A week after passing a major test on their home field, the Blue Hens will see if they can be equally adept as road warriors.
They know they’ll have to surpass last week’s effort to succeed.
“More physical, better communicating, faster on our breaks and play the ball better,” safety K.T. Seay said of how the defense must improve after a 44-41 overtime win over Connecticut in which it allowed 521 total yards.
New league member Delaware plays its first Conference USA game and will travel all the way to Miami to do it. The Hens and Florida International kick off at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at Pitbull Stadium.
Delaware would love nothing better than to make a memorable first impression in its CUSA debut. FIU and Delaware are each 2-1 with wins over an FCS foe and an FBS peer and a loss to a power-conference foe, the Panthers falling at Penn State and the Hens at Colorado.
How to follow
Delawareonline.com will provide live reports on the game with video and photos beginning three hours before kickoff with frequent updates through to the game’s conclusion and with postgame reaction.
How to see
Tickets may be purchased at the stadium before the game, online at https://fiutickets.com/tickets/events or by calling 305-348-4263.
RISING TO THE OCCASION: Blue Hens prevail on historic day at Delaware Stadium
How to listen
Scott Klatzkin will be calling the game on WDSD 94.7 FM with former Blue Hens quarterback Pat Devlin providing analysis and Nick Alessandrini reporting from sidelines. They come on the air at 5 p.m.
How to watch
The game is being streamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription fee.
What’s the point spread?
FIU is favored by 6½, according to ESPN.
What’s the weather forecast?
It’ll be 83 degrees with a 35 percent chance of rain at kickoff.
Why is this game important for Delaware?
This is Delaware’s first Conference USA game and the Blue Hens hope to carry momentum from their big home win over UConn and establish their CUSA identity.
Why is this game important for FIU?
The Panthers cannot afford a loss to CUSA newbie Delaware as they try to re-establish themselves as a contender for the league title.
What’s the series record?
This is the schools’ first meeting.
What will be interesting to see for Delaware?
Can Delaware move the football as well as it did against UConn and do a better job overall defensively.
What will be interesting to see for FIU?
The Panthers felt they’d prevailed in the physical battle up front and that keyed the win over Florida Atlantic Sept. 13. Can they repeat that against Delaware?
Who is a player to watch for FIU?
Sixth-year running back Kejon Owens is the second-leading rusher in CUSA with 107.3 yards per game. He was CUSA Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 173 yards on 19 carries with two TDs against Florida Atlantic last week.
Owens had three 20-plus-yard carries and also caught three passes for 19 yards in that game. He has a 7.2-yard per-carry average in his career.
Who is a player to watch for Delaware?
Coastal Carolina transfer Kyre Duplessis has quickly found the UD offense to his liking after catching 23 passes for 348 yards and three TDs during his four seasons with the Chanticleers.
His 263 receiving yards this year at Delaware lead Conference USA and he has quickly established himself as a big-play target. Duplessis had nine catches, some of them rather difficult, for 161 yards with a 68-yard touchdown in the win over UConn.
What does Delaware coach Ryan Carty say?
“What we learned in the first couple games was that we need to play clean to win football games when the margin for error is small and when we’re probably the underdog in most games. The thing that we learned from last week is that if we do play clean, we’re good enough to win some games. We have to continue to have that mindset and understanding that if we continue to do the little things well and the things that we know are going to help us win football games, we’ll be in every game that we play.”
What does FIU coach Willie Simmons say?
“Coach Carty does a great job with those guys. He’s an alum and they’re going to be ready to play. They play hard, very fundamentally sound. They’re a typical northeastern team. They’re going to be physical with you. And so it’s going to be a challenge this week. Can we play our game? Can we continue to establish running the football? Can we stop their run game, neutralize their playmakers?”