My View – Bonus Holiday Edition
Playing the Rockets in the school’s first ever bowl appearance has a somewhat bitter taste on the Panthers pallet. To a player and coach they felt dissed by the bowl selection committee. Sharing the Sunbelt title with Troy, a team they handled 52-35, FIU felt they deserved to play in the New Orleans Bowl. They view Detroit and the Little Caesar Bowl as a consolation prize. Not far below the surface I’m guessing is a the-Sunbelt-is-better-than-the-MAC attitude too.
Emotions aside, this is a big game for both schools. The FIU football program is in its ninth year winning, okay, sharing its first league title and first bowl trip. This year the Rockets have stopped the bleeding of four consecutive losing seasons while posting the second best league record this year.
The parallels between UT and FIU on the field this year continue. Reviewing the NCAA regular season stats have the two teams very evenly matched with three exceptions: turnover and kickoff returns advantage goes to the Rockets while field goal scoring advantage goes to FIU.
FIU on Offense
The success of the Golden Panthers goes mostly to the offense triggered by Mississippi State transfer QB Wesley Carroll. For most of the season Carroll and his receiving corps carried the load waiting the rushing attack to jell. Carroll has connected on about 62 percent of his passes for 2,438 yards. He has 15 TD passes to go with 13 INTs.
Carroll’s top two receivers, T.Y. Hilton (5’10”, 183#) and Greg Ellingson (6’4”, 195#), have accounted for 42% of the catches, 53% of the passing yardage and 60% of the TD receptions. Wayne Times and RB Darian Mallary have 26 and 22 receptions respectively, each with one TD grab.
The FIU ground game showed up later in the season and is led by a tandem of RBs. Darian Mallary (699 yards, 5.7 ypc) and Darriet Perry (730 yards, 4.6 ypc) provide a solid 1-2 punch. Mallary (5’8”, 175#) has the speed while Perry (5’9”, 202#) runs with power and has 14 rushing TDs. Hilton has run the ball 26 times averaging close to 11 yards per touch.
All-Sun Belt first team center Brad Serini leads an offensive line that has been solidified with the same starters in the last four games overcoming early shuffling along the OL.
FIU on Defense
It’s been an up and down year for the Golden Panthers defensive unit. Going from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 alignment from the second game on, the defense steadily improved. By mid-season the rap on this group was their tendency to give up yards in bunches. The defense tighten up during the second half of the season thanks in part to the offense racking up points and taking time off the clock.
Three FIU players earned All-Sun Belt first team defensive honors: DE Jarvis Wilson (13 TFL and 7.5 sacks), LB Toronto Smith (10.5 TFL and 4 sacks) and CB Anthony Gaitor (8.5 TFL, 3 sacks, and 2 INTs). DE Tourek Williams (12.5 TFL and 6 sacks) and S Jonathan Cyprien (a team high105 tackles) were named to the second team.
FIU Special Teams
Punting and kickoff coverage are two of the weak spots for FIU. The punt return unit is decent while the kickoff return team is excellent, both thanks to T.Y. Hilton. SO Jack Griffin has connected on 15 of 18 FG attempts including a season long of 50 yards.
What to Look For:
• FIU will try to make it the T.Y. Hilton show. He’s a legitimate threat to score every time he touches the ball running the ball on sweeps, catching the ball, and handling kick and punt returns.
• The Rockets to bring pressure early and often to get Carroll uncomfortable.
• Rockets to win the turnover battle mostly on INTs.
• TO to offset FIU’s defensive rush with his quick release.
• Rockets OL to create running lanes for UT running backs, particularly in the second half as their size wears on FIU smaller defensive lineman and line backers.
• FIU will have more, perhaps significantly more, penalties than the Rockets.
• FIU to put heavy pressure on UT’s punting unit going for blocks.
• A game with T.Y. Hilton and Eric Page will be fun to watch.
• Somewhere around 1,000 FIU fans in the stands of Ford Field surrounded by lots of Gold and Midnight Blue.
• The Golden Dazzlers – Terry knows!
GO ROCKETS!
Game Time: Sunday, December 26 (8:30 p.m.ET, ESPN)
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Weather Forecast: High of 26 degrees, low of 17 outside; inside just right;-)
Tickets: Call 419-530-GOLD
No comments:
Post a Comment