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Halftime Report
Western Kentucky already has more points against FIU than they managed in total against Sam Houston last Saturday. Western Kentucky is fully in control with a 34-7 lead over FIU.
If Western Kentucky keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 6-5 in no time. On the other hand, FIU will have to make due with a 4-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Preview
FIU will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. They will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. FIU is limping into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
Last Saturday, FIU found themselves the reluctant recipients of a 45-20 punch to the gut against Arkansas.
Despite their defeat, FIU saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kris Mitchell, who picked up 157 receiving yards and a touchdown, was perhaps the best of all. Mitchell's longest reception was for an incredible 80 yards. Keyone Jenkins was another key contributor, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Western Kentucky didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Sam Houston on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 28-23 win.
Western Kentucky can attribute much of their success to Dalvin Smith, who picked up 125 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Malachi Corley, who picked up 171 receiving yards and a touchdown. Austin Reed also deserves a shout-out for his three touchdowns.
With FIU's defeat and Arkansas' victory, both teams now sport identical 4-7 records.
While only FIU took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking ahead, Western Kentucky is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by ten points. This contest will be FIU's fifth straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 2-2 against the spread).
FIU was dealt a punishing 73-0 loss at the hands of Western Kentucky in their previous meeting back in September of 2022. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Western Kentucky's Reed, who threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Now that FIU knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
