GAME 8
FIU (3-4, 0-4 CUSA) at Sam Houston (0-6, 0-3 CUSA)

DATE
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

KICKOFF
7 p.m. ET

STADIUM
Elliott T. Bowers Stadium (14,000)/Huntsville, Texas
 
 

TV	CBS Sports Network
RADIO	WQBA 1140 AM
INTERNET	Listen Live | Watch Live
LIVE STATS	Stats Link
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WEEKLY PRESSER	WATCH

 
WATCH FIU FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
FIU FOOTBALL MEDIA AVAILABILITY – GAME 8 – at SAM HOUSTON
FIU football head coach Mike MacIntyre met with the media on Friday afternoon to preview this Wednesday's showdown at Sam Houston.
 
Joining Coach MacIntyre in the media session was sophomore offensive lineman John Bock II, junior defensive back Adrian Cole and freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins.
 

 
THE COACHES
FIU                                                          
Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre (Georgia Tech '89)
Overall Record: 53-77 (11th season)
Record at FIU: 7-12 (2nd season)
 
Sam Houston
Head Coach: K.C. Keeler
Overall Record: 259-106-1 (30th season)
Record at SH: 85-33 (10th season)
 
QUICK HITS

• The Panthers and the Bearkats will be meeting for the first time ever when they square off on Wednesday night in Huntsville.
• Sam Houston is playing its first season as a member of Conference USA.
• FIU will be playing its lone game in the state of Texas when it travels to meet Sam Houston.

 
FIU LOOKS TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS AT SAM HOUSTON
The Panthers head back out on the road this week for their third consecutive Wednesday primetime contest as they head to Huntsville, Texas, to battle Sam Houston in a Conference USA clash that will be aired to a national audience on CBS Sports Network beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
 
Wednesday's CBS Sports Network broadcast will be called by Alex Del Barrio (pxp) and Mark Zaire (analyst) and will mark the first-ever meeting between FIU and Sam Houston, with the Bearkats playing both their first season in FBS and as a member of Conference USA. 
 
The FIU - Sam Houston game can also be heard on Miami's WQBA 1140 AM with AJ Ricketts (pxp) and Corey Brooks (analyst) behind the mic.
 
The pregame show on WQBA 1140 AM will start 30 minutes prior to kickoff and a postgame show will follow the conclusion of the contest.
 
The Panthers will be looking to snap a three-game skid when they take on the Bearkats on Wednesday night in Huntsville.
 
PANTHERS MATCH BEST 4-GAME START
The Panthers' 3-1 start to 2023 matched their best four-game start in program history, which they also accomplished in 2017 and 2011.
 
FIU LOOKING FOR 4 IN EIGHT
FIU is looking for its fourth win of 2023 - which would match its win total from last season.
 
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON
The Bearkats enter Wednesday night's action looking for their first win of 2023 - but have faced a daunting schedule that has included games against BYU, Air Force and Houston as well as CUSA early front runners Liberty and Jacksonville State.
 
Sam Houston dropped a 27-13 decision at New Mexico State in its most recent action on Oct. 11.
 
The Bearkats will only be playing their second home contest of the season when they host the Panthers on Wednesday night and its first since losing by a 35-28 margin to Jacksonville State on Sept. 28.
 
Sam Houston is averaging 262.0 yards of offense and 11.2 points over their opening six contests and are allowing 392.0 yards and 24.7 points on average to their opponents.
 
The Bearkats are in their first year in the FBS and Conference USA and won the FCS National Championship in the Spring of 2021.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SAM HOUSTON
Wednesday's game between FIU and Sam Houston will mark the first meeting between the programs in the sport of football.
 
SAM HOUSTON-FLORIDA CONNECTION
The Bearkats do not have any players on their active roster that hail from the state of Florida.
 
SLOW START SINKS PANTHERS VS. UTEP
Despite finding itself facing an early deficit, the Panthers put together a second-half rally before coming up on the short end of a 27-14 decision against UTEP on Oct. 11.
 
UTEP opened the contest with 21 unanswered points in the opening quarter – which proved to be just enough to keep the Panthers at bay as it hung on for the victory in the meeting of Conference USA foes.
 
FIU EXECUTES ONSIDE KICK VS. UTEP
The Panthers recovered an onside kick early in the third quarter their game vs. UTEP – their first since it turned the trick vs. Louisiana Tech on Oct. 28, 2022.
 
