Matchup: FAU (1-1) vs FIU (1-1)
When: Saturday, September 13, 6:00 PM
Where: Pitbull Stadium
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FoxSports 640
Line: FAU +2.5
All-time Meetings: Florida Atlantic leads 17-4 and holds a seven game winning streak.
The Owls and Panthers will notch another chapter in the history of the Shula Bowl this weekend as Florida Atlantic looks to leave week three with a winning record for the first time since 2022. On the other hand, Florida International wants to end their seven game losing streak to the Owls, and bounce back from a shutout in Happy Valley.
The contest should give a clearer picture to where the Owls match up to similar competition as FAU has played a spectrum of opponents in Big Ten’s Maryland, the SWAC’s Florida A&M, and now CUSA’s FIU.
FAU
Offense
Florida Atlantic enters the weekend coming off an offensive explosion that highlighted the Owls passing game.
FAU’s Caden Veltkamp has a completion percentage of 64.8 in Florida Atlantic’s first two contests with over 530 yards passing. The passing yards are 24th most by a quarterback in the country, and fourth most by an American QB.
Being near the top in passing yards in the country is no surprise in a Kittley offense, but Veltkamp’s five passing touchdowns in only his second start as an Owl is a promising sign for future contests, including this Saturday.
Out of the seven total touchdowns scored by the offense, FAU has six through the air. In Florida Atlantic’s performance against FAMU it was not only the passing game working well for the Owls, but a nice running game to complement it. FAU had 193 yards on the ground with an average of 5.3 YPC. If Florida Atlantic’s run game can get going against the Panthers then the offense should have no problem passing the ball down the field.
However, that all starts with the O-line. The front five have allowed four sacks on the year while FIU has earned four sacks in their first two games. Two of those sacks came against #2 Penn State.
A promising sign for the FAU offense is the fact that FIU has allowed over 100 yards rushing in both of their contests this year. But slowing down the LB duo of Johnny Chaney Jr. and Josiah Taylor will be tough. The two have been great run stoppers this season with Chaney Jr. being a top ten linebacker this season according to PFF.
Overall on offense, it will come down to the rushing game in this one. The Panthers will look to lock down the passing game, but if FAU can average four yards per carry and find themselves in second & short situations it will force Florida International to stretch themselves.
Ones to Watch
WR Asaad Waseem
The leading touchdown scorer for Florida Atlantic, the redshirt-sophomore has been a threat regardless of the down or distance to the endzone. With eight receptions and 62.5 receiving yards per game, Waseem has become a top target and has paired nicely with Easton Messer. The former Colorado Buffalo is also the only Owl to find the endzone in both games this season.
Expect Waseem to be a highly covered receiver this weekend, but if Veltkamp can find him do not be surprised if he finds his fourth score on the year.
RB Gemari Sands
Sands is the leading rusher on the team for FAU, but is tied with Waseem for second most receptions on the team. We saw how well Sands looks in the rushing and passing game last season, but the redshirt sophomore has stood out as a big play waiting to happen.
Producing over 170 yards for the offense, Sands being on the offense will force Florida International to make 50/50 decisions on if they will stop the pass or the Owls rushing attack.
Defense
Winning in the Trenches
The front seven will be important if the Owls are to win on Saturday. Florida International has heavily relied on the running game this season and their Kejon Owens has been a major reason why.
Owens has rushed for over 70 yards in each of the Panthers’ games and has averaged over 5.7 yards per carry. The squad overall has rushed for 364 yards, an average of 182 YPG.
The FAU run defense looks to be up to the task though as they are only allowing on average three yards per carry. Florida Atlantic also has not allowed a touchdown on the ground this season.
Keep the Passing Game Dormant
Florida International has struggled in the passing game this season. Averaging only 191 yards through the air, the Keyone Jenkins’ arm looks to not play a major role in this contest.
For the Owls, that mindset is not one to follow. The expectation will be for quick outs and dump off passes as the Panther’s leading receiver is Anthony Carrie, a running back.
