Paws Up Preview – FIU Football vs Sam Houston State

HUNTSVILLE, TX – At one point in this season, we all felt excited about the possibility of a winning record in 2023 for the FIU Panthers as the Cats had a 3-1 record heading back to Miami for Homecoming.

Now, the Panthers have lost three straight games including their premiere Vice Night matchup against the UTEP Miners by a solid margin. FIU is now a team searching for answers with limited time to go before it’s all over.

The only shining light for the Panthers at this point is their matchup against the winless Sam Houston State Bearkats on Wednesday at 7pm. But considering what we saw against the 1-5 Miners, nothing seems like a guarantee anymore.

What We Learned Against UTEP

This team has some massive problems.

Ok, there’s more to it than that. But this was the first game of the season against an FBS opponent that the Panthers were favored to win, and they proceeded to give up 21 straight points early and spend the rest of the game crawling back in it.

That was way too tall a task for Keyone Jenkins and this FIU offense, which was sluggish to begin the game and sluggish to close it out. Jenkins was sacked six times with a surprisingly healthy offensive line, featuring the return of right guard Jacob Peace and center John Bock II.

“We need to be firmer and we need to work our kick-to-post sets better,” said Bock II in the Friday afternoon press conference. “We need to have a better reaction time.”

FIU’s defense, which has shown flashes early on in games, was dead silent on UTEP’s first three drives of the game. Their secondary was cooked for 80 and 50-yard bombs which either scored or set up their run game for an easy score.

I’ve usually blamed the faltering defense on fatigue as the game progresses. But that wasn’t the case here. They let a fourth-string quarterback torch them early on, putting FIU at a massive disadvantage.

But at the end of the day, the Panthers offense can continue the sudden tradition of struggling in the second half. After their final score of the day, we laid witness to a pair of punts, an interception, and three fourth-down stops.

We just got to keep coaching it better, and keep working at things, and keep finding a way to try to score more points,” said head coach Mike MacIntyre postgame. “I think in today’s football if you don’t score into the thirties, you’re gonna have a hard time winning.”

So, the offense is having a hard protecting Jenkins, who has been shelled these past two games against NM State and UTEP. As a result, he has no time for those connections with Kris Mitchell and Dean Patterson.

On defense…it’s a mess. The secondary looked like a shell of its former self, letting both the Aggies and Miners find their receivers for massive gains. The usually stout defensive line was also susceptible to the big breakaway play.

A lot of problems on both sides of the ball that’s been frustrating to watch. With that said, it’s not too late to turn it around, and this matchup against the Bearkats might be just what the doctor ordered.

On To The Sam Houston State Bearkats

Hailing from Huntsville, Texas (70 miles north of Houston) are the Sam Houston State Bearkats. They’re one of the four new teams joining Conference USA, and just like the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, they’ve moved from FCS to FBS.

2023 has not been kind to them, as they stand with a 0-6 record. Their losses have come at the hands of BYU, Air Force, Houston, Jacksonville State, Liberty, and NM State.

That’s not to say they haven’t been competitive. Their best chance at a win came against Liberty, a 21-16 final score on the road.

Not bad for a team still looking for their first win, and has only played a single game at home before this FIU matchup.

Sam Houston is a very odd team. Their offense is statistically the worst in the conference, and their defense also has its struggles but is otherwise one of the highest-rated in the conference.

Their quarterback, Keegan Shoemaker, has thrown for 1,016 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s had some stinkers, but he had a solid outing against the Flames with 225 yards and a pair of scores.

Still, the Bearkats have only scored nine total touchdowns this season, which is the least in C-USA. Say what you will about FIU’s offense, but they have double what SHSU has managed with 18.

It doesn’t end there. The Panthers have double the converted field goals (4 to 2) and double the total points scored. (138 to 67) For reference, Liberty has scored 27 touchdowns, eight field goals, and 212 total points.

The Bearkats’ best rusher is John Gentry, with 49 carries for 141 yards, and no touchdowns. Noah Smith is their leading receiver with 38 catches for 308 yards and three touchdowns.

But once again, FIU’s leading rusher (Shomari Lawrence) and receiver (Kris Mitchell) have roughly doubled their total yards. (388 & 636)

Some other noteworthy stats are that they’re 12 for 46 on third down (Worst in C-USA) and 4-9 on fourth down (2nd worst in C-USA behind FIU)

Their defense has been suspect at times. Their red zone defense, for example, is rated as the worst in C-USA, and they’ve only had one interception this season.

Still, they’ve limited teams to under 30 points in four games this season, and have the leading tackler in all of C-USA, being linebacker Trevor Williams who has 71 total.

Jake’s Prediction

There’s no doubt about it, this is a must-win game for the Panthers. Their bowl game chances are already very low, but if they lose this, it’s near-impossible as they still have to play JSU, Arkansas, MTSU, and WKU.

Offensively, FIU certainly has the advantage numbers-wise. But they’ll have their hands full against a very solid defense. But I also feel the same way on the other side of the ball.

The Panthers’ defense needs to rebound, and against the worst offense they’ll face all year, this should be their golden opportunity.

I think it’s gonna be slow and low-scoring, but I feel whoever gets the lead first will hold on to it for the rest of the game.

Sam Houston State is in a state of limbo, and couldn’t even make it to a bowl game if they turn it around. Meanwhile, FIU knows what they’re fighting for, and needs to take advantage while they still can.

FIU – 21

SHSU – 7