FACTS & STATS: Site: FIU Stadium (17,000) -- Miami, Florida. Television: none. Home Record: FAU 1-3, FIU 2-1. Away Record: FAU 1-5, FIU 1-5. Neutral Record: FAU 0-0, FIU 0-0. Conference Record: FAU 2-4, FIU 1-4. Series Record: Florida Atlantic leads, 3-0.

GAME NOTES: In the Shula Bowl, the Florida International Golden Panthers will host in-state rival the Florida Atlantic Owls this Saturday at FIU Stadium. Two weeks ago the Owls snapped a three-game losing skid with just their second victory of the season, a 26-23 win over North Texas. Not much has gone right for the Owls this season, as the squad is just 2-4 inside the Sun Belt and a horrible 1-5 on the road. As for the Golden Panthers, they started their season with five losses in their first six games, but since then the team has won two of its last three matchups, including a slim 38-35 victory over Western Kentucky last week. FIU has also struggled inside the Sun Belt this season, posting just one victory in five conference tilts. In regards to the all-time series between the two schools, the Owls have won all three meetings, including a 17-10 victory at Dolphins Stadium last season.

Throughout the season the Owls have struggled to find consistency on the offensive side of the ball, however in their last contest against North Texas the Owls were able to post 378 yards, including an impressive 227 yards on the ground. The yards gained by the rushing attack is very surprising considering FAU is only churning out 117.7 ypg. Leading the way for the Owls rushing attack was DiIvory Edgecomb who racked up 118 yards on 18 carries. Charles Pierre also contributed with 84 yards and two touchdowns on 19 totes. While the ground game was working on all cylinders, the passing attack also put forth a solid performance, as first time starter Sean Clayton completed 13- of-22 pass attempts for 151 yards and one touchdown. Because of he solid play against UNT, Clayton will start for the Owls this weekend in the Shula Bowl.

The Owls have been dreadful all season on defense, as the opposition has abused the unit for 28.7 ppg behind 396.2 ypg. Stopping the run is where the Owls have really had trouble, surrendering an abysmal 213.3 ypg. Out of the 35 touchdowns allowed by FAU this season, 25 have come on the ground. In the team's last matchup, the Owls allowed 348 total yards, including 161 yards on 38 carries (4.2 ypc). The defense was able to force one turnover, however the unit went the entire game without a sack. Andre Clark paced the Owls with 10 tackles, while Shomari Earls, who leads the team with 77 tackles, collected nine stops in the contest.

The Golden Panthers put on an offensive display this past weekend, granted it was against Western Kentucky, but the team collected a whopping 492 total yards en route to 38 points. The Golden Panthers performed well on the ground as well as through the air, as the team rushed for 168 yards and passed for 324 yards. While it was a fantastic showing, FIU is still only averaging 18.9 ppg while collecting just 347.2 ypg. Against WKU, A'Mod Ned led the ground with 79 yards and one score, while Ben West added 58 yards and one touchdown on nine attempts. Quarterback Josh Padrick found the end zone twice on the ground and finished the game with 25 rushing yards on just three totes. Padrick has did damage with his arm, completing 22-of-36 pass attempts for 324 yards and one touchdowns. On the season, Padrick has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 2.033 yards and has 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

While the offense put forth its best performance of the season, the defensive unit struggled against Western Kentucky, allowing 347 total yards, including a whopping 222 yards on the ground. The rushing yards allowed should not be surprising considering the Panthers are permitting 179.2 ypg on the ground. FIU held WKU to only 19 first downs, but allowed the Hilltoppers to convert on 7-of-12 third down attempts and 4-of-5 red zone chances. Chris Smith recorded an impressive 14 tackles in the win, while Lion Singleton posted 11 stops for the Panthers. Keyonvis Bouie currently leads the team with 87 tackles and also has 6.5 TFLs to his credit.

Although the Owls have won all three meetings between the two teams, this should be the year the Golden Panthers finally win the Shula Bowl. While both defensive units are bad, the Panthers have a strong offense, which should be enough to get them by FAU.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome:Florida International 35, Florida Atlantic 27