brooks (analyst) on the call. The game can also be heard on Miami's WQBA 1140 AM.
FIU enters Saturday's meeting with Connecticut fresh off a convincing 21-7 road win at New Mexico State on Oct. 1 and will be looking to post back-to-back victories for the first time since the 2019 season.
UConn enters Saturday's game 2-4 overall following a 19-14 victory against Fresno State last weekend in East Hartford. The win snapped a three-game skid for the Huskies and marked their first win over an FBS opponent since posting a 56-35 win at UMass on Oct. 26, 2019.
FIU DEFENSE STEPS UP IN WIN AT NEW MEXICO STATE
The FIU defense was a key factor in the Panthers securing a 21-7 road win at New Mexico State on Oct. 1 as it limited the Aggies to just 221 yards of total offense - the lowest by a FIU opponent since Oct. 5, 2019 when it limited UMass to 115 total yards - a span of 29 games.
The Panthers also posted a shutout over the final 30 minutes vs. New Mexico State - their first blanking of an opponent in a single half since shutting out Long Island in the second half of the 2021 season opener.
NMSU entered the game averaging 157 rushing yards per game. FIU limited them to 82 in the win.
SCOUTING CONNECTICUT
The Huskies enter Saturday's first-ever meeting with FIU sporting a 2-4 record and fresh off their first win over an FBS opponent since the 2019 campaign - a 19-14 home win over Fresno State on Oct. 1.
Connecticut opened the season with a loss at Utah State (31-20), a win over FCS-member Central Connecticut (28-3) which was followed by losses against Syracuse (48-14) and at Michigan (59-0) and North Carolina State (41-10).
The UConn offense is averaging 15.1 points and 265.8 yards per game over the first six contests. The Huskies are rush heavy offensively with a total of 167.7 per game, while averaging only 98.2 through the air.
Defensively, the Huskies are allowing nearly 400 yards of offense against their opponents (399.7) and 32.7 points.
Connecticut is led by sophomore running back Nathan Carter, who boasts a team-high 405 rushing yards and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Freshman Zion Turner, a Fort Lauderdale native and St. Thomas Aquinas alum has been the top signal caller for the Huskies in 2022. He has completed 62-of-113 passes for 559 yards and five TDs. He has tossed three interceptions.
FAMILIAR ZOZUS
UConn long snapper
Tommy Zozus might ring a bell for Panther fans as the Punta Gorda, Fla., native held the same role for FIU in 2021 before heading to Storrs for his final collegiate season.
Overall, Zozus appeared in 31 total games as a long snapper as a Panther. He was named as a Conference USA Honorable Mention selection in 2018 and 2020 and selected to the Phil Steele All-Conference USA Third Team as a junior.
STREAKS DIE IN LAS CRUCES
It only took four games for the new FIU coaching staff led by
Mike MacIntyre to erase a pair of losing skids that the Panthers have been battling 2018 and 2019.
The Panthers' 21-7 victory over New Mexico State in Las Cruces marked FIU's first win over a FBS opponent since defeating Miami (Fla.) 30-24 on Nov. 23, 2019 - snapping a 19-game skid.
The win also snapped a 16-game losing skid on the road for FIU – the Panthers last road win came on Nov. 17, 2018 at Charlotte by a 42-35 margin.
LEX GETS LOOSE FOR LONGEST PLAY OF 2022
Junior
Lexington Joseph's 60-yard TD reception during the Oct. 1 win at New Mexico State marked FIU's longest offensive play of the season to date.
It also represented the longest catch of Joseph's career at FIU.
JALEN BRACEY HAULS IN FIRST TD CATCH
Junior wide receiver
Jalen Bracey hauled in the first TD pass of his FIU career at the 9:38 mark of the second quarter of the Panthers' 21-7 victory at New Mexico State on Oct. 1.
Bracey joined the FIU program this offseason with two seasons of eligibility remaining after being a three-year starter for Mississippi Gulf Coast College, where he amassed 1,678 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
HUDSON HONORED BY PFF
FIU junior right tackle
Lyndell Hudson Jr. was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) Week 5 Team of the Week.
Hudson, was a critical part of an offensive line that allowed the Panthers to churn out a season-high 162 rushing yards in a 21-7 victory at New Mexico State on Oct. 1.
JAMES ONCE AGAIN NAMED TO EARL CAMPBELL POW LIST
FIU sophomore quarterback
Grayson James was honored for the second this season as a member of the honorable mention list for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week.
The award recognizes the best college football player each week that played high school in the state of Texas.
James was honored after guiding the Panthers to a 21-7 win at New Mexico State on Oct. 1.
The Duncansville, Texas native completed 14-of-20 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns - he did not throw and interception while also rushing for 43 yards.
James was also named as an honorable mention selection after 38-37 overtime win over Bryant in the season's opening week. He came off the bench to guide the Panthers a comeback from a 16-0 deficit - which ranks as the third-largest in program history.He tossed four touchdowns and completed 16-of-31 passes for 207 yards in the victory - all in the second half.
QUICK HITS FROM NEW MEXICO STATE WIN
FIU's 21-7 lead at the half marked the first time it has led at the break since Sept. 25, 2021 at Central Michigan (14-10) and its largest since it held a 34-0 edge entering halftime at UMass (Oct. 5, 2019).
- Sophomore punter Daton Montiel booted a career-long 64-yard punt that was downed at the NMSU one-yard line at the 10:05 mark of the third quarter.
- After combining for 28 points in the first half, the teams played a scoreless final 30 minutes.
- Game was FIU's third consecutive road game after opening the season at home.
- Marked the second-ever meeting between FIU and New Mexico State and the first since 2004.
- The Panthers played without starting defensive lineman Davon Strickland for the second consecutive game.
PANTHERS MOVING FAST
The FIU offense has moved quickly through the initial four games under offensive coordinator
David Yost - averaging 2.63 plays per minute - which is the 14th-most nationally, according to 247 Sports' analysis.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will follow Saturday's game vs. Connecticut with its Conference USA home opener on Friday, Oct. 14 vs. UTSA in an 8 p.m. ET kickoff at FIU Stadium.
The game will be televised to a national audience on CBS Sports Network.
