G5 Football Daily

COLUMN: The 2025 Shula Bowl Holds High Importance For Both FIU and FAU

In a new era of football for both programs, defeating your rival is a must in year one

Kevin Barral

FIU facing Florida Atlantic in the 2024 Shula Bowl
FIU facing Florida Atlantic in the 2024 Shula Bowl / FIU Athletics
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The Shula Bowl rivalry between FIU and Florida Atlantic began in 2002. Since then, it's been a one-sided game, with the Owls winning 17 of the 22 matchups. The Panthers have not defeated their biggest rivals since 2016.

For two first-time FBS head coaches, the 2025 matchup in Miami will be crucial as they move forward in their respective programs.

After a third straight 4-8 season in 2024, FIU fired head coach Mike MacIntyre. FIU quickly brought in Duke running backs coach and former Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons to lead the Panthers back to what they hope will be prominence.

The last time FIU reached a bowl game was in 2019 when they fell to Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl. Since then, the Panthers haven't won five games in a single season. On top of that, it's fair to say that the yearly rivalry game between the Panthers and Owls has not been competitive.

With seven losses in a row for FIU, the closest game of the rivalry was the most recent one. The Panthers fell by a final score of 38-20 in Boca Raton in 2024. Each year since 2019, the Owls have won the Shula Bowl by two scores or more.

Simmons is no stranger to rivalry games after a tenure at an HBCU, where rivalry games are possibly more important than the conference championship games. The Rattlers' biggest rival during his time with the program were the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, who Simmons posted a 3-2 record against.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Simmons spoke about the rivalry between FIU and FAU.

"We know how big that game is here from a recruiting standpoint and for bragging rights. You really judge your program most of the time by how you perform against your rival. We want to bring the Shula Bowl trophy back to Miami, and keep it here for as long as possible."

Although plenty of players on the offensive side of the ball entered the transfer portal and did not return, Simmons' biggest win in the portal was retaining junior quarterback Keyone Jenkins.

In his only game against the Owls, Jenkins completed 21 passes for 281 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. His three interceptions mark the most in a single game in his career, prompting him to humbly put the blame for the loss on himself. Jenkins finished the season with 188 completions for 2,557 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

A win for FIU over the Owls at home this September would make the rivalry game feel like a rivalry once again, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Although Simmons has won the fanbase early on, defeating FAU would win him significantly more favor.

Meanwhile in Boca Raton, the Tom Herman era at Florida Atlantic only lasted 22 games. He was fired during the 2024 season. Replacing Herman was Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, who has prior experience in Conference USA as the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky.

In his final season as the Red Raiders' offensive coordinator, Texas Tech posted an 8-5 record and had the best total and scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 462.8 yards and 37.6 points per game.

Similar to FIU, it's been a while since the Owls last made a bowl game. In a COVID-shortened 2020 season, Florida Atlantic made the Montgomery Bowl with a 5-3 record, losing to Memphis, dropping them to 5-4. Since then, they've posted two five-win seasons, falling short of another bowl appearance. A 3-9 finish in 2024 marked their worst season since 2016.

The biggest player addition of the offseason is a name Kittley is all too familiar with: former Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkmap.

Veltkamp, who led Conference USA in passing yards and touchdowns last season, transferred to join his old offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic. He finished his final season at Western Kentucky with 3,108 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.

Although it's been a rough go for the Owls since the departure of Lane Kiffin, they have still dominated the Panthers in their yearly showdown. The last time FAU went down to Miami, they torched the Panthers by a final score of 52-7. Even in 2024, where they had a three-win season, with only two wins coming against FBS programs, FIU was one of them.

A win for Kittley in his inaugural year as the Owls head coach would put a stamp on this rivalry, and give the first-time head coach an early achievement to build on.

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Kevin Barral
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