FIU turns its attention to Shula Bowl matchup with FAU after loss at Penn State

FIU football coach Willie Simmons said his Panthers players have a decision to make.

Do they play like they did in the first half on Saturday, when the Panthers trailed second-ranked Penn State just 10-0?

Or, will the Panthers play like the team that got outscored 24-0 after intermission?

Simmons will start to get some answers to those questions on Saturday night at 6:30 when the Panthers play host to their top rival, Florida Atlantic.

If the Panthers can play like they did early against Penn State they should have a shot to stop Florida Atlantic’s seven-game win streak in their Shula Bowl series against FIU.

Overall, though, Simmons seemed upbeat after the loss at Penn State.

“I think a foundation was laid that can propel us through the rest of the season,” Simmons said. “I told our guys that [the Penn State] game will show who we are, and I thought for the first half we showed that we are doing the right things and that we can play with any team in America.

“But in the second half, we had some negatives and allowed them to pull away. … [However], we didn’t flinch. We didn’t back down. I’m extremely proud of the effort and tenacity we played with.”

FIU (1-1) and FAU (1-1) have started this season in similar fashion. Aside from the loss to Penn State, FIU beat Bethune-Cookman, 42-9.

FAU lost 39-7 to Maryland before beating Florida A&M 56-14.

In the loss to Maryland, FAU never led, but the teams were tied 7-7 after one quarter. Maryland then scored 24 consecutive points in the second quarter.

FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp had a rough game against Maryland as he was intercepted four times.

However, this past Saturday in FAU’s home opener, Veltkamp tied his career high with five touchdown passes as the Owls led 39-0 at halftime and rolled from there.

For Saturday’s game, FIU will surely have two FAU players at the top of their scouting report, and both of them are transfers from Western Kentucky: Veltkamp and wide receiver Easton Messer.

Veltkamp, who is large for a quarterback at 6-6 and 235 pounds, was named the 2024 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, passing for 3,108 yards, 25 TDs and 10 interceptions in 13 games. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes as Western Kentucky finished 8-6, losing in the Conference USA title game and in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Messer, listed at 5-9 and 190 pounds, had 15 catches for 87 yards against Maryland. His 15 receptions tied an FAU single-game record and led the nation after Week I.

Messer had 55 catches for 793 yards and four touchdowns last year. In 32 career games, he has 117 catches for 1,470 yards, a 12.6 average and nine TDs.

Zach Kittley, FAU’s new coach, was formerly the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, which explains why Veltkamp and Messer joined him in Boca Raton.

One interesting note about Messer, who is a native of Louisville: He is fluent in English and Spanish. He learned the latter while living in Costa Rica and Panama as his father worked as a global operations manager.

THIS AND THAT

▪ FAU leads its series with FIU, 17-5.

▪ FIU’s starting cornerbacks Brian Blades II, Victor Evans III and Mister Clark will play a key role in checking Messer on Saturday. The same goes for starting safeties Jessiah McGrew, a true freshman, and Shamir Sterlin.

▪ Linebacker Johnny Chaney Jr. led FIU against Penn State with nine tackles, and he had one of two Panthers sacks. Defensive tackle Quaylen Hill had the other sack.

▪ Simmons praised FIU’s offensive line, which allowed just one sack against Penn State.

▪ Linebacker Josiah Taylor stepped in for injured starter Percy Courtney Jr. and had eight tackles.

“Josiah may be the best ‘backer eventually that we have,” Simmons said. “He has great speed, great size (6-foot, 220 pounds) and great instincts. He makes a ton of plays. Hopefully we will get Percy back next week, but we feel good about the depth we have at linebacker.”