FOUR STRAIGHT W/RUSH TD FOR JENKINS
Freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins scored a rushing touchdown for the fourth consecutive game in the Panthers' loss vs. UTEP on Oct. 11 – his four rushing scores are the most by an FIU signal caller since Alex McGough scored five in 2017.
 
KRIS MITCHELL AMONG NATION'S BEST
FIU junior wide receiver Kris Mitchell enters Wednesday night's game with 636 receiving yards - which ranks as the 11th-highest total in FBS and tops in Conference USA.
 
He is averaging 90.9 receiving yards per contest (18th/best in FBS) and his four touchdown catches are the 51st-most nationally and third in CUSA.
 
In addition, he has snagged at least one reception of at least 30 yards in each of the last seven games. He has notched a total of four catches this season over 40 yards.
 
DEFENSE STIFFENS IN RED ZONE
The Panthers' defense has tightened when it has mattered most this season as FIU currently boasts the 23rd best red zone defense in FBS and second in Conference USA.
 
FIU has allowed scores on 19-of-26 opponents red zone chances and 12 touchdowns.
 
DONOVAN MANUEL LEADING SURGING DEFENSE
Senior linebacker Donovan Manuel has been one of the unquestioned leaders of the Panthers' defense in 2023.
 
Manuel currently ranks among the nation's leaders in a number of defensive categories including:
 
Forced Fumbles - 2nd in FBS - 2nd in CUSA (0.57 pg)
Total Tackles - 9th in FBS - 2nd in CUSA (10.3 pg)
Solo Tackles - 9th in FBS - 2nd in CUSA (5.6 pg)
 
Manuel has recorded double-figure stops in three of seven games overall.  He has totaled 9.5 TFLs and 72 tackles to lead the Panthers in both categories through seven games.
 
JENKINS SECOND AMONG ALL FBS FRESHMEN IN PASSING YARDS
True freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins has wasted little time making his presence known since taking over as starter the last six games.
 
He currently boasts a total of 1,466 passing yards over his six starts entering Wednesday's game at Sam Houston - which currently ranks as the 47th-highest total in FBS - and second-most among all freshman nationally.
 
His average of 244.3 passing yards per game sits as the third-best mark in Conference USA and the 39th best mark in the nation.
 
In addition, Jenkins has shown a knack for the big play with an average of 15.27 yards per completion - the 10th best total among all FBS quarterbacks.
 
The product of Miami Central High completed passes to eight different receivers while completing 20-of-32 passes for 291 yards in the Panthers' 46-39 win over North Texas on Sept.9.
 
That followed a 292-yard performance in his first career start vs. Maine on Sept. 2 which shattered the record for most passing yards ever by a true freshman at FIU - a record that had stood since 2002.
 
In his first road test, he went for 284 yards and two TDs in a 24-17 win at Connecticut - which also saw him complete passes to seven different receivers.  He also added 24 yards on the ground and a rushing TD in the win over the Huskies on Sept. 16.
 
JENKINS WINS UNDER CENTER
True freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins has known little but winning in his recent seasons as a starting signal caller dating back to his prep career at Miami Central.
 
Jenkins won each of his last 26 starts at Miami Central while also guiding the Rockets to three consecutive state titles from 2020-22.
 
He opened 3-0 as a starter for FIU prior to a loss against Liberty on Sept. 23.
 
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH
Here is a list of some other FIU players who rank on the national and conference leaderboards:
 
Passing Efficiency
Keyone Jenkins – 133.5
68th/FBS
5th/CUSA
 
Points Responsible For Per Game
Keyone Jenkins – 9.3
92nd/FBS
5th/CUSA
 
Punt Returns
Dean Patterson - 11.0
19th/FBS
1st/CUSA
 
Rushing Yards
Shomari Lawrence - 388
85th/FBS
6th/CUSA
 
Total Offense
Keyone Jenkins – 252.3
48th/FBS
5th/CUSA
 
Interceptions
CJ Christian – 3
12th/FBS
2nd/CUSA
 
TFLs
Donovan Manuel – 1.4
17th/FBS
1st/CUSA
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Wednesday, Oct. 25 when they host Jacksonville State in the final of a four-week stretch of Wednesday night kickoffs in a 7 p.m. start from The Cage in Miami - which will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
 
Following the showdown with the Gamecocks, FIU will be idle for 16 days until facing Middle Tennessee State on the road on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Mufreesboro, Tenn.
 
TICKETS
For more information on FIU Football season and individual tickets, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit the FIU Athletics Online Ticket Office
 
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.