For each week of Western Kentucky's 2019 football season, Tyler Mansfield of InsideHilltopperSports.com will connect with a beat writer who covers the opposing team for a Q&A session.
For Week 2, Tyler chats with Eric Henry, who covers Florida International for Underdog Dynasty on the SB Nation network.
WKU (0-1) - which is coming off a 35-28 loss to FCS program Central Arkansas - will travel to Miami for a Saturday night meeting with Conference USA foe FIU.
The Panthers (0-1) lost 42-14 at Tulane in their season opener.
Kickoff time is slated for 6 p.m. at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
Tyler: What do you feel is FIU’s overall team outlook entering Week 2 of the season and after losing to Tulane?
Eric: That’s a really good question. Inside the building, the expectations haven’t changed. The goal is still a C-USA East title. However, it would be foolish to not acknowledge how poor the run defense was last week. There are too many capable backs on FIU’s schedule to ignore their performance against Tulane. With that being said, a decisive win against a rebuilding WKU team would go a long way to keeping those preseason aspirations in line.
Tyler: Who are some of FIU’s impact players entering Week 2? Anyone you expect to standout against WKU?
Eric: If he’s healthy and active, I expect D’Vonte Price to have an excellent game. He had over 100 yards rushing at two touchdowns last year against the Tops. Definitely expecting a rebound game for quarterback James Morgan. Provided the offensive line can keep DeAngelo Malone and Juwan Jones away, Morgan is one of the best QB’s in Conference USA. Lastly, Stantley Thomas-Oliver is another Panther who excelled in last year’s win. His size against the smaller WKU wideouts provides an advantage in FIU’s favor.
Tyler: Being the first Conference USA game of the season for FIU, how important do you feel it is for the Panthers to kick off the league slate on the right foot?
Eric: It’s essentially a “must-win” for FIU. Yes, the Tulane loss was embarrassing all the way around, but if they don’t win their conference opener, it goes a long way to crushing those C-USA title hopes. Outside of it being the first conference game, it’s FIU’s home-opener and overall, they just can’t afford to start the season 0-2. Butch Davis and the entire team have spent the past two seasons fighting to earn respect in the Florida CFB landscape. An 0-2 start would cause those who started to take interest in FIU’s program to think it was all a façade.
