FIU
Golden Panthers
Preview 2009
By
Pete FIUtak
-
2009 CFN FIU Preview |
2009 FIU Offense
-
2009 FIU Defense |
2009 FIU Depth
Chart
-
2008 FIU Preview |
2007 FIU Preview |
2006 FIU
Preview
Head coach: Mario Cristobal
3rd year: 6-18
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 27, Def. 26, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 14 |
Ten
Best FIU Players
1. WR/KR T.Y. Hilton, Soph.
2. CB Anthony
Gaitor, Jr.
3. LB Scott Bryant, Sr.
4. FS Ashlyn Parker,
Jr.
5. SS Jeremiah Weatherspoon, Sr.
6. QB Paul McCall,
Sr.
7. WR Greg Ellingson, Jr.
8. LB Tyler Clawson, Sr.
9. OT Ula Matavao, Sr.
10. OT Joe Alajajian, Sr. |
|
2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2009 Record:
0-0
9/3 OPEN DATE
9/12 at Alabama
9/19 at Rutgers
9/26
Toledo
10/3 at ULM
10/10 at Middle Tenn.
10/17 Troy
10/24 at Western Kentucky
10/31 UL Lafayette
11/7 at Arkansas State
11/14 North Texas
11/21 at Florida
12/5 Florida Atlantic |
|
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 2-10
2008 Record:
4-7
8/30 at Kansas L
40-10
9/6 at Iowa L 42-0
9/13
OPEN DATE
9/20 South Florida L 17-9
9/27 at Toledo W 35-16
10/4 at North Texas W 42-10
10/11 Middle Tenn. W 31-21
10/18 at Troy L 33-23
10/25
OPEN DATE
11/1 at UL Lafayette L 49-20
11/8 Arkansas State W 22-21
11/15
OPEN DATE
11/22 UL Monroe L 31-27
11/29 at FAU L 57-50 OT
12/6 Western Kentucky
W 27-3 |
The 2006 FIU Golden Panthers were among the worst teams, at least offensively,
in the recent history of college football. The 2007 team wasn’t all that much
better, but it started to improve at the end of the year. Last year, FIU didn’t
seem to realize just how good it became with a few losses that a veteran team
would’ve pulled off. Now the program, the coaching staff, and the players appear
to be ready to take the next step and become a star of the Sun Belt.
FIU was this close …. this close … to
beating UL Monroe and Florida Atlantic in November last year and pushed South
Florida and Troy in two good measuring sticks. This year’s team would’ve won at
least two of those games, maybe three, and now it’s time for FIU to have the
attitude that it really can compete with anyone on its schedule.
Okay, so it can’t stay on the same field with Alabama or Florida,
but with Troy coming to FIU Stadium and a
not-that-bad second half of the schedule, it’s time to go from being among the
dregs of college football to a fun mid-major player.
The passing game has the potential to be special with a veteran quarterback in
Paul McCall who knows how to run an efficient attack and with a tremendous
receiving corps led by T.Y. Hilton, a franchise type of playmaker who’ll be a
Percy Harvin-like do-it-all star who’ll be a major deep threat along with his
role as a top kick and punt returner. All five starters return to the offensive
line and there’s plenty of speed and quickness in the young, inexperienced
backfield.
The defense should be fantastic in the back seven with Scott Bryant one of the
Sun Belt’s most underappreciated linebackers and Anthony Gaitor an emerging
superstar at corner. And then there’s the defensive front, which has plenty of
players who have seen time, but doesn’t have a sure-thing playmaker with all
four starters needing to be replaced. The D finished in the upper half of the
Sun Belt last year, and if there’s some semblance of a pass rush, it’ll finish
high again.
So all the pieces are there to become a bowl team and challenge for the Sun Belt
title. Is the team really ready? Head coach Mario Cristobal will make it ready
after building from the bottom for the last few years. This will be an
interesting team to watch out for.