If FAU’s secondary performs like last week, it will make things difficult on the Panthers starting QB, Jenkins. The junior will look to have another 3 touchdown performance against Florida Atlantic. But keep in mind, the Owls secondary had his number as they earned three interceptions during last year’s Shula Bowl.
Overall for the Florida Atlantic defense, the game’s outcome will likely hinge on the run game. Whichever team establishes and sustains dominance on the ground, will most likely walk away with the win. It will be important for the pass rush to get to the quarterback, but also force errant throws.
Ones to Watch
DE Deshaun Batiste
With a sack and forced fumble last week, Batiste looks to carry over that momentum heading into Saturday. It will be his first time playing in the Shula Bowl, but his impact on the pass rush will be major for an Owls win.
LB Leon Hart
The leading tackler for Florida Atlantic, Hart has stood out as a great run stopper. With two TFLs, Hart will be another presence in the backfield on Saturday. The Panthers will have to draw attention to the redshirt junior which will take focus off the entirety of the FAU defense.
FIU
Led by first-year head coach Willie Simmons, Florida International has shown signs of improvement, including holding Penn State to only 10 points in the first half last week. But similar to FAU, the Panthers were overpowered by the Big Ten opponent and lost 34-0.
Now looking for a bounce back, it could not come at a better time for Florida International as the Panthers will open CUSA play next week.
Offense
As mentioned earlier, the offensive production has not been great in the passing game, but the running game has always been a strong suit of coach Simmons’ offense. This year is no exception.
The Panthers will rely heavily on their running backs with their two stars on the ground being Owens and Devonte Lyons. In the passing game it’ll be Carrie.
That will make things a little difficult for the Panthers as an obvious assumption is to look for a screen pass when Carrie is on the field. But, FIU’s third running back has 16 attempts on the ground, the same as Lyons.
What They Are Saying 🗒️#FIU HC Willie Simmons had a STRONG message about his thoughts on #FAU, the Shula Bowl, & his #Panthers run game against a STOUT Owls defense. 🏈🦉 pic.twitter.com/D8vpmMM1Jd
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) September 9, 2025
QB Keyone Jenkins will look to get the passing game working in this one, but it will be difficult when Florida International has not found a high caliber target.
The leading wide receiver for the Panthers is Alex Perry, but he only has five receptions on the season. Only one receiver has passed the 50 receiving yards mark, Eric Nelson. But, keep in mind he had a 34-yard reception against Bethune-Cookman.
The FIU offense will have to find an identity in the passing game if they want to stop their losing streak, but with an Owls front that showed how easily they could shut down a quarterback last week, it will be a challenge for the Panthers.
Defense
What looks to be the strong suit of this Florida International team, the defense has shown signs of dominance, but multiple areas of weakness. Teams are averaging over 220 passing yards and 150 rushing yards on the Panthers. The question for FIU now becomes how do they stop FAU from being dominant in both the pass and running game?
A contributing factor to that problem is the Florida International defensive line has not really stood out up to this point. The Florida Atlantic O-line looks to not have major issues with the front four as their focus will be spent on the Panther linebackers.
Johnny Chaney Jr. and Josiah Taylor, mentioned earlier for their run defense, both have been great in the passing game. Chaney has a sack on the season, while Taylor is second on the team in tackles. Percy Courtney is another linebacker with a sack this season as well. The corp will be a huge factor over the middle of the field.
In the secondary, Mister Clark showed out last week with three pass breakups. He will be another Panther that will contribute in FIU’s attempt to stop the air-raid. Alongside him is freshman Jessiah McGrew. McGrew also had a pass breakup last week.
Final Thoughts
It will be both head coaches’ first time in the Shula Bowl, but once the final second ticks off the clock, they will both understand the importance if they have not already.
With the Panthers being favored that already added a chip on the Owls shoulder, but coach Willie Simmons comments on not even using the term “FAU,” is bulletin board material. Expect a close contest throughout that should live up to the hype.