MIAMI — FIU's football program hosts Kennesaw State in Conference USA (CUSA) action on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium.
The Panthers (3-3, 1-1 CUSA) take on the Owls (4-2, 2-0 CUSA) for their annual VICE Night on Tuesday, of which will feature FIU's third edition of its widely-acclaimed 'Miami Vice'-themed uniforms.
GAME SPONSOR
Miami's own world-famous recording artist Pitbull, of whom of the stadium naming rights belong to, is the presenting sponsor for the game.
FAN FITS / PROMOTIONS
Fan Fit: Wear Vice!
Promotion: FREE FIU VICE T-Shirts — First 1,000 Students
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: KSU leads 1-0
Last Matchup: KSU def. FIU, 27-26 (Nov. 23, 2024)
Willie Simmons vs. KSU: First-Ever Meeting
HOW TO FOLLOW
Fans can follow along with the game on variety of platforms. The matchup will air live on ESPN2 and also be available via audio stream on
fiusports.com/listenlive. Live stats will also be available on
fiusports.com/FBStats.
BROADCAST TEAMS
ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Clay Matvick
Analyst: Chase Daniel
fiusports.com Audio Stream
Play-by-Play: Steve Goldstein
Analyst: Corey Brooks
MATCHUP NOTES
⁃ FIU and Kennesaw meet for the second time in history, following FIU's 27-26 defeat to Kennesaw on the road on Nov. 23, 2024. The Panthers led the Owls 26-17 headed into the fourth quarter of the game, but KSU scored 10 unanswered late to claim the one-point victory.
⁃
Keyone Jenkins passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the last meeting.
Devonte Lyons racked up 99 yards while
Kejon Owens had 30 yards on just three carries.
⁃ Both Jerry Mack and
Willie Simmons have an extensive coaching background at the FCS level, specifically at the HBCU level. Mack was 23-15 in four seasons at North Carolina Central while Simmons was 66-24 in eight seasons between Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M.
⁃ The Panthers'
Kejon Owens,
Jessiah McGrew and
Julius Pierce were all recognized as CUSA Players of the Week on Monday following FIU's 25-6 win over Western Kentucky on the road last Tuesday.
⁃ Owens is 6th in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 109.7 yards per contest. He's also 12th in yards per carry, averaging 6.7 YPC.
⁃ Simmons and Defensive Coordinator Jovan DeWitt were both named as Matt Zenitz' CBS Sports Coach and Coordinator of the week in CUSA.
⁃ A win for FIU would be Simmons' first home win in CUSA play the Panther program's first-ever win over the Owls.
⁃ A win will improve FIU's home record to 3-1 and overall record at the newly-minted Pitbull Stadium (since 2024) to 7-3.
⁃ A win improve FIU's record to 2-1 in conference play, making the Panthers over .500 after three games in CUSA for the first time since 2018.
⁃ The Panthers look for their first-ever 'VICE Night' win following two tightly-contested defeats in 2023 and 2024.
⁃ The Owls are one of just two undefeated teams in CUSA play so far, having won both of their conference contests over Middle Tennessee (24-16) and Louisiana Tech (35-7).
⁃ Although this is his first year at the helm at KSU, Head Coach Jerry Mack has faced off with FIU before in Miami as head coach of North Carolina Central back in 2015. Mack's Eagles were defeated 39-14 by the Panthers on Sept. 19 inside FIU Stadium.
⁃ Both Owl Quarterbacks, Amari Odom and Dexter Williams II, have been featured as starters this season. Williams started KSU's last game and passed for 299 yards and had four touchdowns through the air, however Odom is expected t re-take the starting role following his one game absence due to injury.
⁃ KSU is 4-0 at home this season and 0-2 on the road.
⁃ The Owls have allowed just eight sacks this season, the least among all CUSA teams.
⁃ KSU's top receiver Gabriel Benyard has the second most receiving yards per game in CUSA, averaging 66.3 yards per contest.
VICE NIGHT
FIU Football will also be auctioning off the game-worn uniforms following the game on
fiusports.com. Please be attentive to FIU Football's social media for information on how to purchase.
FIU ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Official FIU Athletics App for all FIU Athletics News and Digital Content, of which can be found searching 'FIU Athletics' in the App Store on both Android and iOS-based devices.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR GAMEDAY
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of everything students, alumni, donors and Panther supporters of any capacity need to know about the home gameday experience surrounding FIU football in 2025.
WEEKLY MEDIA AVAILABILITIES
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
THE WILLIE SIMMONS COACH'S SHOW
The Panthers will partner with Twin Peaks Doral, one of the highest-grossing restaurants in the entire franchise, for a weekly show with first-year Head Coach
Willie Simmons and other special guests.
Host Corey Brooks will sit down with Coach Simmons to discuss all facets of Panther football, with an emphasis on recapping the previous week's match-ups and previewing the upcoming game. For more information, click
here.
TICKETS
For more information on FIU Football tickets, including season tickets, single game and multi-game package tickets, 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. on Twitter and Instagram.
