WKU Football: Gameday Info for Game 12 Against FIU
After reaching bowl eligibility last week with a thrilling win over rival MTSU, WKU travels to Miami to take on Butch Davis’s FIU Panthers…
After reaching bowl eligibility last week with a thrilling win over rival MTSU, WKU travels to Miami to take on Butch Davis’s FIU Panthers on the day after Thanksgiving looking to clinch their seventh winning season in a row.
If you need to know any of the game information, look no further — we have you covered.
Location
Riccardo Silva Stadium. Miami, Florida
Time
6 p.m. CT
Weather Forecast
TV
TV — beIN Sports
Stream — beIN Sports Connect
App works with following TV Subscriptions*
*If you are a cord cutter or don’t have one of the following TV subscriptions you can use a free trial of Sling TV.
Radio
Gameday Information
Louisville Alumni Association Watch Party
Betting Lines from Sportsline.com
WKU -2 1/2
Over/ Under: 55
Moneyline : -135
Current Records
WKU: 6–5
Florida International: 6–4
Last Week
WKU hosted arch rival MTSU on senior night in the 100 Miles of Hate. WKU jumped out to a 7–0 lead and clinged to a 10–3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. MTSU tied it up and took the lead on a fumbled backward pass. WKU would rally and the teams would enter overtime tied at 24–24. After trading scores in the first two overtime periods, MTSU kicker Canon Rooker missed a 42-yard field goal to start off the third overtime. Ryan Nuss would then drill a 37-yard field goal field goal for WKU as they survived to win 41–38 in three overtimes to become bowl eligible for the seventh season in a row.
FIU traveled 55 miles north to take on their archrival FAU in the annual Shula Bowl. The Golden Panthers would dig themselves a 14–0 hole heading into the second quarter but rallied to cut it to 14–10 with 3:43 left before the half. The Owls however would tack on a touchdown with 27 seconds left and would end the game on a 38–14 run as FIU would lose 52–24.
Coaches
Mike Sanford — 1st season, 6–5 overall
Butch Davis — 1st Season at FIU, 6–4 , 11th season 85–47 overall
Series
Last Meeting
Last season, a month after head coach Ron Turner was fired, interim coach Ron Cooper brought the Golden Panthers to Bowling Green. FIU played WKU tough for a quarter only trailing 14–7 after the first 15 minutes. WKU then reeled off 35 straight points and jumped out to a 49–7 lead on the strength of four Ace Wales touchdown runs. WKU took the foot off the gas in the fourth quarter and FIU tacked on 14 more points as WKU won 49–21.
Relevant Reading
Injury Report from Don Best
For WKU:
DB — De’Andre Simmons — Out (Knee)
DB — Nathan Roush — Out (Knee)
DT- Jalen Manning — Out (Knee)
DT- Evan Sayner — Out (Leg)
DL- Carson Jordan — Out (Undisclosed)
LB- Demetrius Cain — Out (Lower Body)
RB- Quinton Baker — Out (Upper Body)
DB- Marcus Ward — Questionable (Lower Body)
DL- Jaylon George — Doubtful (DUI Arrest)
For FIU:
WR- Thomas Owens — Out (Knee)
RB- Anthony Jones — Out (Knee)
WR- Julian Williams- Out (Unknown)
Excitement Level — 7
Last week’s win thankfully stops this game from being a must win. Instead of facing a potential five game slide, WKU now has the opportunity to enter bowl season on a two game winning streak against a very volatile FIU team. A win clinches a seventh straight winning season while a loss might keep them home for bowl season. Getting to watch Mike White and the seniors at least one last time will be a treat, hopefully the Tops can put together another feel good win against a program they have thoroughly handled since their recent run of success started in 2011.
Go Tops! All of the Hilltopper faithful are hoping that WKU can clinch their seventh straight winning season tonight. We’ll be providing live coverage of this crucial match-up. If you’ve traveled all the way to Miami, please send us your tailgating and in-game pictures via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page and we’ll share.