| WEEK 4: FIU (1-1, 0-0) at Western Kentucky (2-1, 0-0) |
SETTING THE STAGE
PANTHERS CONTINUE ROAD SWING WITH C-USA OPENER
FIU treks to Bowling Green, Ky., this weekend to battle Western Kentucky in the Conference USA opener for both programs on Saturday, Sept. 24 in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff that will be nationally- televised on CBS Sports Network with Chick Hernandez (pxp) and Randy Cross (sideline) on the call.
The Panthers are fresh off a bye week and will be playing their second in a stretch of three consecutive road games when they take on the Hilltoppers on Saturday.
The game can also be heard on Miami's WQBA 1140 AM with
AJ Ricketts (pxp) and Corey Brooks (analyst) calling the action.
FIU has opened C-USA play against Western Kentucky once previously - a 20-14 setback in Miami to begin the league portion of the 2019 slate.
PANTHERS MOVING FAST
The FIU offense has moved quickly through the initial three weeks under offensive coordinator
David Yost - averaging 3.12 plays per minute - which is the second-fastest nationally, according to 247 Sports' analysis.
The Panthers sit behind only Indiana (3.19) following the initial three weeks of the season. .
LAST TIME VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Saturday's nationally-televised match up in Bowling Green, Ky., will mark the eighth consecutive season that FIU and Western Kentucky have met on the gridiron.
The Panthers suffered a 34-19 defeat at the hands of the Hilltoppers last season in Miami as WKU posted 530 yards of total offense.
WKU was led by quarterback Bailey Zappe, who finished 39-of-49 through the air for a total of 368 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver
Randall St. Felix paced the Panthers' offense with five receptions for 104 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown grab. The total receptions, yardage total and long catch of 75 yards all represented career-best efforts for St. Felix.
Senior running back
D'vonte Price added 87 rushing yards on 16 carries.
FIU senior signal caller
Max Bortenschlager completed 15-of-32 pass attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown.
The Hilltopper defense recorded seven sacks in the victory.
ALL-TIME VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Saturday's showdown between FIU and Western Kentucky will represent the 16th all-time meeting between the programs.
The Panthers are 2-5 all-time against the Hilltoppers in games played in Bowling Green - with the most recent victory coming in 2018 by a 38-317 margin.
WKU (5-8 [#6-9])
| 10/12/02 |
at WKU |
L/7-56 |
6,000 |
| 11/20/04 |
WKU |
L/14-35 |
3,108 |
| 11/19/05# |
WKU [HC] |
W/38-35 |
14,388 |
| 12/6/08 |
WKU |
W/27-3 |
9,405 |
| 10/10/09 |
at WKU |
W/37-20 |
37-20 |
| 10/9/10 |
WKU |
W/28-21 |
14,335 |
| 11/6/11 |
at WKU |
L/9-10 |
15,293 |
| 10/27/12 |
WKU |
L/6-14 |
12,842 |
| 11/21/15 |
at WKU |
L/7-63 |
14,380 |
| 11/5/16 |
at WKU |
L/21-49 |
15,516 |
| 11/24/17 |
WKU |
W/41-17 |
16,199 |
| 10/27/18 |
at WKU |
W/38-17 |
15,138 |
| 9/7/19 |
WKU |
L/14-20 |
13,311 |
| 11/21/20 |
at WKU |
L/21-38 |
3,823 |
| 10/23/21 |
WKU [HC] |
L/19-34 |
N/A |
10 GRABS FOR TYRESE IN SAN MARCOS
FIU senior wide receiver
Tyrese Chambers snagged a career-high 10 catches for the Panthers at Texas State on Sept. 10 - eclipsing his previous best of eight which he set in Week 1 vs. Bryant.
Chambers is the first FIU player with 10 or more receptions in a single contest since Austin Maloney on Dec. 21, 2019 in the Camellia Bowl vs. Arkansas State - a span of 18 games.
3 PANTHERS POST DOUBLE-DIGIT STOPS
FIU junior linebacker
Donovan Manuel posted a team-high 14 tackles for the Panthers at Texas State on Sept. 10.
