Both coming off a bye week, the FIU Panthers are set to face off with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Tuesday night. FIU, coming off a bad loss to the UConn Huskies, are looking to rebound in every possible way. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky is coming off of a narrow win over Delaware, and will look to continue marching toward a potential birth in the C-USA Championship Game. With that in mind, let’s break down this FIU vs. Western Kentucky 2025 game preview.
FIU Panthers vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Game History
Heading into their Tuesday night matchup, FIU and WKU have an extensive game history that dates back to 2002.
In 17 all-time matchups, the Hilltoppers hold the advantage with an 11-6 record. The last matchup went in favor of the Hilltoppers, as they won in Miami by a score of 41-28. Western Kentucky has also won all five of the previous matchups. The last win for FIU in the series was in 2018, where they won on the road by a score of 38-17.
FIU vs. Western Kentucky 2025 Preview: Keys to the Game
Key Players for FIU
The first player to highlight is FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who has been very inconsistent up to this point of the season. Jenkins has a TD:INT ratio of 2:4 with 775 passing yards, and a completion percentage of 62.9. He has two big-time throws, 11 turnover-worthy plays, and an ADOT of 8.0.
At the beginning of the year, it felt like things were slowly coming together for the Miami native. He was steadily getting comfortable within the scheme, hitting more throws down the field, and constantly providing great plays for the offense. Along with the run game, Jenkins was a big reason why the Panthers started 2-1.
However, things have been rocky over the last two games. He did not look comfortable in the pocket, struggled to push the ball downfield, and had multiple costly turnovers.
Against Western Kentucky, Jenkins needs to be on point for the Panthers. He needs to play with his trademark confidence, and his coaches need to make sure that they put the quarterback in the best possible position to succeed. Jenkins has all of the talent to lead his team to victory, but needs to execute on it. His ability to do so will play arguably the biggest role in deciding this game.
The second player on offense to highlight is running back Anthony Carrie. Carrie is a dynamic dual threat for FIU. He has eight receptions on the year and has averaged 5.3 yards per attempt on the ground. The Georgia Tech transfer keeps getting more comfortable as a runner, churning out chunk plays.
As great as Kejon Owens has been, Carrie may be more important than him as an overall player. He has the ability to contribute on all three downs and the upper-end talent that is matched by few players on the Panthers.
On defense, FIU’s key players are the entire secondary.
Western Kentucky is going to look to throw the ball all over the field with Maverick McIvor at quarterback. They run their offense with tempo and have a scheme that consistently puts players in an opportunity to succeed.
The Panthers have the depth and talent to compete with the best offenses in the conference. However, they have struggled with communication at various points this season. Rather than getting cleanly beaten, the big plays that FIU has allowed have been due to mix-ups on the backend.
The burden of stopping the Hilltoppers is going to fan to this unit.
Key Players for Western Kentucky
For the Hilltoppers, two key players for the game are quarterback Maverick McIvor and defensive end Harper Holloman.
McIvor was instrumental in the Hilltoppers’ victory over the Blue Hens last week. Despite only having one passing touchdown, the quarterback was impressive in how he attacked down the field. McIvor has the athletic ability, accuracy, arm strength, and confidence to put his team in a position to win games every single week.
Against FIU, McIvor will likely be challenged by an aggressive defense and a talented secondary. But if the quarterback plays the way he did against the Blue Hens, the WKU offense will be effective on Tuesday night.
On defense, Holloman is a force in the trenches. The defensive end has 29 pressures, 12 defensive stops, a sack, and 16 tackles on the year. He constantly gets after the quarterback, affects opposing offenses, and allows WKU to constantly be in a position to have success.
In order to win the game, Western Kentucky must get pressure on Keyone Jenkins early and often. They need to throw him off his spot and get him rattled. For that to occur for Western Kentucky, Holloman will have to be on his A-game on Tuesday night.
Keys to Victory
FIU Panthers
Slow down WKU’s Passing Attack
The Hilltoppers are going to throw the football, and then they are going to throw it some more. The Panthers have to slow down their opposition’s passing attack through lockdown coverage, getting pressure on the quarterback, or a mix of both. If they do this, they will have a great shot to win this game. If not, it could be another long night for the Panthers.
Get the QB Comfortable
FIU is not going to win this game with Keyone Jenkins playing at a below-average level. On top of better execution from the quarterback, the offensive playcallers need to get their signal caller comfortable early in the game. FIU needs to build up Jenkins’s confidence with easy throws and schemed touches to playmakers. The Panthers can win this game, but only if they have their quarterback playing like his usual self. That falls not just to Jenkins, but the overall coaching staff.
Discipline
FIU cannot commit penalties in this game and expect to win. They need to have great discipline and execution. To win this game, that is not a suggestion, but a requirement.
WKU Hilltoppers
Make Jenkins Beat You
FIU has a strong run game, to say the least. For WKU to shut down the Panthers, they need to focus on shutting down the run game and force the quarterback to beat them. They may get burnt doing this, but based on previous games, the Hilltoppers will have ample chances to force turnovers. WKU must make Keyone Jenkins beat them, rather than letting the run game get rolling for FIU.
Put the Secondary in Conflict
FIU has struggled with communication on the backend this season. As a result, WKU needs to put the Panthers in constant conflict in the intermediate and deep areas of the passing game. This will give the Hilltoppers the best possible chance to score points and win the game.
Avoid Penalties
A lack of penalties means a better chance to win the game. If WKU plays a clean game, the team will be in a great position to win.
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Brandyn Pokrass
Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May 2023 with a Communications Degree, a concentration in Multimedia Journalism, and a minor in Broadcasting. Received an M.A. in Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May 2024. Wrote for Jets Insider for two years, was previously a beat writer for Jets X-Factor, previously hosted a Knicks podcast for Let's Talk Knicks, and contributed to Inside the Iggles. Currently writes for Metsmerized Online, contributes to Badlands, and contributes video content to Couch Potato Sports Coverage. Avid movie watcher, gym goer, music listener, and overall sports fan.