ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF and FIU will square off for the fifth time in six years Saturday night at FIU Stadium.
UCF enters the contest with a 1-2 record, coming off a heart-breaking 30-24, double-overtime loss to the Maryland Terrapins. FIU is 0-3 in 2016. The Panthers have losses to Indiana, Maryland and Massachusetts, most recently falling to the Minutemen 21-13 on the road.
FIU and UCF have a common opponent in Maryland. The Terrapins traveled to Florida to play both squads in back-to-back weeks. The Panthers fell to Maryland 41-14, while UCF took the Terrapins to extra sessions to determine a winner.
For comparison's sake, FIU put up 372 yards of total offense vs. Maryland while UCF racked up 455. The Panthers allowed 477 yards to the Terrapins, while UCF gave up just 373.
Saturday's contest is the first of two consecutive road games for the Knights. UCF will open American Athletic Conference play at ECU following the trip to Miami.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the fifth meeting between FIU and UCF on the gridiron. The series is currently tied 2-2.
The last meeting took place Sept. 3, 2015 -- the season-opener last season. FIU escaped Orlando with a 15-14 win after partially blocking a UCF game-winning field-goal attempt.
The last meeting in Miami came in 2013, when UCF recorded a 38-0 shutout behind Blake Bortles, Storm Johnson, Terrance Plummer and others from the Fiesta Bowl season. The Knights also won a 2012 matchup in Orlando by a 33-20 count. FIU won the inaugural meeting, 17-10, in 2011.
THE PANTHERS
FIU is 0-3 in 2016. The Panthers have losses to Indiana, Maryland and Massachusetts, most recently falling to the Minutemen 21-13 on the road.
This season is junior Alex McGough's second year under center, and he already sits top five in most passing categories. Complementing McGough on the offensive side is running back Alex Gardner, who has posted back-to-back 100 yard games against Maryland and UMass.
Defensively, FIU has struggled to slow down opposing offenses, allowing over 400 yards of offense to all three opponents. Linebackers Anthony Wint and Treyvon Williams anchor the defense with each averaging nearly 10 tackles a game this season.
LAST TIME OUT
UCF and Maryland went toe to toe for 60 minutes Saturday night at Bright House Networks Stadium. And that wasn't enough to determine a victor. After two overtimes, the Terrapins took advantage of one of four UCF turnovers to escape with a 30-24 win.
With the game tied 17-17 at the end of regulation, Maryland scored on the opening possession of overtime to go up 24-17. UCF's true freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton answered, finding Tre'Quan Smith for a 31-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-16. The Matthew Wright PAT tied it at 24-24.
The Knights had the ball first in the second overtime and reached the 2-yard line on third-and-goal. Milton's pass attempt slipped and was ruled to go backward, making it a live ball. Maryland's Kingsley Opara recovered it.
On the ensuing Maryland possession, Terrapin quarterback Perry Hills was knocked out of the game. On third-and-9, freshman backup signal-caller Tyrrell Pigrome took his first snap 24 yards for the game-winning score.
