GAME 6
FIU (3-2, 0-2 CUSA) at New Mexico State (2-3, 0-1 CUSA)
DATE
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
KICKOFF
9 p.m. ET
STADIUM
Aggie Memorial Stadium (28,853)/Las Cruces, N.M.
WATCH FIU FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
FIU FOOTBALL MEDIA AVAILABILITY – GAME 6 - at New Mexico State
FIU football head coach
Mike MacIntyre met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to preview this Wednesday's showdown at New Mexico State.
THE COACHES
FIU
Head Coach:
Mike MacIntyre (Georgia Tech '89)
Overall Record: 53-75 (11th season)
Record at FIU: 7-10 (2nd season)
NEW MEXICO STATE
Head Coach: Jerry Kill
Overall Record: 167-113 (25th season)
Record at NMSU: 9-9 (2nd season)
QUICK HITS
- The Panthers will be meeting the Aggies for the third time in program history and for the second consecutive season in Las Cruces.
- Wednesday's contest will mark the first meeting with both as members of Conference USA.
- FIU defeated NMSU 21-7 in 2022.
PANTHERS HEAD TO LAS CRUCES FOR WEDENSDAY NIGHT CLASH
FIU hits the road for its first of four consecutive nationally televised Wednesday night games at New Mexico State in Las Cruces in a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS Sports Network.
The nationally televised CBS Sports Network broadcast is the first of three this month on the network as the Panthers will play games at Sam Houston (Oct. 18) and vs. Jacksonville State (Oct. 25) on the network.
FIU will play its other Wednesday night game this month in Miami on Oct. 11 when it hosts UTEP on ESPN2.
The FIU at New Mexico State 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 and Aggies will be meeting for the third time overall and for the second consecutive season in Las Cruces when they face off on Wednesday night. The game will also mark the first time the program's have faced off with both as members of Conference USA.
In the most recent meeting between the programs, the Panthers handed the Aggies a 21-7 defeat in Las Cruces on Oct. 1, 2022.
FIU is 1-1 on the road this season with a win at Connecticut on Sept. 16 and a 22-17 setback at Louisiana Tech in the season opener on Aug. 26.
PANTHERS MATCH BEST FOUR-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 FOUR IN SIX
FIU is looking for its fourth win of 2023 - which would match its win total from last season and mark the fastest in season to four wins since 2018.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
The Aggies enter Wednesday night's meeting with the Panthers 2-3 overall and have alternated from loss to win since the opening week of the season.
After opening the season with a home loss against UMass (30-41), New Mexico State has posted a home win over Western Illinois (58-21) and a road win at rival New Mexico (27-17).
They dropped games at Liberty (17-33) and Hawaii (17-20) in its most recent contest.
New Mexico State boasts the nation's 26th best rushing offense that averages 201.4 yards per game and is led by a trio of players who have posted over 200 yards in quarterback Diego Pavia (268), Star Thomas (233) and Monte Watkins (203).
Pavia directs the Aggies' offense and has 10 TD passes against four interceptions - while competing 62-of-97 passes for 1,073 yards. He has shown a knack for the big play in the passing game and currently ranks fourth in FBS with an average of 17.31 yards per completion.
New Mexico State has averaged 29.8 points over its first five games and is allowing 26.4.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
Wednesday's game between FIU and New Mexico will mark the third meeting in program history and the second consecutive season they have played in Las Cruces.
The all-time series is tied 1-1, with FIU posting a 21-7 road win in 2022 and the Aggies claiming a 56-31 victory on Oct. 30, 2004 - also in Las Cruces. The Panthers were a FCS program in their third season of existence at the time.
NEW MEXICO STATE-FLORIDA CONNECTION
The Aggies feature three players on their roster that hail from the state of Florida.
| J.J. Dervil |
Naples, Fla. |
Lely |
| Ethan Singleton |
Orlando, Fla. |
Ocoee |
| Tobin Hackett |
Daytona Beach, Fla. |
Palm Coast |
LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO STATE (10/1/22)
FIU scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the first half and held on for a 21-7 road win on Saturday night at New Mexico State.
The win snapped a 19-game losing streak for the Panthers against FBS opponents – dating back to a 30-24 victory over Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 23, 2019.
The victory 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.
The Panthers employed a well-balanced offensive attack in the victory as it posted 152 rushing and 182 passing yards (334 total). Meanwhile, the FIU defense limited the Aggies to less than 225 yards of total offense (82 rush/139 pass).
