WKU Football: Game Day Information at FIU
After the bizarre 2020 college football season, WKU found a way to scratch and claw to a bowl game appearance and a 5–7 overall final…
After the bizarre 2020 college football season, WKU found a way to scratch and claw to a bowl game appearance and a 5–7 overall final record. With a team that many thought could compete for a conference championship, the Tops finished in the middle of the pack.
However, with a momentous offseason with tons of huge “gets” and “coups”, the most significant of which were Houston Baptist transfer quarterback Bailey Zappe signing with the Tops and superstar defensive end DeAngelo Malone deciding to forego a realistic shot at the NFL and stay on campus for a fifth year, the Tops seem poised to be a legitimate threat to make a title run.
Fast forward through six games now. WKU is on the ropes and needs to get hot to end the season. WKU is 2–4 after a mix of inferior opponents, some near misses against quality teams, and only one game that was never really in reach against a ranked opponent. WKU’s most recent win at Old Dominion broke a four game losing streak. However, the reality remains that if WKU loses three more times this season, there will almost certainly be no bowl game.
WKU (2–4, 0–1 C-USA) takes on a more desperate FIU (1–5, 0–2 C-USA) team. Despite the records from both teams, both teams bring quality to the field today. WKU’s offense is ludicrous, scoring over 40 per game. But the defense is allowing almost as many points at over 35 per game. FIU has some nice numbers in terms of offensive yards, but for whatever reason, the Golden Panthers struggle to finish drives, only connecting on 14-of-22 trips to the red zone so far this season. FIU’s defense is a mirror image of WKU’s in many ways, giving up slightly more yards and points than WKU themselves.
So let’s set the stage for WKU at ODU, shall we?
Location
Riccardo Silva Stadium
Capacity: 23,500
A dual soccer (Miami FC) and football (FIU) stadium, Riccardo Silva Stadium sits just off of the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, situated in the southernmost tip of the FIU campus. If you like metal everything, Silva Stadium is a silver studded beauty. From a college football perspective, the stadium and facility quality is pretty underwhelming. Facilities are well on the lower end of college football, and the visiting coach’s box (the last time I checked) is a tent.
Time
Saturday, October 23, 2021 6 PM CST
Weather Forecast
Miami’s fall weather looks to be like Miami’s fall weather. Plenty warm, but by the afternoon, there should be some showers. Now thiss could be slight, or this could be a downpour all game. But the forecast calls for light rain that should clear up by the end of the game. If you’re one of the 17 people that will be in the stands, bring an umbrella and a light jacket.
TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: A.J. Ricketts Analyst: Cam Lynch
Radio
Randy Lee (Play by Play), Terry Obee (Analyst), Lexi Schweinert (Sideline)
Also, you can listen to the radio call anywhere in the world on the WKU Gameday App!
Gameday Information
WKU:
FIU
Around C-USA
Betting Lines from Sportsline.com
WKU -15
O/U 77
ESPN.com Match-up Predictor
WKU- 80.7% Chance to win
Current Records
WKU: 2-4 (1–1 C-USA)
FIU: 1–5 (0–2 C-USA)
Last Time Out…
WKU must feel sweet relief after finding an easy win against a reeling and experimenting Old Dominion Monarchs program. With a quarterback nearly incapable of prolific passing, ODU made a change and tried redshirt freshman Hunter Wolff, who produced over 300 yards passing. ODU was still incapable of cresting over 20 points on the game, but they did move the ball much better than under D.J. Mack, Sr. WKU gave up its least amount of points for the entire season, also ending its bizarre streak of spotting teams a lead and then outscoring them the rest of the game. In this game, WKU led 30–3 at halftime. Discouragingly, WKU still gave up over 400 yards to a reeling offense.
FIU won against Long Island University early in the year, 48–10. After that impressive performance, FIU has absolutely struggled, losing its next five to bring us to today’s matchup. FIU has come fairly close in some ball games, so don’t count them out. However, with a coach who has announced his retirement midseason and 75 yards of penalties per game, does FIU have the discipline to not shoot itself in the foot? If they can find some relative balance off of the field, on the field, they have some offensive weapons. FIU passes for 300 yards per game and averages over 18 yards per pass completion, which for perspective is 5.5 more yards than WKU’s average. They have some explosion, as well as a running back capable of over 100 if he gets going. FIU’s defense is statistically worse than WKU’s, so even though the over/under is 77, strongly consider the over. Both teams could easily end up in at least the 30s.
Coaches
Tyson Helton- 3rd Season- 16–15 (16–15 Overall)
Butch Davis- 5th Season- 24–26 (87–69 Overall)
Series
8–6 WKU (4–4 at FIU)
Last Meeting
WKU struggled early in the 2020 season, but the back half of the season showed much more promise. The FIU game happened to be played in the back half of the year and WKU won convincingly 38–21.
Relevant Reading
Conference USA Preseason Media Prediction
Injury Report
WKU
Questionable: RB Jakairi Moses played last week, but he’s still listed as out for the season. That’s obviously not the case, but how healthy was Moses when he played late last week? He seemed fine in terms of what he did with his opportunities. Impact: Significant
Questionable to Doubtful: TE Joshua Simon (foot) is still listed as questionable despite reports that he may not return this season. He has now missed every game since coming up gimpy near the end of the UT-Martin game. Does Joshua Simon even know Joshua Simon’s prognosis? Impact: Massive
FIU
Questionable-WR Shemar Thornton (illness); overall impact: Not significant
Excitement Level — 4
I imagine the players may be excited to be in Florida and see some warm weather. I’m sure the staff enjoys a nice trip to Florida. Usually the coaches’ wives make this trip and go enjoy the beach. But other than that, FIU is terrible, the stadium is terrible, and the matchup isn’t that exciting. Now, this is a little more interesting of a matchup, and WKU is now firmly in the race for the East, proving they are better than the bottom of the league.
So on one hand, it’s interesting to see if WKU can hang around in the race long enough to play FAU, Charlotte, and Marshall, who are coming fast. But other than that, this is a road game in a dead environment that WKU should win by multiple touchdowns.
Go Tops!
We’ll be providing live coverage and reaction. If you made it to Miami, please send us your best pictures from campus, tailgating, and in-game via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page and we’ll share.