College football’s preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #2 Florida International
September 2, 2010 by
John Stansberry
If you mention FIU football to someone, this incident from 2006 is probably the first thing that will jump to that person’s mind:
What a clip, nobody in that thing (Larry Coker, Don Strock, Bill Pidto, you name it) is still employed by the same outfit that employed them back then. That’s some kind of turnover.
This offseason, the football team was once again in the spotlight for news that was anything but good. Back in March, running back Kendall Berry was stabbed to death on campus just days before FIU’s spring game. The fact that his assailant, Quentin Wyche, had briefly played for the Golden Panthers made the tragedy even tougher for those within the program to deal with.
In the context of what they’ve endured, writing about the on the field prospects of the Golden Panthers seems a little trivial. But there are still games to be played, and without question Berry’s teammates want to win as many of those as possible as a means of paying tribute to him.
Before that can happen, though, this football team will have to get better on defense…a lot better. The Golden Panthers finished 119th nationally in total defense a season ago, yielding 500 or more yards on seven different occasions.
The passing defense was especially woeful. Opponents completed 61% of their fourth quarter passes against FIU last season, generating an average QB rating of 152.5. On the season, FIU yielded 24 passing plays of 15+ yards during the fourth quarter.
Eight new starters will take the field on defense for FIU this season. However, that might not necessarily be a bad thing, especially if new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins can implement a more aggressive style that will create more turnovers.
On offense, Wesley Carroll appears to have won the quarterback job after transferring in from Mississippi State. But for a school sitting in the Sunshine State, there’s a strange lack of playmakers surrounding him. Still, Carroll’s previous major college experience will help immensely.
Why FIU is in the bottom 10: The first four games of the season will probably sink any hope for a dramatic improvement over 2009’s 3-9 record. The opener is a home date with Rutgers followed by road tilts with Texas A&M, Maryland and Pittsburgh. An 0-4 start is pretty much a certainty unless they can catch an underachieving Maryland team napping.
How FIU can avoid the bottom 10: This team just didn’t make enough big plays on either side of the ball last season. FIU picked off just 10 passes in 2009 and on offense recorded just 38 rushes of 10+ yards (compare that to 65 such plays for Sun Belt champ Troy). An increase in big plays might have the Golden Panthers sniffing a 5-win campaign.
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #3 Eastern Michigan
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #4 Miami (Ohio)
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #5 New Mexico State
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #6 Tulane
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #7 North Texas
Preseason bottom 10 of 2010: #8 New Mexico
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