Paws Up Preview – FIU Football vs New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, NM – After a brutal loss at home to the Liberty Flames, and a week off to recover, the 3-2 FIU Panthers still have high hopes and a solid chance at a bowl game.

They’re getting set for uncharted waters as they take part in their first-ever Wednesday night football game, on the road against the 2-3 New Mexico State Aggies. Kickoff is at 9pm and the game can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

Consider this a preview for the rest of the month, as this will be the first of FOUR primetime games on Wednesdays in October that will be nationally televised.

What We Learned From Liberty

To be genuine, we didn’t learn a whole lot about FIU’s loss to Liberty except that the Flames are without a doubt the best team in the conference.

Their quarterback, Kaidon Salter, faced troubles from FIU’s defense early on with an interception and a forced fumble, which may have been the highlight of the game for the Panthers.

But as mentioned in our recap, FIU’s offense could not find success in the air or on the ground, scoring a single touchdown early on and not producing anything else.

As a result, Liberty’s high-powered offense found themselves around midfield to begin their drives against a fatigued defense. You can figure out the rest.

“At the half, the score was 14-6,” said head coach Mike MacIntyre. “Second down and nine, we missed fit a run and they end up scoring, and then we turned the ball over twice, real quick. It kind of just got away from us right there.”

It did appear that FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins had suffered an ankle injury, but head coach Mike MacIntyre confirmed that he’ll be okay.

MacIntyre also reported that center John Bock II, who was suffering a nagging injury that kept him out of the Liberty game, should be good to go against New Mexico State.

He didn’t give an update on injured offense lineman Jacob Peace, however.

On To The New Mexico State Aggies

For the second season in a row, the Panthers will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico to take on the Aggies. They were an independent team similar to UConn last season, but are one of the four newcomers to C-USA in 2023.

NM State had a roller-coaster of a season in 2022, losing their first four games before winning six of their last eight to clinch a bowl game appearance with a 6-6 record. They took on (and beat) Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl.

A team that they didn’t beat last year, however, was FIU. The Panthers, led by Grayson James who threw for three touchdowns, knocked off the Aggies by a score of 21-7.

Aside from last year’s game, both teams met back in 2004 with NM State getting the win. Those two games, along with the one on Wednesday, will all have been in New Mexico. The Aggies have not traveled to Miami yet.

The beginning of this season has been back-and-forth with wins and losses, as the Aggies have lost to UMass, Liberty, and most recently, Hawaii. Their two wins have come against Western Illinois and their in-state rivals, New Mexico.

From one dual-threat quarterback to another, Diego Pavia is New Mexico State’s leading passer AND rusher, with 1-071 yards in the air (Which is the most in C-USA right now, Jenkins has 1,000) and 268 on the ground. He’s also thrown for 10 touchdowns but has four interceptions and eight sacks.

There was a VERY strange off-the-field incident that Pavia was caught doing after NM State’s win over New Mexico, but it would appear that he’s been cleared and will play on Wednesday.

The Aggies rushing attack is lethal, with the second-most yards on the ground in C-USA. Headlining the group is Star Thomas – a fitting name for a rusher with 233 yards and three touchdowns off of 43 carries.

One thing is clear – the Aggies’ offense is based around their running game, with the pass coming second. WR1 appears to be Jonathan Brady, with 252 yards and three touchdowns on the season so far.

But overall, New Mexico State has thrown the ball 66 times and ran the ball 166 times.

Here’s where things start to unravel for New Mexico State. Their defense has been relatively average, and have not recorded a single interception this season. Still, look out for linebacker Keyshaun Elliot, who leads the Aggies with 32 total tackles, to have another solid game.

Jake’s Prediction

Has anyone else never seen a Wednesday night football game before?

I think it’s going to be an even matchup for the most part, with both offenses able to light up the scoreboard. For FIU, we need to see their offense adjust and adapt in the second half of football. They can’t let up like they have against Liberty, UConn, Maine, and LA Tech anymore.

I think defensively, the advantage goes towards FIU, who have done well with turnovers so far this season, thanks in part to linebacker Donovan Manuel who has managed four forced fumbles and 54 total tackles.

If the Panthers’ defense continues to do their thing, and the offense looks similar to what we saw against North Texas, then I feel confident FIU can walk away with a win.

FIU – 30

NM State – 21