FIU vs UTEP Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines
By Pete Fiutak,
6 hours ago
FIU hasn’t been awful, but it doesn’t have the record to prove it.
It pushed Liberty in a 31-24 loss, beat Louisiana Tech, and use next is a dangerous game against Sam Houston.
The finishing kick of the season isn’t too bad - the Panthers will likely be favored in three of the last four games - but it needs this win.
UTEP is looking to get its year off the ground. It might be 0-6, but it hasn’t been totally awful - even though every game against FBS teams have been decided by double-digits. This is the first of a run of three home games in four dates.
UTEP’s Jevon Jackson (4) runs the ball at the football game against Southern Utah on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
No, UTEP hasn’t been miserable despite the record, but the defense hasn’t been able to hold up against anyone.
The pass defense is bad, but the run D is the team’s biggest problem allowing 234 yards per game on the ground.
FIU doesn’t have any sort of a big-time ground game, but it ripped off 185 yards and over five yards per carry in the win over Central Michigan, ran for three scores last week against Liberty, and … Midseason Predictions for Every Team & Game ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC | IND & Pac-12 AAC | CUSA | MAC | MWest | Sun Belt
Why UTEP Will Win
The FIU offense has yet to go off against an FBS team.
It came up with close to 500 yards against Monmouth from the FCS, but has yet to get to 370 yards of total offense against anyone else. The’s not to say the UTEP defense will get a break, but it probably won’t get ripped up.
The Miners have plenty of problems as they look to get their O going, but a few are fixable. It starts with scoring when they have a chance.
They come into this dead last in the nation in red zone scoring, coming up with points on just six of the 11 drives inside the 20. Even worse, three of the four touchdowns in the red zone came against Southern Utah from the FCS.
FIU vs UTEP: Who Will Win
UTEP’s offense will move against the porous FIU defensive front. The Panthers don’t control the clock, and they have a hard time getting off the field, but the offense will do just a bit more overall.
The UTEP lines are having an impossible time with their consistency. Turnovers will be a problem for both sides, but UTEP will give up one more late to let FIU slip on past.
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