Western Kentucky isn’t letting a two-game slide skew its outlook on Florida International.

The Hilltoppers still see a revived program under a new head coach hungry to end the regular season with a win on its home field.

WKU (6-5 overall, 4-3 Conference USA) will be on the same mission to secure a seventh win Friday night for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff at FIU (6-4, 4-3). WKU’s season finale from Riccardo Silva Stadium will air on beIN Sports.

WKU secured bowl eligibility last week by beating Middle Tennessee in triple overtime but needs a seventh win to lock up a C-USA bowl tie-in.

“We want to finish strong,” WKU quarterback Mike White said. “It places a lot of importance on the game where a lesser, immature team would go in and say we’re already bowl eligible, let’s go down to Florida and have some fun. It’s not what we’re about. We still think there’s a lot of improvement to be done.”

WKU has won four straight against the Panthers, but both teams sport new head coaches in seasons with opposite reflections of years past. After a seven-year absence from the sideline, Butch Davis returned to Miami to coach FIU and has the Panthers two wins away from tying a program-best eight victories.

Davis won a national championship and Super Bowl as an assistant at Miami and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys before going 51-20 as the Hurricanes’ head coach from 1995-2000. Since FIU’s 8-5 season in 2011, the Panthers haven’t won more than five games in a season until this year under Davis.

“Very respected, especially for what he’s done in the state of Florida at the University of Miami and what he’s done in a very short period of time at FIU,” WKU’s first-year coach Mike Sanford said. “He’s a class individual and he’s a guy that carries himself like a guy that has been at the highest of the high in the game of football, but does it with so much humility. He’s such a good football coach.”

FIU’s offense presents an option and spread look, but will do it without one of the league’s top wide receivers. Senior wide out Thomas Owens, out for the season with an injury, leads C-USA in receiving yards per game (98.6) and leads FIU in catches (59), yards (887) and touchdowns (six).

FIU will also be without injured Julian Williams, who has 19 catches and is second on the team with 266 receiving yards.

The Panthers are quarterbacked by Alex McGough, who has averaged 226.9 passing yards per game. FAU sacked McGough four times last week in a 52-24 win over the Panthers.

“Athletic football team that’s coached very well by coach Davis,” WKU defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “They have a regular spread attack and an option attack. You have to be disciplined, you have to be smart, you have to make sure you’re in the right spot and keep the ball in front of you.”

“The DBs were really looking forward to going against (Owens) because he’s probably the best receiver in the conference. It shouldn’t change their offense. This is Week 13, they can’t change anything. I’m pretty sure they have another one who is going to step up and be ready to play.”

FIU had two separate three-game winning streaks this year before dropping back-to-back games to Old Dominion and Florida Atlantic. In those two losses, the Panthers’ defense gave up 38 points and more than 500 yards per game.

“I think they’re well-coached, have a good linebacking corps and some good athletes in the secondary and some stout defensive linemen,” Mike White said. “They’re not going to beat themselves. We’re going to have to go out and execute and be sound in our technique and game plan. If we go out there and do that we should be fine.”

Broadcast information

TV broadcast: BeIN Sports (Play-by-play: Mike Gleason; Analyst: Brett Romberg; Sideline: Michelle Gingras)

Radio: 105.3 FM/1450 AM (Play-by-play: Randy Lee; Analyst: Leo Peckenpaugh; Sideline: Terry Obee)

Notes

Mike Sanford is 6-5 as a first-time head coach. … WKU leads the series with FIU 6-4 and is 3-3 against the Panthers in Miami. … WKU will play its third Friday night game of the season, and the Hilltoppers have won their last six games played on Friday night. … WKU has won 11 of its last 13 November games dating back to 2014. … Twenty-four Toppers on offense or defense have earned their first career start at WKU this season – the fifth-most nationally. … Quarterback Mike White (7,834 passing yards) needs 96 yards to pass Justin Haddix and move into third place on the school’s career list. … WKU has 11 players hailing from the state of Florida.{&end}