It’s the Shula Bowl, but for Florida Atlantic it’s another ‘have-to-have’ game if the Owls are going to secure first place in the Conference USA East Division.

Florida International comes to Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium for a 6 p.m. Shula Bowl showdown against Florida Atlantic. It will be the 18th meeting in the series and FAU holds a 13-4 advantage.

That said, don’t discount underdog FIU (5-4 overall, 3-3 Conference USA), as the Panthers have won four of their last five games.

FAU (6-3, 4-1) coach Lane Kiffin says, “we are going to have to play really well,” to beat FIU.

But Shula Bowl aside, Kiffin has his Owls focused on the team’s No. 1 goal of finishing first in the C-USA East Division and playing for the conference title.

“I hope they don’t think that way,” Kiffin said when asked earlier this week if his team was relieved to earn a sixth win at Western Kentucky, which made the Owls postseason bowl eligible. “It is not the way we train them to think. I have never talked about a bowl game being our goal. That should be a given, really I think.

“The goal is always to win the conference and that is still at stake. Because we screwed up the (Marshall) game with 30 seconds left … which we know one play, or one thing could have totally changed that game. We would be sitting here with a two-game lead in the conference with the tiebreakers. It is what it is, but it makes it a little harder.”

Harder like FAU virtually has to win out and hope Marshall (6-3 overall, 4-1 conference) stumbles in one of its three remaining conference games – at home against West Division leader Louisiana Tech (7-1, 4-0) Nov. 15 at Charlotte (4-5, 2-3) Nov. 23 and at home against FIU on Nov. 30. That’s because the lost to Marshall Oct. 18 gives the Thundering Herd a tiebreaker advantage over FAU.

Florida Atlantic is coming of a 35-24 road win at a good Western Kentucky (5-4, 4-2) team.

It wasn’t easy for FAU, as Western Kentucky was up 14-0 and driving for a third score in the second quarter when Florida Atlantic made the first of two pivotal defensive plays.

First, it was FAU linebacker Akileis Leroy. He sacked WKU quarterback Ty Storey, who fumbled and Owls’ cornerback Chris Tooley picked it up and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

Then, late in the second half with WKU driving for a go-ahead score, FAU cornerback James Pierre came up with a key interception that led to Owls’ final score.

Kiffin knows a similar 60-minute effort will be needed against Florida International.

Said Kiffin, “we are going to need everybody to have a great week … and records really don’t mean much in these games.”

Well, only if your record is good enough to win the Conference USA East Division – the Owls’ first goal in what would be a successful season in Kiffin’s playbook.

If You Go

Who: Florida International (5-4, 3-3) at Florikda Atlantic (6-3, 4-1)

What: Conference USA game – the sixth for FAU and seventh for FIU. Florida Atlantic leads the series 13-4, including a 49-14 victory last year in Miami

Where: Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium (Capacity 29,419) Boca Raton

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

TV/Radio: WTVX/Fox Sports 640 AM

Line: Florida Atlantic is a 10.5 point favorite

Did you Know: A Florida Atlantic win would be the 99th victory in the program’s history – and be the third straight decision over FIU since Kiffin arrived in 2017

Photos contributed by: Bob Markey / Courtesy of www.FAUOwlsNest.com