MIAMI (Dec. 19, 2019) – FIU seeks its second-straight bowl victory as the Panthers take on former Sun Belt foe Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 21 in Montgomery, Alabama.
Kickoff between the Panthers and Red Wolves is set for 4:30 p.m. CT/5:30 pm. ET. The game will be aired on ESPN and 790 AM The Ticket. For complete game notes, click here.
CAMELLIA BOWL
FIU will square off against Arkansas State on Dec. 21 as the Panthers play in their third-straight bowl game. This will mark FIU’s first time playing in the Camellia Bowl, as it is naturally a MAC vs. Sun Belt matchup. The bowl game has been played in Montgomery since 2014, with the last five games being decided by a total of 17 points.
FIU vs. ARKANSAS STATE
FIU and Arkansas State have met eight times on the gridiron, with all eight matchups coming while the Panthers were members of the Sun Belt Conference. FIU’s only two wins have come at home.
SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES
The Red Wolves are 7-5 on the year and are winners of four of their last five games. The bowl bid for Arkansas State marks its ninth-straight as a program, with six of those coming under head coach Blake Anderson.
Layne Hatcher has spearheaded the Red Wolves on offense, passing for 2,553 yards and 23 touchdowns. Omar Bayless has been Hatcher’s favorite target, earning 1,473 yards on 84 catches and 16 touchdowns. Marcel Murray has earned the majority of the carries on the ground, rushing for 782 yards and six scores on 153 attempts.
On defense, ASU’s Darreon Jackson has a team-high 107 tackles, with seven of those going for a loss. William Bradley-King has earned 8.5 sacks this season to lead the DL, while earning 13.5 tackles for loss.
THREE-STRAIGHT
FIU is going bowling for a school-record third straight season as the Panthers accepted a bid to the Camellia Bowl against Arkansas State. All three bowls have been under head coach Butch Davis, with his arrival in 2017 marking a string of three-straight bowls for the Panthers.
DAVIS IN BOWL GAMES
Head Coach Butch Davis has now led his teams to 10 bowl games over his storied career. The legendary head coach has earned a 6-3 record all-time in bowl games, and has now led three different teams to three-straight bowl games in his career. Davis and Alabama’s Nick Saban are the only two active FBS coaches to take three different schools to three-straight bowl games.
NO FLY ZONE
FIU’s pass defense has been outstanding this season, ranking as the sixth best in the nation and topping the conference. The Panthers have allowed on average just 178.5 yards per game this season and have held opponents under 100 yards passing three times.
TOP C-USA IN SACKS ALLOWED
The FIU offensive line has done a great job keeping James Morgan clean this season, as the big boys up front have only allowed 14 sacks this year. The 14 sacks allowed are tied for the eighth-lowest in the nation and is the best in the conference. The 14 sacks allowed ranks as the third lowest in FIU history, with the school-record of eight allowed coming last season. Two of the three lowest sack totals have come under assistant head coach Allen Mogridge.
MORGAN NEARS CAREER MARK
James Morgan is only three touchdown passes shy of tying the career touchdown mark (42) at FIU set by Josh Padrick from 2003-06. Morgan has 50 touchdowns for his career, with 16 coming at Bowling Green.
LEWIS CLIMBS UP THE ALL-TIME LIST
Sage Lewis will end his career as one of the best tacklers in FIU history, as the Panther has collected 293 tackles to rank seventh all-time at FIU. Lewis already holds FIU’s single-season record after earning 132 last season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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