Lexington Joseph paced the rushing attack with a team-best 80 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback
Grayson James added 43 ground yards, while
EJ Wilson Jr. notched 31. Joseph also scored on a 60-yard catch and run in the win.
James finished 13-of-19 passing for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Senior
Tyrese Chambers led a total of four Panthers who made a reception with eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Junior
Jalen Bracey registered two catches for 29 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Panthers were led by a trio of players who posted seven stops, including
Demetrius Hill,
Jamal Potts and
Jeramy Passmore.
KRIS MITCHELL AMONG NATION'S BEST
FIU junior wide receiver
Kris Mitchell enters Wednesday night's game with 459 receiving yards - which ranks as the seventh-highest total in FBS and tops in Conference USA.
He is averaging 91.8 receiving yards per contest (24th/best in FBS) and his four touchdown catches are the 16th-most nationally and tops in CUSA.
In addition, he has snagged at least one reception of at least 38 yards in each of the last four games.
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 - 1st in FBS - 1st in CUSA (0.80 pg)
Total Tackles - 10th in FBS - 2nd in CUSA (10.8 pg)
Solo Tackles - 9th in FBS - 2nd in CUSA (6.0 pg)
Tackles for Loss - 25th in FBS - 3rd in CUSA (1.4 pg)
Manuel has recorded double-figure stops in three of five games overall. He has totaled 7.0 TFLs and 54 tackles to lead the Panthers in both categories through five games.
DEFENSE STIFFENS IN RED ZONE
The Panthers' defense has tightened when it has mattered most this season as FIU currently boasts the 15th best red zone defense in FBS and the tops in Conference USA.
FIU has allowed scores on 12-of-18 opponents red zone chances and nine touchdowns.
JENKINS LEADS 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 four games.
He currently boasts a total of 1,000 passing yards over his four starts entering Wednesday's game at New Mexico - which currently ranks as the 42nd-highest total in FBS - and tops among all freshman nationally.
In addition, his five touchdown passes over the last FOUR games is the 71st best mark among all FBS signal callers.
His average of 250.0 passing yards per game sits as the top mark in Conference USA and the 40th best mark in the nation.
In addition, Jenkins has shown a knack for the big play with an average of 16.95 yards per completion - the seventh 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.
BRIAN BLADES HOLDING DOWN THE ISLAND
Sophomore cornerback
Brian Blades has stepped up for the Panthers after making starts in four of the last five games overall.
He currently ranks 29th among all FBS players and second in CUSA with an average of 1.2 passes defended per game - he has also recorded 18 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a fumble recovery over four starts in 2023.
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 - 137.7
74th/FBS
5th/CUSA
Points Responsible For
Keyone Jenkins - 44
68th/FBS
5th/CUSA
Punt Returns
Dean Patterson - 11.4
15th/FBS
1st/CUSA
Rushing Yards
Shomari Lawrence - 312
39th/FBS
2nd/CUSA
Rushing Yards Per Carry
Shomari Lawrence - 5.89
35th/FBS
2nd/CUSA
Total Offense
Keyone Jenkins - 263.2
45th/FBS
4th/CUSA
OFFENSE OVER THREE-GAME WIN STREAK
FIU had its first three-game winning streak since 2019 prior to a loss to Liberty on Sept. 23 and the offense was rolling during the stretch.
Over the three-game win streak the offense has averaged:
289.0 passing yards
105.3 rushing yards
394.3 total offense
28.0 points
DEFENSE OVER THREE-GAME WIN STREAK
FIU had its first three-game winning streak since 2019 prior to a loss to Liberty on Sept. 23 and the defense played a key role - below are the highlights.
Over the three-game win streak the defense totaled:
20 Tackles for Loss
6 Sacks
4 Turnovers
MOST POINTS IN OPENING HALF SINCE 2019
FIU opened its 24-17 win at Connecticut fast as it scored 24 points in the opening minutes to head into halftime holding a 24-3 edge over the Huskies.
The Panthers' 24 points in the first half marked their highest first-half total since scoring 28 vs. Charlotte on Oct. 12, 2019.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return home on Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff against UTEP in a nationally televised ESPN2 telecast.
The contest will mark the Vice Night game which will see the Panthers sport the Vice-themed uniforms that garnered national acclaim.
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.
