HOW TO WATCH & PREVIEW: FIU Panthers vs. Sam Houston State

Will the Bearkats win their first FBS game or will FIU fall to 0-5 in Conference play?

Albert Palacios/Lemon City Live

Date: Wednesday, October 19

Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: 1140 WQBA - AJ Ricketts (play-by-play), Corey Brooks (analyst)

Location: Huntsville, Texas

Betting Line: -5.5 Sam Houston

FIU Panthers

The Panthers are coming off of one of their more disappointing losses of the season against a UTEP team that was 1-5 entering the game.

Quarterback Keyone Jenkins was sacked six times in that game. Center John Bock II, who has been one of the most consistent players in the offensive line was not pleased about the performance. 

Not only did the offensive line allow six sacks on Jenkins, backup Haden Carlson was also sacked twice.

"I wouldn't say it's a communication thing," said Bock II on Friday when talking to the media. "I would say we're working our sets more to set deeper and be more firm for the quarterbacks because I feel like also, when you get the quarterback hit a couple times, they're not gonna want to stay in the pocket. That's just human nature. We need to be firmer and we need to work our kick-to-post sets better. We need to have a better reaction time."

In addition to the Panthers' O-Line struggles, Jenkins  has held the ball for longer then he should have, and he knows it. This is something that has been an issue for FIU in each of their last two games. 

"That played a role in it," said Jenkins on Friday. "I can't put everything on my offensive line, but at times I do hold the ball a bit too long I can say."

Jenkins believes in trying to let the route develops, which can sometimes backfire. 

Safety CJ Christian, who suffered an injury in the first quarter of the game, did not return to action. It was revealed in the press conference on Friday that he suffered a concussion. He is day-to-day and his status for the upcoming game is uncertain.

Sam Houston State Bearkats

Although the Bearkats find themselves at 0-6 on the season, Mike MacIntyre believes that just like UTEP, the record doesn't speak for itself. 

"We gave up some big plays against UTEP early that got us in a hole. We can't do that against Sam Houston down there, but they're both physical football teams. They both have a lot of pride in their programs and a lot of those kids have tasted some really excellent success."

Quarterback Keegan Shomaker this season has thrown for 1,016 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. 

"Quarterback looks healthy and is making plays on offense now, so it's gonna be a really tough contest for us," said Mike MacIntyre on Shoemaker.

Looking back at the Bearkats' performance against Liberty, they lost 21-16, by far the closest game that Liberty has played in this season. Shoemaker threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns.

Shoemaker's number0one target has been wide receiver Noah Smith who has racked up 38 receptions for 308 yards and three touchdowns.

Keegan Shoemaker and Noah Smith link up again for another @BearkatsFB touchdown!

📺: @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/PDjVEcJCnP

— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) October 12, 2023

Overtaking UTEP's Tyrice Knight as the leading tackler in all of Conference USA is SHSU linebacker Trevor Williams, who has 71 total tackles this season, with 44 of those being solo tackles. The 5'9", 210-pounder will be the Bearkat  to watch out for on the defensive end.

"They're twitchy guys," said FIU center John Bock II when asked about the Bearkats defensively. "They like moving around in the gaps...They have talented linebackers too that like to fly on the ball."