Liberty will attempt to rebound from a frustrating loss at home this past week to Missouri State as the Flames head on the road for a CUSA contest on Saturday, November 15 at Florida International. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+ from Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

After three straight 4-8 seasons, the Panthers opted to move on from Mike MacIntyre and brought in Willie Simmons to lead the program at head coach. Prior to spending the 2024 season at Duke as running backs coach, Simmons was the head coach at the FCS level for Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M where he compiled a 66-24 record across 8 seasons including a 12-1 2023 season at FAMU.

Simmons and FIU are currently 4-5 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. Their wins are against Bethune Cookman, FAU, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee while dropping games to Penn State, Delaware, UConn, Kennesaw State, and Missouri State. This weekend’s game against Liberty will be big for both teams in trying to achieve bowl eligibility.

Keyone Jenkins is in his third season as starting quarterback for FIU. The preseason CUSA Offensive Player of the Year has completed 142 of 225 passes for 1,402 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions this season while also rushing 46 times for 81 yards and 4 scores. Jenkins did not play in this past week’s 56-30 win at Middle Tennessee. He was listed as questionable and did not play despite making the trip to Tennessee and also being in uniform. Simmons opted to play veteran backup quarterback Joe Pesansky and it paid off. In his first start at FIU, Pesansky racked up five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) to put his name into the FIU record book as the first ever Panther to account for five touchdowns in a single game. He was 17 of 28 passing for 257 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Pesansky is in his first year at FIU after transferring from Holy Cross where he played for four years, including making the start in all 12 games last season wh en he threw for 2,399 yards and 19 touchdowns. It will be interesting to see who Simmons opts to play at quarterback this week.

FIU is one of the top rushing offenses in the conference, currently ranks second in Conference USA with 178.7 yards on the ground each game, only trailing Jacksonville State. This has allowed the Panthers to lead the conference in time of possession and have the 4th best total offense, averaging 393.2 yards per game despite its passing offense being 8th in the league at 214.6 yards through the air each contest. This could change with Pesansky behind center as Jenkins is more of a dual-threat quarterback option while Pesansky is the more traditional pocket quarterback.

Kejon Owens has been the leader on offense for FIU most of the season. The running back has 955 rushing yards and 9 scores on the year. He’s one of only two running backs in CUSA that is averaging more than 100 yards on the ground each game, joining Jax State’s Cam Cook. Owens is currently third in school history for rushing yards in a season and is closing in on the all-time record of 1,159.

Alex Perry is the unquestioned leader of the receiver room. He has 34 catches for 479 yards and a CUSA leading 5 touchdowns. Kyle McNeal has 21 catches for 203 yards while Maguire Anders has 20 receptions for 229 yards.

On defense, FIU ranks 9th in the conference in allowing 29.9 points per game. They are 11th in total defense, giving up 409.2 yards of offense and 11th in pass defense, with teams throwing for 263.9 yards per game. The Panthers aren’t bad against the run, giving up 148.6 yards on the ground each game, good for 5th in the league.

Johnny Chaney leads the team with 79 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Josiah Taylor has 51 tackles, second on the team. Mister Clark has 47 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 interceptions, and 11 pass breakups.

Previous Meeting

  • Liberty defeated FIU, 31-24, in overtime on Oct. 8, 2024.
  • Series: Liberty leads, 3-0

Key Players to Watch

  • Keyone Jenkins (QB)
  • Joe Pesansky (QB)
  • Kejon Owens (RB)
  • Alex Perry (WR)
  • Jonny Chaney, Jr. (LB)
  • Mister Clark (DB)

FIU Recent/Upcoming Schedule & Results

  • October 21: Kennesaw State 45, FIU 26
  • October 29: Missouri State 28, FIU 21
  • November 8: FIU 56, Middle Tennessee 30
  • November 15: vs Liberty
  • November 22: vs Jacksonville State