For junior wide receiver Jake Gaebler and the rest of the Topper football team, the first 11 games of the season have been disappointing.

However, even though there will be no more games for nine months afterward, Saturday’s match-up against Florida International is a chance to gain momentum.

“A win would definitely be important,” Gaebler said. “I think that getting a win in the last game of the season against a conference opponent will give us momentum. We still won’t be satisfied with what we did this year, but we will still get a sense of improvement and team morale.”

The team enters into its last game week of the season coming off two consecutive bye weeks, unusual for a team during the season.

Senior Dan Cline said that the team has been using the break to recover from injuries, as well as relax with their teammates and prepare for the upcoming game.

“We’ve been smart about recovering our bodies but at the same time maintaining a high practice tempo,” Cline said. “We’ve combined those elements to make for a pretty productive 21 days.”

The bye period has allowed some Toppers who haven’t seen action in several games to make a reappearance on the field.

These players include junior center Lloyd Pressley, who had been out several weeks with a concussion. Also returning will be senior defensive lineman Robert Dark, who had been battling injuries for the last half of the season.

Coach David Elson said that the nearly three weeks of preparation have allowed the team to process a lot more information about the Panthers than they could for a usual team.

“We’re trying to take the approach of being ahead of schedule,” Elson said. “We’re trying to make sure that when we kick off this thing Saturday night we’re refreshed and energized and ready to play.”

The break also allowed the coaches and players to witness some of the talent lying in wait for Western’s next season. The team has held several scrimmage games using the players who have redshirted this season and the scout team. The team calls these games Rubber Bowls, and they are of the highlights of the team’s practice schedule.

Gaebler said that the team is prepared for the game.

“The intensity and the tempo has been up all three weeks,” Gaebler said. “We’ve been getting after it and haven’t let up.”

The Toppers end their season against FIU at 6 p.m. Saturday in Miami.