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This Saturday, the FIU Panthers are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 37.4 points per game. FIU and the UTEP Miners will face off in a Conference USA battle at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sun Bowl. The Panthers will be hoping to build upon the 32-17 win they picked up against UTEP when they previously played in October of 2019.
The night started off rough for FIU last week, and it ended that way, too. They took a serious blow against the Florida Atlantic Owls, falling 52-7. FIU was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 31-7. QB Grayson James had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: despite one touchdown, he threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball once with a passing completion percentage of only 34.62%.
Meanwhile, UTEP came up short against the Rice Owls two weeks ago, falling 37-30. A silver lining for the Miners was the play of QB Calvin Brownholtz, who accumulated 56 passing yards in addition to rushing for one TD and 64 yards.
Special teams collected 12 points for UTEP. K Gavin Baechle delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
The Panthers have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 14-point spread they are up against. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with FIU, who are 4-3 against the spread.
Both of these teams will be looking to put their recent losses behind them and walk away with a victory. Giving up four turnovers, FIU had had trouble holding onto the ball. We'll see if UTEP can exploit that vulnerability.