What to watch for on offense: A great year from the passing game. Paul
McCall is a nice veteran who already holds the school’s single-season record for
touchdown passes throwing 15 last year. It’ll be a shock if he doesn’t shatter
the mark with T.Y. Hilton one of the Sun Belt’s best receiver, Greg Ellingson a
big, talented target who can hit the home run, and good up-and-comers with
Junior Mertile and Marquis Rolle two players to get excited about. Tight end
Eric Kirchenberg, if healthy, could be a big part of the attack.
What to watch for on defense: The line. The back seven will be good,
possibly the best in the short FBS history of FIU football. However, the front
four is starting from scratch after a mediocre year. There was no pass rush and
unless Cody Pellicer and Armond Willis can become the flashes into the backfield
they’re expected to be, there won’t be much of an improvement. There should be a
decent rotation on the inside, but can anyone stuff the run? 340-pound Jonas
Murrell will be an interesting piece of the puzzle.
The team will be far better if … the offensive line is better. With
all five starters returning and dependable, veteran depth at several
spots, the line has to be a plus, right? It didn’t matter much last year
with almost all the key players returning, but the pass protection was
non-existent and the Golden Panthers only averaged 99 rushing yards per
game.
The Schedule:
There’s a winnable home game against Toledo. That’s it as far as the competitive
non-conference games on the schedule with road dates at Alabama, Rutgers, and
Florida. The Sun Belt season starts out nasty with road games at UL Monroe and
Middle Tennessee before hosting Troy, but it’s a plus to get the Trojans at home
and Florida Atlantic also has to go down the road. There aren’t two home games
in a row all year, but there aren’t back-to-back road games after mid-October.
Best Offensive Player:
Sophomore WR T.Y. Hilton. The team desperately needed offensive playmakers going
into last year, and Hilton came through with an epic true freshman season
averaging a whopping 24.7 yards per catch with 41 grabs for 1,013 yards and
seven touchdowns to go along with two rushing scores. He’s also a tremendous
kick returner averaging 23.4 yards per kickoff returner and 14.8 yards per punt
return.
Best Defensive Player: Junior CB Anthony Gaitor. It could also be Scott
Bryant, the team’s leading tackler over the last two years. Gaitor went from a
shaky freshman to a ball-hawking all-star picking off five passes and breaking
up 11 passes. He’s not all that big at 5-10 and 175 pounds, but he’s a big-time
playmaker who tackles bigger than his size.
Key player to a successful season:
Senior DE Reginald Jones. The defensive front needs to find four new starters
and a steady pass rusher has to emerge. The Golden Panthers were lousy last year
at getting to the quarterback with Jones turning into a disappointment. This
year the senior has to be the main man to boost the nation’s 89th
ranked team in sacks.
The season will be a success if
... FIU gets to a bowl game. There are several big holes to fill and there are
some concerns to deal with as far as overall consistency, but the athletes and
talent are in place to come up with six wins. There will need to be an upset or
three, but after winning five games last year, it’s time to take another step
forward.
Key game: October 17th vs. Troy. While the Florida Atlantic showdown is the Sun
Belt’s new rivalry, the game against Troy could be bigger for FIU’s title hopes.
After starting out the conference season at UL Monroe and Middle Tennessee,
beating the Trojans could be a must to avoid an 0-3 start going into a road trip
to Western Kentucky. If FIU can start 2-1, even if the one loss is to Troy,
it’ll be in the hunt for the Sun Belt championship the rest of the way.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: FIU 105 for 799 yards – Opponents 81 for 738 yards
- Average yards per carry: Opponents 3.9 – FIU 2.8
- First quarter scoring: Opponents 91 – FIU 47
-
2009 CFN FIU Preview |
2009 FIU Offense
-
2009 FIU Defense |
2009 FIU Depth
Chart
-
2008 FIU Preview |
2007 FIU Preview |
2006 FIU
Preview