FIU vs. UTSA: High-Scoring Bowl Game Showdown on Friday

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Transcript

00:00FIU, man, they are fired up to play in this college bowl game tonight.

00:04They play against UTSA.

00:06You're very familiar, obviously, with them and the amount of points that they could put up.

00:09Total is 60 and a half.

00:11Does FIU stand a chance in this game?

00:13Certainly once every four years, it feels like we get an FIU or an FAU in the bowl season.

00:19This year, it's FIU.

00:20Well, I tell you, being down here in Texas, Craig, UTSA's head coach, Jeff Traylor,

00:25he said when this bowl game was announced, or maybe a few days after,

00:30that the roadrunners would be, quote, a shell of themselves, end quote,

00:34when this bowl game rolled around, meaning that they would be without a lot of their top players.

00:40And I think he said they went to Dallas, traveled to Dallas about three or four days ago,

00:44and he said 16 players didn't make the trip.

00:47So close to 20 players for UTSA either injured, opting out in the transfer portal,

00:53whatever the case might be.

00:54But most of those players are on defense.

00:58So, you know, I think it's going to be a UTSA team that's going to be particularly thin in the secondary.

01:07Their offense, though, led by junior quarterback Owen McCown, is pretty much intact,

01:12according to a depth chart that I saw this past Sunday.

01:15Like UTSA, FIU is going to be shorthanded in the secondary.

01:19They start five players in the back of their defense.

01:22Three-fifths of those guys, or 60%, are not going to be playing due to opt-outs, injury, or transfer portal.

01:32One of those guys is their cornerback, their top cornerback, Mr. Clark,

01:37a first-team Conference USA selection this year.

01:40He will not play.

01:42Both of their quarterbacks for FIU were banged up later in the year,

01:45but it looks like at least one or both will be able to go.

01:48I'm expecting Keyon Jenkins will start for the Panthers.

01:52And you look at this Texas-San Antonio team, they're going to be thin on defense,

01:56but they are prolific on offense.

01:58They have been an over-machine the last year and a half, 15-3-2 to the over their last 20 games.

02:07FIU gave up 51 points earlier this year to UConn, 45 to Kennesaw State.

02:13Those offenses aren't as revved up as UTSA and Macau.

02:16And so I think there's going to be a lot of points on both sides.

02:19It's going to be good weather tonight in Dallas.

02:22The total was 59-and-a-half earlier this morning, up to 61-and-a-half at some stores now.

02:28So it's starting to get some play, but I like this game to go over the total tonight in the bowl game there in Dallas.