Liberty at FIU Prediction - College Football Picks 9/23/23

FIU Panthers (3-1) vs Liberty Flames (3-0)

Game Info: Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 6:30 pm (Riccardo Silva Stadium)

Betting Odds: FIU Panthers +11.5 -- Over/Under: 53.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Liberty Flames will fly down to Miami to meet the Florida International Panthers in non-conference action this Saturday from Riccardo Silva Stadium on ESPN+. Liberty won the lone meeting back in 2020 in Lynchburg by two, 36-34.

Liberty Flames Preview

Liberty enters at 3-0 after defeating Buffalo by four touchdowns, 55-27. The Flames traveled for the first time this season, and dominated the Bulls, and they’ll look to double down here in South Beach. The Liberty offense is scoring 40.7 ppg, while passing for 254.3 ypg, rushing for 240.7 ypg, and converting 45.9% of their third downs.

Liberty Player Notes

• Kaidon Salter came through with the best outing of his career in Buffalo last weekend, going for a personal-best 344 yards and six total touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback has really shown improvements early on, and he’ll attempt to get things going this weekend in Miami. Salter has thrown for 763 passing yards with nine touchdowns to no interceptions, and he’s rushed 191 yards and three more scores through three games.

• Wake transfer Quinton Cooley had a quiet outing against Buffalo, but he still leads the team with 221 rushing yards on 41 carries.

• Junior CJ Daniels surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second week in a row, and he leads LU in receptions (10) and receiving yards (252)

• The LU defense is allowing 22.6 points per game.

Florida International Panthers Preview

Florida International comes in at 3-1 after defeating Connecticut in Storrs by seven, 24-17. The Panthers held off a second half rally from the Huskies, and they’ll look to win a fourth straight game on Saturday. The FIU offense is scoring 25.3 ppg, while passing for 217.8 ypg, rushing for 123.5 ypg, and converting 24.5% of their third downs.

FIU Player Notes

• Keyone Jenkins came through in his first career road start, passing for 284 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rec) in the win over UConn. The freshman hometown product has won his first three starts at the college level, but Liberty will represent the best team he’s faced. Jenkins has passed for 867 passing yards, with five touchdowns to three interceptions for the season.

• South Dakota transfer Shomari Lawrence had a quiet game against Connecticut, but he leads FIU in rushing yards with 291 on 47 touches.

• Junior wideout Kris Mitchell has scored in three straight games, and he leads the team in receptions (19) and receiving yards (370).

• The FIU defense has allowed 22.5 points per game.

Liberty vs Florida International Trends

• LU is 3-0 against the spread, with a 2-1 O/U record.

• FIU is 3-1 ATS, with a 1-3 over/under record.

Corey’s Free Pick

Liberty’s success on the road last week has set a two-score margin for them as road favorites here against Florida International. It’s been nice to FIU show some fight this year after a rough 2022 season, but Liberty’s momentum is a lot to look away from when you realize they’ve got advantages all over the field. Liberty’s worth a look on the spread, but take the Over for this contest, with hopes of LU doing the heavy lifting.