Absence of DE Michael Wakefield hurt FIU in first half against Marshall

In Saturday’s 52-0 rout at the hands of Marshall, the FIU defense looked better in the second half than the first. Part of that was Marshall giving the backups significant playing time.

On FIU’s side, the Panthers got All-Conference USA senior defensive end Michael Wakefield back after his first-half suspension for a hit against Charlotte.

“Having Wakefield out was big. I’m not saying it was worth 52 points,” FIU coach Ron Turner said. “He’s a leader of the defense, and not having him on the field made a difference.

“They just blocked us, and we didn’t tackle very well coming out of the secondary.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 8:32 PM with the headline "Absence of DE Michael Wakefield hurt FIU in first half against Marshall."