FIU heads to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl


FIU football will be playing in its second-consecutive bowl game as the Panthers have accepted an invitation to the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl to be played in St. Petersburg, Fla,. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. (ET). The game, which will be played at Tropicana Field, will be played against Marshall University’s Thundering Herd and broadcast on ESPN.

Photo courtesy of FIUSports.com.

“We are very honored to be invited to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl,” FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia said. “I am excited for both our team and our fans. This will give our fans an opportunity to watch their football team finish off a great season.”

The Panthers finished the 2011 regular season with the best record in program-history and the best record in the state of Florida, an 8-4 mark, which included a 3-0 start, the best in FIU history. FIU’s amazing start was made possible by victories over conference foe North Texas, and out-of-conference wins over in-state rival UCF and Louisville of the BIG EAST. The win over the Cardinals, played in primetime in front of a national ESPN audience, marked the program’s first-ever victory over a team from a Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying conference.

Relive the Panthers’ historic 2010 Little Caesars win.

FIU’s fan base also had a record-breaking season as the Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium attendance record was set against UCF and then broken two weeks later against Duke as 22,682 Panther fans packed “The Cage.”

“On behalf of our great university, it is with great excitement that our football program accepts this bid to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl,” FIU Football Head Coach Mario Cristobal added. “2011 has been another historical season for our program, and playing in a bowl right here in our home state is a tremendous opportunity for our student athletes and fans.”

For ticket information and travel packages, visit bowl central.