FIU head coach Don Strock likes to use the term “measuring stick” when describing non-conference opponents of his young Golden Panthers football team. And if there was ever a measuring stick game, it could be this Saturday’s meeting in the Orange Bowl against a nationally-recognized and cross-town rival University of Miami.

“We have watched the University of Miami for a number of years and know that they are one of the elite programs in the country,” Strock said. “I have great respect for them and for Coach Coker with what he had done there. This will be a true test for our football team to see how it measures up.”

UM comes into the game, 3-2, with back-to-back victories over Houston and North Carolina and this will be the last non-conference game of the season before a string of six straight games against ACC rivals.

And to anyone who believes that this Hurricane team is not an outstanding one, Strock thinks differently.

“I’ve been watching film on them all week and they look pretty good to me,” the coach said. “They have great athletes who are well coached. They make plays. They can run. This will certainly be a test for us. But we’re preparing to go in, play well and see what happens.”

The Golden Panthers are 0-6, but they have lost only one of those games by more than five points. Last week, FIU fell to North Texas, 25-22, tying an NCAA-record seven overtimes. Earlier in the season, FIU lost by one point to Middle Tennessee and South Florida, by five points to Bowling Green and four points to Maryland.

Despite its record, the speedy FIU defense has played as well as most any team in I-A. The Golden Panthers rank 32nd nationally in total team defense and are No. 1 in the country with nearly 10 tackles for loss per game.

Individually, Defensive end Antwan Barnes (Miami/Norland) and linebacker Keyonvis Bouie (Pahokee) are tied for fourth nationally with two TFL per game and defensive back Lionell Singleton (Tallahassee) is fourth-best in Division I-A with four interceptions. Bouie and defensive back Chris Smith (Gainesville) also rank among the top-20 tacklers in the nation.

Shannon vs. Shannon: Of all the story lines surrounding this week’s FIU/UM football game, the one that has gotten the most attention is the father-son connection between the Golden Panthers starting offensive center Xavier Shannon (Miami/Coral Gables) and Miami’s defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. The two were written about in a front-page Miami Herald article and will be featured in a segment Friday night on Sun Sports’ Rec Warehouse College Kickoff.

“Before this week, I’ve been interviewed about four times,” said the usually-inconspicuous Xavier. “This week, I’ve done about 20 interviews.”

Bouie Earns Midseason Second-Team All-America Honors: Senior linebacker Keyonvis Bouie was recognized Friday with inclusion on CollegeFootballNews.com/FoxSports.com’s Midseason All-America team as a second-team linebacker.

Bouie joins Florida State linebacker Buster Davis, Miami defensive back Brandon Meriweather and Florida defensive back Reggie Nelson as the only representatives from the state of Florida.