To provide more insight into Western Kentucky's opponent each week, InsideHilltopperSports.com managing editor Tyler Mansfield seeks out a reporter who covers the opposing team to exchange some questions and answers.

With the Hilltoppers traveling to Miami, Florida for a Conference USA matchup with FIU on Saturday at FIU Stadium, Tyler caught up with Eric Henry from UnderdogDynasty.com to learn more about the Panthers.

TYLER: FIU is currently on a five-game losing streak and hasn't won since its season opener against FCS program Long Island. From your perspective, what has gone wrong with the Panthers so far into the 2021 campaign?

ERIC: It’s been a myriad of factors that have caused the team’s lack of success this year. Any sustained offensive success for FIU starts with the run game. Against FBS opponents, the Panthers are averaging just 2.4 yards per attempt – including a staggering 2.03 yards over the last four games. That type of output for a team that likes to run the ball on early downs doesn’t do any favors in setting the offense up for success.

While quarterback Max Bortenschlager has had some eye-popping numbers, consistently needing average of at least seven yards to convert on third down has meant the passing game is solely dependent upon chunk plays downfield.

On the defensive side of the ball, the lack of pass rush up front has really hurt the team. The unit has only 10 sacks (t-11 in C-USA) and four of those have come from linebackers or defensive backs. That is undoubtedly playing a factor in the amount of passing yards allowed by what had been a very formidable secondary.

Lastly, this team has struggled scoring when entering the redzone (127th in FBS) and they’ve had a penchant for committing penalties at the worst times.

TYLER: FIU is coming off a bye week and will have had two weeks to prepare for WKU heading into Saturday's game. Do you expect to see a better overall performance out of the Panthers this weekend?

ERIC: I think the time off should benefit the team in that they should return a couple players who had been banged up, especially at the receiver position where starter Shemar Thornton had been out and former walk-on Carson Kaleo has seen extended time in the previous two outings. Also, FIU hasn’t struggled for this extended period of time running the ball since Davis’ arrival in 2017. With a back as talented as D’Vonte Price, I’d expect him to be primed for a bounce back game.

With that being said, the Panthers’ defensive struggles won’t get any easier to fix against a very potent Western Kentucky offense. With the Tops’ ability to play with tempo, that’s been an issue that teams have been able to exploit.

TYLER: FIU's defense has significantly struggled this season as the Panthers are allowing their opponents to score nearly 37 points and put up 482 yards per game. What has led to FIU's defensive woes this year?

ERIC: The aforementioned lack of pass rush. Former Texas State DE/LB Hal Vinson was slated to play a major factor in helping provide a presence off the end, but left the program three days after the season-opener. Defensive tackle Davon Strickland is having a solid season, but it’s still a tall task to have an interior lineman be the main pass rush option.

FIU’s run defense has been an issue dating back to the 2018 season. Since the start of the ’18 campaign, the Panthers have allowed over 170 yards rushing 21 times, including 15 games of over 200 yards.

TYLER: Quarterback Max Bortenschlager has had a solid season for FIU, having thrown for 1,834 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions. What have you seen out of him this year, and what's the best part of his game?

ERIC: It’s been a mixed bag for Bortenschlager, despite what the numbers say. The 1,834 yards and 14 touchdowns are a credit to his ability to get the ball downfield and find big-play targets like Tyrese Chambers and Bryce Singleton. However, it’s hard to ignore the four games of completing less than 55% of his passes and a 51.8% completion rate overall. Max has said as much in postgames, stating that he has to be more consistent overall.

Butch Davis has defended his quarterback, going out of his way to say that he thinks Max is performing adequately or well-enough, despite the offensive struggles. He’s a smart player, who won’t lose the game for FIU, but he’s due for a consistent game from start to finish.

TYLER: How do you see Saturday's game playing out?

ERIC: Probably the most maddening thing for Panthers’ fans has to be the fact that this team could easily be 3-3 right now. They coughed up second-half leads against Texas State and Central Michigan, along with timely turnovers costing them chances to make things interesting against Texas Tech and Florida Atlantic.

That being said, it’s a tough ask to expect FIU to get back in the win column versus an extremely potent WKU offense.

Final Score: Western Kentucky 38, FIU 24.

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