Gaethan Bernadel (12) and
Demetrius Hill (11) also registered double-figure stops to give FIU its first game with three players with 10 or more tackles since Oct. 30, 2021 at Marshall.
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
The Hilltoppers enter Saturday's meeting with FIU sporting a 2-1 record and fresh off a devastating overtime loss at Indiana - which saw Western Kentucky see an 11-point halftime lead evaporate into a 33-30 loss.
The Hilltoppers opened the season with back-to-back wins over Austin Peay (38-27) and at Hawaii (49-17) before the loss at Indiana.
Offensively, WKU is directed by quarterback Austin Reed, who has completed over 69 percent of his passes for 876 yards and nine TDs over the initial three games.
In the backfield, the Hilltoppers feature a 1-2 punch at running back in Ky Robichaux and Davion Ervin-Poindexter. Robichaux has posted 202 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per touch over the opening three contests, while Ervin-Poindexter boasts 102 yards.
A total of 12 different players have caught a pass for WKU, paced by Daewood Davis, who has amassed 16 grabs for 279 yards and a pair of scores. He is averaging 17.44 yards per reception. Malachi Corley leads the Hilltoppers in TD catches with three.
Defensively, the Hilltoppers are allowing 25.6 points per game over the first three games. WKU features four players who have over 21 tackles, led by JaQues Evans and Kahlef Hailassie, who each boast 22.0.
WKU-FLORIDA CONNECTION
The Hilltoppers feature a total of 17 players on their roster that hail from the state of Florida.
| Austin Reed |
St. Augustine, Fla. |
St. Augustine HS |
| Jakairi Moses |
Palm Beach, Fla. |
William T Dwyer HS |
| Amaari Smith |
Pahokee, Fla. |
MTI Preparatory |
| BJ Wagner |
Orlando, Fla. |
Orlando Christian Prep |
| Malachi Corley |
Orange City, Fla. |
Campbellsville HS (Ky.) |
| Darius Thomas |
Miramar, Fla. |
Miramar HS |
| A.J. Brathwaite Jr. |
Miami, Fla. |
Miami Central HS |
| Denzil Alleyne |
Lakeland, Fla. |
Bartow Senior HS |
| Anthony Brackenridge |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Sandalwood HS |
| Deante McCray |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Sandalwood HS |
| Derrick Smith |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Sandalwood HS |
| Vincent Murphy |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
St. Thomas Aquinas HS |
| Cameron Stage |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
Cardinal Gibbons HS |
| Marcus Patterson |
Crestview, Fla. |
Sandalwood HS |
| Virgil Marshall |
Cocoa, Fla. |
Cocoa HS |
| Daewood Davis |
Deerfield Beach, Fla. |
Deerfield Beach HS |
| Dane Saltarelli |
Belleair Bluffs, Fla. |
IMG Academy |
CONTINUING ROADSWING
Saturday's game at Western Kentucky will mark the second of a season-long three game roadtrip that will span a total of four weeks - including a bye.
The Panthers will follow Saturday's game with the finale of the three-game set on Saturday, Oct. 1 at New Mexico State.
Overall, the Panthers will travel over 3,900 miles and play in three different time zones during the run.
FIU VS. C-USA
The Panthers are 24-44 all-time in C-USA games since joining the league prior to the 2011 campaign.
FIU vs. C-USA (since 2011)
| Southern Miss |
1-1* |
| UAB |
1-1 |
| La Tech |
0-4 |
| East Carolina |
0-1* |
| MTSU |
2-7 |
| UTEP |
2-2 |
| Marshall |
2-6* |
| Florida Atlantic |
2-7 |
| UTSA |
2-1 |
| Rice |
2-1 |
| Old Dominion |
3-4* |
| North Texas |
0-2 |
| Charlotte |
5-1 |
| Western Kentucky |
2-5 |
| Tulane |
0-1* |
* - former C-USA member school
GRAYSON JAMES MAKES FIRST START
FIU sophomore quarterback
Grayson James made his first start under center in the Panthers' road game at Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 10.
James finished the game 30-of-47 through the air for 196 yards. He threw a pair of interceptions in the 41-12 loss in San Marcos.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will conclude their current three-game road stretch with a non-conference clash at New Mexico State on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Las Cruces at 8 p.m. ET.
