Liberty (3-0, 1-0 CUSA) and Florida International (3-1, 0-1 CUSA) will meet Saturday in South Florida with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
“One, just their overall team speed,” Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell said of FIU. “They can run in all three phases. They will be the most athletic team we have seen to this point. Secondly, they are playing with unbelievable confidence everywhere. You can tell they are playing for each other. With the athleticism they have and the confidence they are playing with, they are challenging. They’re not going to beat themselves. They are going to be where they are supposed to be. They are well coached in all three phases. Our biggest challenge to date.”
This will be the second ever meeting between the two programs but first as conference mates after Liberty joined Conference USA this summer. The Flames defeated the Panthers, 36-34, in the only previous matchup, coming during the 2020 season in Lynchburg.
FIU’s head coach, Mike MacIntyre, is the son of George MacIntyre who was an assistant coach at Liberty from 1995-1998. It was the final coaching position the elder MacIntyre held before he retired after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Mike MacIntyre has previously been the head coach at San Jose State and Colorado. FIU was just 1-16 in the two seasons prior to MacIntyre taking over and were able to win four games in 2022, his first year leading the program.
“He’s an excellent coach and a great person,” Chadwell said of MacIntyre. “I think what he’s done is he’s established the culture that he wants to have with those guys playing for each other and you can see that. He’s letting them be themselves and play with confidence and personalities they have down there. I think what he’s done more than anything is he’s got the right people. In his two years there, the change they’ve made from last year to this year, just in the video and things, it’s the way they’re playing, the confidence. He’s got them believing. If you can believe, good things are going to happen.”
After opening the season with a loss at Louisiana Tech, a game that also served as the team’s conference opener, FIU has reeled off three straight wins. The Panthers defeated Maine, 14-12, before wins over North Texas (46-39) and UConn (24-17) leave them just one win shy of last year’s win total before the calendar reaches October.
True freshman Keyone Jenkins has taken over as the team’s starting quarterback, winning each of the past three games while he’s been the starter. The dual threat signal caller helped lead Miami Central High School to a fourth consecutive state championship a year ago with a perfect 14-0 record.
Jenkins has completed 50 of 89 passes at quarterback for FIU this season. His passes have gone for 867 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Jenkins can also be a factor in the run game, as he has rushed 29 times for 64 yards and a score.
“I don’t know if he’s lost a game,” Chadwell said of Jenkins. “From middle school, high school, all that, he comes from a winning program down there in Miami. They are undefeated since he’s taken over the job here. He’s got confidence in what they do. He’s going to attack our secondary. He can make things happen with his feet, as well. He’s just playing with the utmost confidence in himself and belief in himself. When that happens, then you have to be, from a defensive standpoint, you have to be ready for anything. Rather something is covered or not, he believes he can get the ball in there. Which hopefully gives us opportunities, but you also have to be prepared for that. He’s really given them really a jolt of energy and you can see that by how they’re playing.”
Kris Mitchell has been Jenkins favorite target so far this season. The 6’1″, redshirt-junior has team highs in all receiving categories with 19 catches for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jalen Bracey and Dean Patterson are the two other primary targets in the passing game for the Panthers this year. Those two have combined for 19 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown.
Shomari Lawrence is averaging 72.8 yards rushing and 6.2 yards per carry so far this season. He has rushed for 291 yards and 2 scores on 47 rushing attempts.
“It will be a tough place for us to play,” said Chadwell. “Anytime you go on the road and play it’s tough but especially in conference. I think we are homecoming down there, as well. We know we’ve got to go play our best to be able to come out with a win.”
PREDICTION
Liberty 33, FIU 24
Line: Liberty -10.5
Picks results this year:
Straight-up: 3-0
ATS: 3-0
