Florida International Bowl Profile

The Florida International Panthers continue their march to gridiron glory. They will attempt to go 2-for-2 in all-time bowl appearances when they face the Thundering Herd of Marshall in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field.

Here's what the Panthers have going for them in what should be a "home" bowl for Florida International.

T.Y Hilton

T.Y. Hilton is the face of the Florida International Panthers' rise to prominence. The star receiver has accounted for half of Wes Carroll's touchdowns. 

Strong Running Game

Sophomore running back Kendrick Rhodes has rushed for 1,121 yards and eight touchdowns this season. That's more than both of Marshall's leading rushers combined.

Mistake Free Passing

Senior quarterback Wes Carroll may not throw for many touchdown passes, but his four interceptions in over 300 pass attempts speaks volumes of his value to the FIU offense. 

Defense Against Marshall

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Marshall is a .500 team who just made it to the party after winning a high-stakes overtime thriller against East Carolina.

Their freshman quarterback, Rakeem Cato is a Miami native and is similar to Wes Carroll of FIU. His main target is Aaron Dobson, who has caught 10 of Cato's 13 touchdown passes.

Statistically, it takes three of Marshall's running backs to equal the running production of FIU.

The Panther defense allows only 19.4 points per game, making this a possible lopsided affair in St. Petersberg.