FIU faces tough challenge with bowl eligibility at stake vs. Jacksonville State
FIU’s football team passed a test last week … but that was really more of a pop quiz.
On Saturday, the Panthers (3-6, 2-3) will be on the road, facing Conference USA co-leader Jacksonville State (6-3, 5-0).
FIU hit bottom this year on Oct. 22, losing 10-7 to visiting Sam Houston. That left the Panthers with a 2-6 overall record and no margin for error as they needed to win their remaining four games to become bowl eligible.
FIU won the next game – the aforementioned “pop quiz,” a 34-13 home win over New Mexico State on Oct. 29.
The Panthers were idle this past weekend, but they have been busy preparing for their stretch run.
“It seems like we’ve been off for two months,” FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said of his Panthers, who will actually go 17 days in between games.
“We had a good break with excellent practices, and we’re excited about playing Jacksonville State, They are scoring in bucket loads.”
Indeed, while FIU was off this past weekend, the Gamecocks beat host Louisiana Tech 44-37 in overtime.
The Gamecocks needed a “Hail Mary” 49-yard touchdown pass on the last play of regulation to force overtime. They could have won the game on the final play of regulation, but Garrison Rippa kicked wide left on the extra point.
With that as the set-up, here are five takeaways regarding FIU sports, including a look at the triumphant women’s soccer team.
1. RIVERS IS FLOWING
Panthers wide receiver Eric Rivers (876 yards on 43 receptions) has a shot to get to 1,000 this season, perhaps even on Saturday. He also leads Conference USA in reception yards and in touchdown catches (eight).
FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who is third in Conference USA passing yards (1,776) and second in passing TDs (14), said he is not looking exclusively for Rivers.
“He and I have a good relationship,” Jenkins said. “But as I tell the guys, I throw to the open receiver. Some of the times, it just happens to be (Rivers).”
2. CAN FIU STOP THE RUN?
Jacksonville State quarterback Tyler Huff, a 6-1, 215-pound senior, is from Orange Park, Florida. He played for Furman last season, earning honors as Southern Conference Player of the Year.
This season, he ranks third in Conference USA in rushing yards (826 yards), second in rushing average (6.3) and second in rushing TDs (nine).
“He runs like a tailback,” MacIntyre said.
Huff also ranks fourth in Conference USA in passing yards (1,701 yards) and sixth in passing TDs (10).
Jacksonville State also has running back Tre Stewart, who leads CUSA in rushing yards (1,083), rushing average (6.4), rushing touchdowns (17) and total TDs (18). He’s a 5-10, 190-pound senior from North Carolina.
“They have one of the top rushing games in the nation,” FIU cornerback Brian Blades II said of the Gamecocks. “We need to slow that down.”
3. COACHING BATTLE
The coaching matchup pits MacIntyre against well-traveled Rich Rodriguez, who is in his third year as the Gamecocks coach.
Rodriguez led West Virginia to six straight bowl games (2001-2007). However, three stops as a head coach prior to Jacksonville State all ended in: a controversial resignation at West Virginia (2007) and firings at Michigan (2011) and Arizona (2017).
4. STAKES ARE HIGH
The Panthers haven’t been to a bowl game since 2019 – which was the freshman season of sixth-year running back Lexington Joseph.
“We have all the motivation in the world,” Joseph said. “As everybody knows, we have to win out to get to a bowl game. We treat every game like a championship game, and our practices have been intense.
“Our coaches have been on us even harder.”
5. SOCCER TEAMS WIN CONFERENCE USA
The women’s soccer team (13-4-2) beat Liberty 1-0 on Sunday to win – for the first time in program history – the Conference USA postseason tournament.
With the title, FIU qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and they will open on Friday at sixth-ranked Auburn.
This will be just the third time in program history that the Panthers have reached the NCAA Tournament, and it’s the first time since 2011.
The only goal in the FIU-Liberty game was on a penalty kick by Deborah Bien-Aime in the 46th minute. FIU’s Noemi Paquin drew the foul.
Bien-Aime, a senior from Cardinal Gibbons High, scored the first goal of her career.