Paws Up Preview – 2025 First Responder Bowl

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DATE – Friday, December 26th

TIME – 8:00 PM EST

OPPONENT – UTSA Roadrunners (American)

VENUE – Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, TX)

HOW TO WATCH – ESPN

ODDS – UTSA -6

It took six years too long, but FIU Football is finally back in a bowl game.

They’ll have the privilege of having the opportunity to collect their third bowl game trophy, their second trophy this season, and cap off a remarkable 2025 season with one final W. This season is no shortage of memories for the FIU faithful, but this would be the cherry on top in the first year of the Willie Simmons era.

 

The Panthers will head to the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Texas, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium – the home of the SMU Mustangs. In their way are the 6-6 UTSA Roadrunners, who have beaten the likes of CFP-caliber teams and have also lost to… Temple.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to head to Dallas to play in the First Responder Bowl against a really good UTSA football team,” said Coach Simmons. “Preparation has been going well. We’ve had about three to four practices a week, just getting back to basics, basic fundamentals, a lot of special teams emphasis. And so we’re really honing in on those things during this time.”

It took a lot for FIU just to get here. After all these 4-8 seasons, just to get to a bowl game is a breath of fresh air. But how did the Panthers get here, really?

A Season To Remember

The non-conference stretch for FIU was overall positive to begin the season. A laugher against Bethune-Cookman kicked it off, with a 30-0 loss to Penn State, feeling like a moral victory. Then, the Panthers handed the Florida Atlantic Owls an overdue loss, finally filling up the empty Shula Bowl trophy case at Pitbull Stadium.

It felt like the Panthers could only go up from here, but they then lost two straight. Both losses to Delaware and UConn weren’t close, and left a worrisome taste in people’s mouths about this team. The fact that they had to take on the top dogs in CUSA next – Western Kentucky – didn’t help things.

Checking in from the Lonestar State 🤠 pic.twitter.com/kMpBGuSGLm

— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) December 23, 2025

But never count out the Panthers. They pulled off the upset in dominant fashion for a 25-6 win, earning their first road W in two years. Just when you think FIU could ride this win to a potential CUSA Championship, they then lost two straight, once again, this time to Kennesaw State on Vice Night and Missouri State on the road.

Some things were apparent, at least. Kejon Owens was the anchor of the offense, and the defense was inconsistent at times. Still, those worries about the direction of FIU crept back in. Their quarterback situation took a massive hit as well, as Keyone Jenkins wouldn’t be available for their next game.

As it would turn out, this was a blessing in disguise. Joe Pesansky came in and revitalized the passing game for FIU. The whole team collectively got better, especially with second-half adjustments, to go undefeated in November. FOUR straight wins over Middle Tennessee, Liberty, Jacksonville State (Which secured them bowl eligibility), and Sam Houston.

Pain From The Portal

Now, the Panthers will have to play one final game, and they’ll look different on both sides of the ball.

As far as the QB situation goes, it’s up to health. Both Jenkins and Pesansky are hurt and are not 100% for this game. But, if they both can play, there’s a chance they’ll both take snaps – according to Coach Simmons.

The transfer portal has not been kind to the Panthers, especially on defense. Brian Blades, Victor Evans, Mister Clark, and Jessiah McGrew will not play. A pair of offensive linemen, Daniel Michel and Antoino Tripp, are also not playing.

It’s A Texas Overload

In comes the UTSA Roadrunners, a 6-6 squad with plenty of intrigue. This was a decent season for them, with one glaring marquee win – a 48-26 win over Tulane, who won the American Conference Championship game and just played in the College Football Playoff.

At the same time, this team has had some devastating losses. They’ve suffered multiple one-score losses to Temple and Army, while allowing USF and North Texas to score 55 points each.

If I made it seem like FIU is dealing with some devastating losses to the transfer portal, get ready for UTSA. According to their head coach, Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners might be without over TWENTY PLAYERS for this game.

Bowl bound 🚎😎#210TriangleOfToughness | #BirdsUp pic.twitter.com/bIM0LPUpRC

— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) December 22, 2025

That doesn’t change the stars who WILL be in. That includes quarterback Owen McCown, the son of NFL QB Josh McCown. He’s thrown for 2,700 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In a conference full of elite passers, he has to be considered as one of the best.

Their running game is equally solid, with Robert Henry (1,045  yards) and Will Henderson III (807 yards) being a dynamic duo of running backs. Against an FIU defense with a lot of missing players, it’ll be up to the usual suspects in the trenches to keep them from breaking one out for a score.

Defensively, UTSA is middle of the pack in the American. They give up over 382 yards per game, including 155.5 on the ground. Certainly something to watch out for with Kejon Owens and the running backs FIU has on offer.

Who Wins – FIU or UTSA?

The outlook for this game could have been so much different if the Roadrunners weren’t missing a good chunk of their team. They might be a “mid” team in the American, but this was a stacked season for that conference as a whole.

Simply put, FIU has made me pay the few times I didn’t pick them. And I won’t make that mistake this time around. I think the Panthers will dominate on the ground, and whoever the QB is will do just enough to manage the offense. Defensively, FIU will be pushed to their limits, but I think the depth they have will be more than enough.

FIU – 42

UTSA – 28

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