Florida International Golden Panthers NCAA Football News

Florida International didn't put up much of a fight Saturday, but Florida made sure there was reason to stick around.

Published: Friday, November 20, 2009 at 6:01 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, November 20, 2009 at 6:01 p.m. Joey Harris said he plans to be back in his hometown of Chiefland next week to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The streak still is intact for a special group of players for the Back River Panthers in the Peninsula Youth Football Association.

The Florida Gators are undefeated, are ranked No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, and boast a senior Heisman Trophy hopeful as they gear up for a national title run.

Golden Panthers running back Daunte Owens and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow led Nease High School to a state title in 2005.

GAINESVILLE - Following Florida's 62-3 win against Florida International on Saturday, dozens of the 90,473 fans attending the game lined an area in one of the end zones and waited.

Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for a pair of scores, as top-ranked Florida extended the nation's longest winning streak to 21 straight games with a 62-3 rout of Florida International at the Swamp.

Florida coach Urban Meyer believes Florida International will be in a bowl game in the next two years.

Beat North Texas 35-28 on Nov. 14 in Miami. On offense: The Panthers only average 322.6 yards per game, which includes 100.8 rushing.

The top-ranked Florida Gators welcome the FIU Panthers to Gainesville this weekend for a non-conference contest from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Florida International Panthers began their 2009 campaign at SEC power Alabama.

For a while, it appeared as if North Texas has solved the offensive problems that plagued it last week in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The Mean Green racked up 300 yards of offense in the first half and scored four touchdowns.

North Texas at FIU Time: 7 p.m. TV: None. Records: North Texas 2-7 , FIU 2-7 Buzz: The Panthers struggled in a 48-21 loss to Middle Tennessee State without QB Paul McCall , who sat out with a hyperextended right throwing elbow.

Quarterback-turned-re- ceiver-turned-running back Kendall Berry got his chance last week and made the most of it, rushing for 103 yards, three touchdowns.

The Golden Panthers will have starting quarterback Paul McCall and linebacker Toronto Smith back in action Saturday when they take on North Texas.

Line: Florida International by 2. Series Record: Series tied 2-2. Last meeting: 2008, Florida International 42-10. North Texas looks to get its offense back on track after not scoring a touchdown in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe, the first time that's happened in a Sun Belt game since Todd Dodge became coach in 2007.

Receiver T.Y. Hilton, who missed all but one play against Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday with a recurring knee injury, was cleared by team doctors Monday to resume practicing.

Dwight Dasher ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more as Middle Tennessee beat Florida International 48-21 on Saturday.Dasher ran for 178 yards and scored on runs of 1, 70 and 68 yards for the Blue Raiders .

With a plethora of injuries this season, especially where nearly one-third of its starters are out for the season, FIU has adopted the title of a Baltimore Ravens book Next Man Up as its motto for the rest of the season.

The mud was dripping off the face masks like freshly melted snow, and the surface at Wildcat Stadium felt like you were running on ice.