The Florida International Golden Panthers host the Texas-El Paso Miners at FIU Stadium this week. This rough season has shown no signs of improvement for FIU (2-3). In recent weeks, it has lost three of its last four. The game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 10 and will air on AMSN.
FIU fell to Massachusetts 24-14 last week. Thomas Owens had a good game in the loss, totaling three receptions for 20 yards and one TD. UTEP also fell short, getting beat by Texas-San Antonio 25-6. LaQuintus Dowell had a solid outing on the ground for the Miners, rushing for 12 yards on four carries.
The Golden Panthers, a 13-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when UTEP visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
While the Golden Panthers haven’t performed well Straight Up (SU) this season (2-3), they’ve managed to play better than expectations with a 3-2 record Against The Spread (ATS) so far this year. The Golden Panthers utilize their passing attack frequently. They pass 39.8 times per game, which is the 15th-most in the nation. As for the FIU defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. FIU’s defense will look to improve its stats against the run when the Miners come to town. UTEP’s 138.8 rushing yards per game makes them 105th in the nation.
On the other side, the Miners have 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS records this season. The Miners generally save their best for last, averaging 10.6 points in the fourth quarter. UTEP tends to control the time of possession during games, averaging a time of 36:45 for third in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Florida International, ATS Winner – Florida International
Notes
Florida International is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games.
Florida International is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games at home.
Texas El Paso is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road.
FIU is 1-1 SU when leading at the half this season.
Nationally, the FIU passing attack is ranked 60th, while the UTEP pass defense is only ranked 121st. The Miners passing game is ranked 72nd, compared to the 89th-ranked pass defense of the Golden Panthers.
