GAME 1 (WEEK 0)
FIU (0-0, 0-0 CUSA) at Louisiana Tech (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)

DATE
Saturday, August 26, 2023

KICKOFF
9 p.m. ET

STADIUM
Joe Aillet Stadium (28,562)/Ruston, La.
 

TV	CBS Sports Network
RADIO	WQBA 1140 AM
INTERNET	Listen Live | Watch Live
LIVE STATS	Stats Link
FOLLOW US	Twitter | Instagram
GAME NOTES	FIU | La Tech

 
SETTING THE STAGE
FIU will be one of 14 teams in action during Week 0 as it treks to Ruston, La., for both its season and Conference USA openers on Saturday night (Aug. 26) at Louisiana Tech.
 
The game will be aired on the CBS Sports Network with Carter Blackburn (pxp) and Randy Cross behind the mic.
 
The game can also be heard on Miami's WQBA 1140 AM with AJ Ricketts (pxp) and Corey Brooks (analyst) on the call.
 
HEAD COACHES
FIU                                                          
Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre (Georgia Tech '89)
Overall Record: 50-73 (11th season)
Record at FIU: 4-8 (2nd season)
 
LOUISIANA TECH                                
Head Coach: Sonny Cumbie
Overall Record: 5-12 (3rd season)
Record at LT: 3-9 (2nd season)
 
EARLIEST START TO SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Saturday's game in Ruston will mark the earliest date that FIU has opened a regular season.

In addition, Saturday's clash with Louisiana Tech will mark the first time that the Panthers have played a conference game in the first game of a season since 2011 when it battled North Texas in the Sun Belt opener.
 
WHAT IS BACK
The Panthers return a total of 15 starters from last season's squad - with a total of six offensive, five defensive and four special teams starters returning to the fold in 2023.
 
FIRST OF MINIMUM OF SIX NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES
The Panthers' game at Louisiana Tech will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network, their first of a minimum of six nationally televised games featuring FIU in 2023.
 
The Panthers' television schedule features five games televised on CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) and their first home national broadcast on ESPN2 since 2011, when they host UTEP on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in Miami.
 
The five CBS Sports Network national telecasts mark the most in a single season for the FIU football program, eclipsing the three appearances it made in 2019.
 
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
The Bulldogs return a total of 45 letterwinners and 13 starters from last season's squad that finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Conference USA.
 
Louisiana Tech will feature a new signal caller under center this season as Hank Bachmeier will direct the Bulldog offense after transferring from Boise State this offseason.
 
Bachmeier was a Johnny Unitas Watchlist Selection in 2022 and threw for 6,605 yards and 41 touchdowns during his four seasons in Boise.
 
Wide receiver Smoke Harris returns as the top playmaker for the Bulldogs after posting 640 yards and five touchdowns on 66 catches in 2022.
 
LAST TIME VS. LOUISIANA TECH
Sophomore Grayson James tossed three touchdowns and directed a clutch drive in the final two minutes to force overtime allowing the Panthers to prevail with a hard-fought 42-34 victory over Louisiana Tech in double overtime last season on Oct. 29, 2022 in Miami.
 
The Panthers forced overtime when sophomore kicker Chase Gabriel drilled a 28-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining to deadlock the score at 27-27.
 
James completed six passes on the final drive, including three to sophomore tight end Rivaldo Fairweather for a total of 41 yards, to set up the clutch field goal as the Panthers covered 69 yards in just 1:45.
 
Overtime saw the Bulldogs score on their opening possession on a five-yard burst by Marquis Crosby before FIU answered with a one-yard scoring run by junior Lexington Joseph to push it into a second extra frame.
 
The Panthers sealed the victory with another one-yard TD run by Joseph and put some extra pressure on Louisiana Tech with a successful two-point conversion attempt on a pass from James to sophomore Kris Mitchell.
 
SERIES VS. LA TECH
Saturday's showdown at La Tech will mark the second consecutive season the programs have met and the sixth time overall.
 
The Panthers are 0-2 all-time in games played in Ruston, with most recent road contest in the series coming in 2019.
 
ALL-TIME VS. LA TECH (1-4)                                  

Date	Location	Result	Att.
10/26/13	Louisiana Tech	L/7-23	13,389
9/26/15	at Louisiana Tech	L/17-27	20,010
10/22/16	Louisiana Tech [HC]	L/24-44	17,061
9/20/19	at Louisiana Tech	L/31-43	18,782
10/28/22	Louisiana Tech	W/42-34 (2OT)	12,478

 
FIU IN SEASON OPENERS
The Panthers will be playing the 22nd season in program history when they kick off the 2023 campaign on Saturday night at Louisiana Tech.
 
FIU is 6-15 all-time in season openers entering Saturday's clash and 2-11 in season openers on the road.
 
FIU IN SEASON OPENERS

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Score
8/29/02	Saint Peter's	H	W	27-3
9/6/03	Indiana State	A	L	10-13
9/11/04#	Youngstown State	A	W	22-16(OT)
9/3/05	Kansas State	A	L	21-35
8/31/06	Middle Tennessee	A	L	6-7
9/1/07	No. 17 Penn State	A	L	0-59
8/30/08	Kansas	A	L	10-40
9/12/09	No. 4 Alabama	A	L	14-40
9/11/10	Rutgers	H	L	14-19
9/1/11	North Texas	H	W	41-16
9/1/12	Duke	A	L	26-46
8/31/13	Maryland	A	L	10-43
8/30/14	Bethune-Cookman	H	L	12-14
9/3/15	UCF	A	W	15-14
9/1/16	Indiana	H	L	13-34
8/31/17	UCF	A	L	17-61
9/1/18	Indiana	H	L	28-38
8/29/19	Tulane	A	L	14-42
9/26/20	Liberty	A	L	34-36
9/2/21	Long Island	H	W	48-10
9/1/22	Bryant	H	W	38-37 (OT)

 
FIU IN ROAD OPENERS
FIU enters Saturday's clash at Louisiana Tech 5-16 all-time in road openers.
 
The Panthers last win in the initial road clash of the season came in 2018 by a 28-20 margin at Old Dominion.
 
FIU ALL-TIME IN ROAD OPENERS

9/7/02	at Elon	L/22-23
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	at 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
9/18/10	at Texas A&M	L/20-27
9/9/11	at Louisville (Fri.)	W/24-17
9/1/12	at Duke	L/26-46
8/31/13	at Maryland	L/10-43
9/27/14	at UAB*	W/34-20
9/3/15	at UCF (Thurs.)	W/15-14
9/17/16	at UMass	L/13-21
8/31/17	at UCF (Thurs.)	L/17-61
9/8/18	at Old Dominion*	W/28-20
8/29/19	at Tulane	L/14-42
9/26/20	at Liberty	L/34-36
9/18/21	at Texas Tech	L/21-54
9/10/22	at Texas State	L/12-41

 
WHAT'S NEW
The 2023 FIU roster has a fresh look with a total of 55 new student-athletes joining the Panthers' program this season.
 
Of the 55 new players on the roster:

• 32 are freshman
• 23 are transfers

 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will host Maine for their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 2 in a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff from FIU Stadium in Miami.  The game is slated to be aired live in ESPN+.
 
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.