Florida International will charge into its first bowl game in six years with a chance to win five consecutive games for the first time in program history.
After closing out their Conference USA schedule on a four-game winning streak, Florida International gets set to face UTSA of the American Conference on Friday in the First Responder Bowl at Dallas on the campus of SMU.
First-year Panthers coach Willie Simmons, who previously led Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M over a total of eight seasons, said his team has been working on special teams and big plays, those moments that win bowl games, but ultimately his go-to will be talented running back Kejon Owens.
A fifth-year senior from Miami, who spent his entire career at FIU, earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors this season by rushing for 1,298 yards on 205 carries (6.3 yards per rush) and scoring 11 touchdowns for Florida International (7-5).
Owens, who broke the school’s single-season rushing record, was in the transfer portal when Simmons was hired but decided to stay at the Miami school.
“He could have gone in another direction like other guys did, but he believed in our vision,” said Simmons, who became the first Panthers coach to have a winning record in his first season since Butch Davis went 8-5 in 2017.
Three-year starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins and backup Joe Pesansky, who went 3-0 after Jenkins went down with a groin injury, are both trying to get healthy.
Of the Roadrunners, Simmons said, “The thing that stands out is they beat a College Football Playoff team pretty handily. They bettered Tulane that day … UTSA beat them on the field.”
UTSA (6-6) features its own 1,000-yard rusher in Robert Henry Jr.
The senior from Lumberton, Miss., totaled 1,045 yards on just 151 carries (6.9 per carry) and scored nine times.
The matchup holds the promise of plenty of scoring, as UTSA ranks 22nd at a 33.8 points per game clip, while the Panthers are 55th at 29.2.
The Roadrunners have appeared in six consecutive bowl games, but the season has been an inconsistent one for head coach Jeff Traylor, who has averaged nine victories a campaign since he was hired in 2020.
The team’s highlight was crushing Tulane 48-26 on Oct. 30. Quarterback Owen McCown completed 31 of 33 passes for a season-best 370 yards and tossed four touchdowns as UTSA built a 19-point halftime lead and stormed to the victory.
The son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown and a Rusk, Texas, native, McCown passed for 2,700 yards on a 67.8% completion rate with 27 touchdowns.
“I mean, yeah, obviously the standard here is to win championships,” said McCown, about how important it was to end with a winning record. “We want to go out there and win it.”
Despite all the outside distractions of the portal and opt-outs, Traylor said his team needs to match the Panthers’ enthusiasm.
“We’ve got to be as excited to play the game as they are going to be,” said Traylor, whose team will be trying to win its third straight bowl game. “They’re very excited to play.”
