FIU Football Preview 2025: Panthers Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players
FIU Panthers Key to the Season
Stop the run.This goes hand-in-hand with needing to get more plays in the backfield. The Panthers got hit for over 200 rushing yards six times and only won one of those games. Just keep teams to under five yards per carry on a regular basis, and that's a start. So …
FIU Panthers Key Player
Quaylen Hill, DT Sr.The Panthers lost some key tackles this spring, and they need an anchor to step up and take over on the nose. Enter Hill, who made 22 tackles with a tackle for loss. Now he has to be a leader.
FIU Panthers Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Anthony Carrie, RB Soph.The Panthers already have a strong group of backs, but Carrie might take things up a few notches. He's a speedy runner from Georgia Tech who averaged close to five yards per carry.Top Transfer Out: Eric Rivers, WR Sr.A terrific get from Memphis after a year off, he caught 94 passes in two years for FIU, averaging 19 yards per catch with 12 scores last season. Now he'll be a big play star for Georgia Tech.- 2025 FIU Preview, Offense, Defense Breakdowns
FIU Panthers Key Game
Jacksonville State, Nov. 22Call this a measuring stick game for the new regime. The Gamecocks are in rebuild mode this year, and they have to come to Miami for FIU's final home game of the year. Last season, the Panthers lost 34-31 on the road to the eventual CUSA champs.- 2025 FIU Schedule Breakdown
FIU Panthers Top 10 Players
1. Brian Blades II, CB Sr.2. Keyone Jenkins, QB Jr.3. Kejon Owens, RB Sr.4. Percy Courtney Jr., LB Jr.5. Johnny Chaney, Jr., LB Sr.6. Websley Etienne, S Jr.7. Aaron Armitage, EDGE Sr.8. Anthony Carrie, RB Soph.9. Alex Perry, WR Sr.10. Lamont Green, EDGE Soph.
FIU Panthers 2024 Fun Stats
- Points Allowed: 1st Quarter 40, 2nd Quarter 128- Passing TDs: FIU 24, Opponents 9- Field Goals: Opponents 16-of-22, FIU 8-of-10
FIU Panthers 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Here's the problem. There's no Louisiana Tech or New Mexico State on the slate. Those are winnable, and those were two of last year's four victories. Missing UTEP - a loss last year - doesn't help.
Here's the positive. The Panthers get FBS newbies Delaware and Missouri State, and home games against Kennesaw State and Middle Tennessee will help, too. Throw in Bethune-Cookman and there's a real chance to push past four wins for the first time since 2019.Set The FIU Win Total At … 5Likely Wins: Bethune-Cookman50/50 Games: Delaware, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee, at Missouri State, at Sam Houston, at WKULikely Losses: Liberty, at Penn State, at UConn- 2025 FIU Preview, Offense, Defense Breakdowns
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NBC Sports
34 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Oilers dealing with Stanley Cup Final goalie debate heading into Game 6
When the Edmonton Oilers face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard will lead them on to the ice as their starting goaltender. The defending champion Panthers have no such debate. Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has started 63 consecutive playoff games going back to early in the playoffs in 2023, and he is a big reason they are on the cusp of winning a second consecutive title. 'He puts so much time into his focus and his ability and then the experience that he has, so there's a calmness that comes with Sergei that's spread throughout the team,' coach Paul Maurice said Sunday. 'He's the incredible, elite player that gets totally underappreciated: taken for granted, I guess, by us because he's so consistent with his game.' Bobrovsky has stopped 165 of the 181 shots on net during the final, allowing 16 goals with a save percentage of .912. Skinner and Pickard have combined to stop 141 of 163, allowing 22 with respective save percentages of .860 and .878. Many of those goals scored by Florida and allowed by Edmonton had more to do with the skaters in front of whoever is in the crease, hence a rotating door at hockey's most important position in the final. Skinner started the first four, Pickard entered Game 4 and won in relief, then lost Game 5. Skinner will probably get the nod in Game 6, but coach Kris Knoblauch is not saying which way he's leaning. 'It's not an easy decision,' Knoblauch said. 'We've got two goalies that have shown that they can play extremely well, win hockey games and we feel that no matter who we choose, they can win the game.' That confidence is even stronger around the Panthers, given how steady Bobrovsky has been. Even though Game 5 turned into a rout, Maurice credited the goalie known as 'Bob' for a handful of important early saves to make it possible. It is something Bobrovsky has done all series, all playoffs and all season for a long time. 'He keeps us in the game so many times at key moments and is making huge saves,' top defenseman Gustav Forsling said. 'He always gives us a chance to win every night. He's been amazing for us.' Bobrovsky at 36 is adored by teammates. Aaron Ekblad, who has played with him for six seasons, called him simply the best. 'We love him,' Ekblad said. 