SB Nation Tampa Bay - FIU Vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Preview: Panthers Open Conference Play Against Ragin' Cajunshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49019/tb-fave.png2012-09-24T17:23:52-04:00http://tampabay.sbnation.com/rss/stream/31487712012-09-24T17:23:52-04:002012-09-24T17:23:52-04:00FIU Vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Preview: Panthers Go For 1st Conference Win
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<p>FIU opens up its Sun Belt slate with Louisiana-Lafayette.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/fla-international-golden-panthers">Florida International Golden Panthers</a> open up Sun Belt play on Saturday with a game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/louisiana-ragin-cajuns">Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns</a>. The Panthers were just 1-3 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, their lone win coming against Akron. But they were competitive in last Saturday's loss to Louisville, which could be a sign of an improving FIU team.</p>
<p>The Ragin' Cajuns are 2-1, with wins over Lamar and Troy, and they're coming off a blowout loss to Oklahoma State. Florida International has actually been better than Louisiana this season in terms of total offense and total defense.</p>
<p>FIU's defense is going to need to step up in order for the Golden Panthers to win, as it gave up 419 yards and 36 points in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette last season. That poor effort squandered what was a pretty good day for FIU's offense.</p>
<p><b>Game Time & Date</b>: 7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Sept. 29</p>
<p><b>Stream</b>: ESPN3</p>
<p><i>For more on this game, stay tuned to <a href="http://tampabay.sbnation.com">SB Nation Tampa Bay</a>. For more news, notes and analysis from around NCAA football, visit SB Nation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/ncaa-football">college football hub</a>.</i></p>
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https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/9/24/3384636/fiu-vs-louisiana-lafayette-2012-game-preview-scheduleSteven Muma