Arkansas is the destination of football’s season-ending road game

On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the FIU football team plays its final road game against the Arkansas Razorbacks with the hopes of winning.

With a 4-6 record, the Panthers’ most recent game was on Saturday, Nov. 11, when they were defeated 40-6 by the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Throughout the entire game, they failed to find a reliable source of offense and failed to score a touchdown.

Vs. MTSU

After suffering an early setback, FIU gave up a sizable lead, was unable to rally, and ultimately lost to MTSU. The Blue Raiders led 31-6 at the half after giving up 17 unanswered points in the first quarter.

Just over five minutes into the game, the Blue Raiders took a 7-0 lead thanks to a 24-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Nick Vattiato to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elijah Metcalf.

Zeke Rankin, a junior kicker, increased the lead to 10-0 on their next drive with a 29-yard field goal.

Senior defensive tackle Jorden Starling sacked rookie quarterback Keyone Jenkins and forced a fumble, which resulted in a turnover on FIU’s subsequent drive. Richard Kinley II, a junior defensive end, recovered it and ran it back for a 23-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 16-0.

Junior kicker Chase Gabriel scored the team’s first points of the game, cutting the lead to 17-3, by completing a 52-yard drive with a 42-yard field goal.

But Vattiato’s second touchdown pass and senior wide receiver DJ England Chisolm’s 72-yard catch-and-run saw MTSU maintain its lead, making the score 31-3 shortly before halftime.

In an effort to close the gap, the Panthers scored another field goal to increase the lead to 31-6.

Their first drive ended in a safety after a botched fourth-down conversion, and they would be held scoreless in the second half. Jenkins gave up a 33-6 lead with 12:38 left in the third quarter after recovering a fumble in FIU’s end zone.

With ten minutes left, Vattiato scored the game’s final points and sealed the victory with a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jeremy Tate Jr.

The Panthers lost 40–6 despite having a similar amount of passing yards but failing to find the end zone. Even with 12 extra offensive plays, they ended up with 230 passing yards and zero touchdowns.

Ten players showed off their offensive prowess by catching at least one pass for MTSU, which enabled them to amass 427 offensive yards in the contest.

With 275 yards and four touchdowns from 18 of his 25 passes, Vattiato was a key contributor to the win. His first three touchdown passes, each to a different receiver, came in the first half of the game.

By contrast, Keyone Jenkins, a rookie quarterback, completed 22 of his 35 passes for 226 passing yards despite being targeted by four sacks during the game.

On defense, junior linebacker Reggie Peterson led the Panthers with 13 tackles, a game-high that also marked a career high.

FIU’s next game is their final road game of the season against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who they are hoping to bounce back from a lopsided loss.

Vs. Arkansas

Arkansas has a 3-7 overall record going into the game, including a 1-6 record in SEC play. They have lost five of their last six games, winning only once, 39-36 in overtime against the Florida Gators on November 4.

Even though they recently lost 48-10 to the Auburn Tigers at home, several of their losses came in close games.

They suffered a 24-21 defeat, falling short of the Alabama Crimson Tide, who were ranked No. 11 at the time, by just a field goal. They also lost to the Ole Miss Rebels, who were formerly ranked No. 16, 27-20, despite having a one-touchdown chance to tie the game.

They will play their sixth home game overall and their second in a row against the opposition. They are 2-3 at home, having defeated the Kent State Golden Eagles and the Western Carolina Catamounts.

Through their first ten games, the Razorbacks have averaged 26.1 points and 318.3 total yards on offense. With an average of 12.8 rushing yards and 196.5 passing yards per game, the offense has been balanced by the team.

They give up an average of 26.7 points and 357.5 yards per game to opponents when they are on the defensive end of the ball. They have scored four defensive touchdowns this season, which is the second most in the NCAA Division I, demonstrating their high-scoring defense.

The Panthers need to play well in the red zone on both the offensive and defensive ends if they want to win.They have to take advantage of scoring opportunities and make regular inroads into the red zone.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, the FIU football team will play their final away game against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.