'There's no doubt about it.' That admiration has been earned. Bobrovsky has developed a reputation for his tireless work on dry land and the practice habits on the ice that have translated into results: a lot of winning. It's no coincidence the Panthers have won 10 of 11 playoff series since Bobrovsky took over for Alex Lyon three games into the first round in 2023. 'He just sticks kind of to the same routine, and his preparation is unlike anything I've ever seen while being in this league,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. 'It almost becomes routine some of the incredible saves he makes.' There is nothing routine about how the Oilers' goaltending has developed over the course of the final. Skinner and Pickard have each been hung out to dry by turnovers, mistakes and missed coverages. They have also made some unexpected stops along the way to keep this series going. 'They've both been amazing,' veteran winger Corey Perry said. 'It doesn't matter who's in the net or who's back there. We have trust in both of them.' Maurice, who has coached more games in the NHL than anyone but nine-time Stanley Cup champion Scotty Bowman, has made it clear he knows nothing about goaltending and has no interest in learning about it. But he has defended all the goaltenders in this final between 'two really powerful offensive teams' with plenty of star power. Still, Bobrovsky has the ability to swing it in Florida's direction with another of the performances his team has come to expect from him. 'His ability to focus is trained — maybe it's a talent,' Maurice said. 'If one gets by him that he doesn't like, it has nothing to do with what's going to happen next.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Oilers seek more early goals to avoid Game 6 elimination in Stanley Cup final
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers' quest for a Stanley Cup would be less uphill if they could strike first in a game in the series, says their coach. The Florida Panthers have outscored the Oilers 7-0 in the first period in three straight games of the Cup final, and 11-4 in first periods overall in the series. Edmonton trails the best-of-seven championship series 3-2 heading into Tuesday's Game 6 in Sunrise, Fla., where the defending champion Panthers will complete a Cup repeat if the Oilers can't wrest the series home to Edmonton on Friday. Early deficits and chasing Florida need to be reined in for the Oilers to avoid elimination a second straight year at the hands of the Panthers, said Kris Knoblauch on Sunday. 'Capitalizing early would be something that would be very good for us,' was an understatement by the head coach. 'I know numerous starts of games we've had quality chances very early in the games. 'If we're able to capitalize on those, playing with the lead early in the game would alleviate the pressure. We just have to be ready to start. That's so important.' After Connor Brown's semi-breakaway 29 seconds into Saturday's 5-2 loss at Rogers Place, Edmonton didn't register another shot on net for the next eight minutes. Within seconds of the Oilers launching their first two salvos on Sergei Bobrovsky, the ice suddenly tilted in the Panthers' favour. Brad Marchand was quicker to the puck off a neutral-zone faceoff the Oilers won. He beat Mattias Ekholm inside to get to goalie Calvin Pickard, and Edmonton was chasing again. The Oilers may be the comeback kings of the 2025 playoffs with eight come-from-behind wins, but going to that well again in a Cup elimination game Tuesday against the defending champions is a low-odds scenario, and also didn't happen Saturday. 'It'd be nice to have that lead and play with that, just knowing that they have to open things up when they're trailing,' Knoblauch said. The combination of a short turnaround and the travel between Thursday's Game 4 in Sunrise and Saturday's Game 5 in Edmonton further impeded the Oilers' chances of another comeback victory. Both teams get a longer breather ahead of Tuesday's Game 6, but the Oilers arguably need more time to top up the tank. The Panthers up 2-0 after the first period and 3-0 early in the third Saturday were able to hold their top three producers — Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Marchand — to a combined 45 minutes of ice time compared to Edmonton's top trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and defenceman Evan Bouchard at a combined 76 minutes. McDavid scored his first goal of the Cup final to cut the deficit to two goals in the third period. He and Draisaitl are the NHL playoff co-leaders at 33 points apiece. The Oilers need McDavid's offensive wizardry Tuesday while the Panthers will try to take away the captain's time and space. 'There's been a lot of good scoring chances for him,' Knoblauch said. 'I've got no issues with his game. 'Our team relies heavily on him and Leon and how they're playing. It's tight checking for everyone and it's not going to be a mid-season game against a non-playoff team when there's sometimes (McDavid) has had 10 or 12 scoring chances. 