Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the FIU Golden Panthers season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– FIU Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 9-4 overall, 6-2 in Conference USA
Head Coach: Butch Davis, 3rd year, 17-9
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIU OFFENSE
– The offense that scored more than 100 points than the 2017 version has the talent to do a whole lot more. Nine starters are back from an attack that average 422 yards and a Conference USA high 32 points per game, putting up 28 or more in nine of the 13 games, winning eight of them.
– The passing game started to take off when Bowling Green transfer James Morgan transferred in, and now he’s back along with the main parts. The passing game that was among the nation’s most efficient lost CJ Worton early to the next level, but Austin Maloney is among the most explosive targets in the conference, Maurice Alexander is even more dangerous, and Tony Gaiter and Bryce Singleton are factors. Getting back 25-catch TE Sterling Palmer helps, too.
– The offensive line was fantastic, finishing fourth in the nation in fewest tackles for loss and third in sacks allowed. It wasn’t dominant for the ground game, but it was good enough. Three starters are back around all-star talents Dallas Connell at center and Shane McGough at one guard spot.
– The Golden Panthers are loaded at running back. Leading rusher Napoleon Maxwell is back, but Anthony Jones – who survived being shot before last season – is the star of the backfield after being healthy again. Jones ran for 338 yards and six scores in his six games of work, and D’Vonte Price returns after averaging over six yards per carry with five scores.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIU DEFENSE
– It was the program’s best defense since 2014, at least in terms of scoring, allowing 386 yards and 24 points per game. It managed to hold teams to 24 points or fewer seven times, and now it gets back eight starters and seven of the top nine tacklers.
– The defensive front has to be stronger against the run and has to do far, far more to get into the backfield. The pass rush wasn’t there, but it has decent size across the front four and a few nice parts. Noah Curtis is a good end on one side, but the line needs Kevin Oliver to become a bigger factor.
Losing 350-pound Tayland Humphrey isn’t massive – he was just okay – but he takes away bulk in the interior. Senior Teair Tart has to be more than just a playmaker in the backfield at one tackle spot.
– If Sage Lewis isn’t the best linebacker in Conference USA, he’s not far off. He’s not alone with junior Jamal Gates back coming off a decent 36-tackle season – he’ll have to fight for the gig, though. Junior Josh Powell is a safety-sized option who adds more speed, and Rocky Jacques-Louis is another hybrid type with 6-3, 205-pound size and athleticism. Overall, this group has to do more behind the line.
– The secondary wasn’t all that bad considering there wasn’t enough of a pass rush. All four starters return, working around third-leading tackler Olin Cushion at one safety spot and sophomore Dorian Hall, coming off a solid 46-stop first season. Hall finished with CB Richard Dames in a tie for the team lead in interceptions, and
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP FIU PLAYERS
Best FIU Offensive Player
QB James Morgan, Sr.
Where did this come from? Morgan was a nice quarterback at Bowling Green who moved the offense and threw a slew of interceptions, but he wasn’t considered anything all that amazing when he transferred to FIU. As it turned out, he was exactly what the offense needed, hitting 65% of his passes for 2,727 yards and 26 touchdowns. With just seven picks, he took care of the ball and didn’t screw up for the ultra-efficient offense.
2. WR/KR Maurice Alexander, Sr.
3. C Dallas Connell, Sr.
4. OG Shane McGough, Jr.
5. WR Austin Maloney, Sr.
Best FIU Defensive Player
LB Sage Lewis, Sr.
The 6-1, 240 pounder stepped up his game as a sophomore with a nice 55 tackle season, and then he took his game to a whole other level making a team-high 132 stops with four tackles for loss.
Against Charlotte, he came up with a key 61-yard fumble return for a score to go along with his 11 tackles – his last of six double-digit stop games on the year. He might not get in the backfield enough, but he’s always around the ball as the leader of what’s about to be another strong FIU D.
2. DE Noah Curtis, Jr.
3. CB Richard Dames, Jr.
4. S Olin Cushion, Jr.
5. DT Teair Tart, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The FIU Offense
Turnovers … don’t do that. The FIU offense was balanced and effective last season, and there’s more than enough talent returning to do even more. The skill players are the best in the conference, James Morgan is an efficient quarterback, and the line will be fine with a little time to work in fall camp.
As long as the O doesn’t give the ball away, all will be okay.
FIU only gave it up 13 times last season, and it was fantastic in the middle of the season, going turnover-free in a run of six games in seven. That one game it gave it up, though, was a problem, turning it over three times in a blowout loss to FIU.
In the nine wins, the Golden Panthers turned it over four times. In the four losses, it gave it up nine times. So far under Butch Davis, FIU is 4-7 when giving it up twice or more.
Biggest Key To The FIU Defense
The line has to be better. It has to do far more to get behind the line, and it has to be a whole lot better at hitting the quarterback. Do that, and everything changes, but the front four has to be nastier against the run, too.
The FIU D was hit-or-miss against the better ground games, getting it for close to five yards per carry overall and allowing 199 yards or more five times. There was less fluctuation than in 2017, but with more experience returning now, the run D needs to give up around 160ish yards per game rather than the 192 of last year.
Key Player To A Successful Season
DT Teair Tart, Sr.
The defensive tackles have to be better. The hope was for 6-5, 350-pound Tayland Humphrey to rise up and become an anchor on the nose, but he was just okay, and then he left the program.
The 6-3, 290-pound Tart entered in as a solid JUCO transfer and did a great job of getting into the backfield from time to time, but now he has to do a whole lot more. The tackles should be among the team’s biggest question marks, but if Tart – or any of the DTs – are great, the whole defense changes.
Key Game To The FIU Season
at Florida Atlantic, Nov. 9
There are three key Conference USA East games for FIU, and they’re all on the road, going to Middle Tennessee, Marshall and FAU. Beating the Owls is the one the program needs.
FIU was rolling right along with a solid four-game winning streak, and then it picked a horrible time to come up with its worst performance of the year. The Owls ripped through the Golden Panthers for the second year in a row, making it Lane Kiffin 101, Butch Davis 38.
– FIU Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 FIU Fun Stats
– FIU 1st Quarter Scoring: 61 – FIU 2nd Quarter Scoring: 127
– Sacks: FIU 22 for 120 yards – Opponents 8 for 54 yards
– Onside Kicks: FIU 2-for 4 – Opponents 1-for-3
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. FIU WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Coming off a fantastic nine-win season complete with a bowl victory, FIU and Butch Davis have a better team with the upside to go one step further to take the Conference USA title.
But overall, the schedule is a bit nastier.
The talent and experience are enough to be outstanding, with a few good years of recruiting under Davis loading up the skill spots on the offensive side. Now the defensive front seven has to be a whole lot tougher against the run, and in all phases, the team needs to be more consistent.
And it needs to come up with a few more really, really big wins.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
The Golden Panthers are good enough to win the Conference USA title, and they’re strong enough to potentially win ten games. However, the four nastiest conference games – Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and Marshall – are all on the road.
Going to Tulane won’t be easy to start the season, and the Miami game isn’t a real home game – it’s being played in Marlins Park – meaning the last three games and four of the last five are away from Riccardo Silva.
WKU, New Hampshire, UMass, Charlotte, UTEP, Old Dominion – there’s FIU’s base of six wins, five at worst. There’s a chance to get to nine wins, but as good as FIU will be, finishing up with eight in the regular season is closer to the pin.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