'Those numbers are obviously reduced playing against a good team like Florida but I think Connor's been one of our best players every single night and that's what we expect.' Knoblauch didn't reveal Sunday whether Pickard or Stuart Skinner would be his Game 6 starter. Pickard stopped 14 of 18 shots after 22 of 23 in relief of Skinner in Edmonton's Game 4 overtime win. The coach stated his choice of goalie was 'not an easy decision', but acknowledged life would also be easier on either netminder if the Oilers weren't trying to get up off the mat early. 'It'd be nice to get some goal support and last night was a case where we were having difficulty generating offence,' Knoblauch said. The Panthers beat the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Florida led the series 3-0 before the Oilers won three straight to send it back to Sunrise. 'Certainly, the context changes when you get this close, but having a bit of an experience does matter,' Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. 'It does help in this. We were all pretty wired after Game 3 last year, and I think we can handle that a bit better now.' The Panthers can become the first franchise to clinch each of their first two championships on home ice since the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oilers dealing with Stanley Cup Final goalie debate. Panthers, 1 win from repeating, have Bobrovsky
When the Edmonton Oilers face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard will lead them on to the ice as their starting goaltender. The defending champion Panthers have no such debate. Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has started 63 consecutive playoff games going back to early in the playoffs in 2023, and he is a big reason they are on the cusp of winning a second consecutive title. 'He puts so much time into his focus and his ability and then the experience that he has, so there's a calmness that comes with Sergei that's spread throughout the team,' coach Paul Maurice said Sunday. 'He's the incredible, elite player that gets totally underappreciated: taken for granted, I guess, by us because he's so consistent with his game.' Bobrovsky has stopped 165 of the 181 shots on net during the final, allowing 16 goals with a save percentage of .912. Skinner and Pickard have combined to stop 141 of 163, allowing 22 with respective save percentages of .860 and .878. Many of those goals scored by Florida and allowed by Edmonton had more to do with the skaters in front of whoever is in the crease, hence a rotating door at hockey's most important position in the final. Skinner started the first four, Pickard entered Game 4 and won in relief, then lost Game 5. Skinner will probably get the nod in Game 6, but coach Kris Knoblauch is not saying which way he's leaning. 'It's not an easy decision,' Knoblauch said. 'We've got two goalies that have shown that they can play extremely well, win hockey games and we feel that no matter who we choose, they can win the game." That confidence is even stronger around the Panthers, given how steady Bobrovsky has been. Even though Game 5 turned into a rout, Maurice credited the goalie known as 'Bob' for a handful of important early saves to make it possible. It is something Bobrovsky has done all series, all playoffs and all season for a long time. 'He keeps us in the game so many times at key moments and is making huge saves," top defenseman Gustav Forsling said. "He always gives us a chance to win every night. He's been amazing for us.' Bobrovsky at 36 is adored by teammates. Aaron Ekblad, who has played with him for six seasons, called him simply the best. 'We love him,' Ekblad said. 'There's no doubt about it.' That admiration has been earned. Bobrovsky has developed a reputation for his tireless work on dry land and the practice habits on the ice that have translated into results: a lot of winning. It's no coincidence the Panthers have won 10 of 11 playoff series since Bobrovsky took over for Alex Lyon three games into the first round in 2023. 'He just sticks kind of to the same routine, and his preparation is unlike anything I've ever seen while being in this league,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. 'It almost becomes routine some of the incredible saves he makes.' There is nothing routine about how the Oilers' goaltending has developed over the course of the final. Skinner and Pickard have each been hung out to dry by turnovers, mistakes and missed coverages. They have also made some unexpected stops along the way to keep this series going. 'They've both been amazing," veteran winger Corey Perry said. "It doesn't matter who's in the net or who's back there. We have trust in both of them.' Maurice, who has coached more games in the NHL than anyone but nine-time Stanley Cup champion Scotty Bowman, has made it clear he knows nothing about goaltending and has no interest in learning about it. But he has defended all the goaltenders in this final between 'two really powerful offensive teams' with plenty of star power. Still, Bobrovsky has the ability to swing it in Florida's direction with another of the performances his team has come to expect from him. "His ability to focus is trained — maybe it's a talent," Maurice said. 'If one gets by him that he doesn't like, it has nothing to do with what's going to happen next.'
