Know Your Opponent: Florida International Should Have Indiana On High Alert
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Alex McGough completed 64 percent of his passes in 2015, he looks to knock off IU in week 1
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Head Coach: Ron Turner (4th Year)
Overall: 52-87 (.374) 12th year
At Florida International 10-26 (7-17)
Bowl Appearances: 0
Last Years Record: 5-7 (3-5)
Bowl Appearances Since 2000: 2 Appearances (1-1 Record)
Mascot: Roary the Panther
Colors: Blue and Gold
Outfitter: adidas
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 0
Heisman Winners: 0
Fun Fact
QB David Tabor was the first FIU football recruit. In February 2002, FIU found its star QB in highly touted Jamie Burke from Cardinal Mooney High, Sarasota, FL. Burke was the only player to ever throw for over 500 yards in a single game in Florida as well as led the state in touchdown passes in a season with 34. Burke was being recruited by the University of Florida but opted instead for FIU when Steve Spurrier left to coach the Washington Redskins
1. The Offense Has The Playmakers To Be More Than a Thorn In IU’s Side
Florida International has never cracked the 400 total yards per game mark in their brief history as a football program. 2016 may be the year they reach that mark, as they return a solid core that averaged 368 ypg last season. The leader of the offense is junior quarterback Alex McGough who threw 2,722 yards while completing 64.0 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. McGough has the ability to pick apart a defense and has plenty of weapons to spread the ball around and make it difficult for an Indiana team breaking in a new defense.
Tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Thomas Owens are big-time players who can catch the ball and run. Smith, a Phil Steele First-Team All-CUSA player, is a force at tight end. After missing the final four games last year due to a knee injury, Smith is back and ready to take FIU back to a bowl game in his senior year. “Just like I told everybody, my knee is better than it was once before. I feel faster, stronger and more powerful off that left knee. It feels like I’ve never been injured. I’m just appreciative of the trainer and strength staff for getting me past the point I was before,” Smith said in an interview with FIUSM.com. In his limited duty in 2015 he finished with 36 catches for 397 yards and four scores.
Owens, a 6’1” wide out, gave IU fits a season ago when he torched the Hoosier secondary for 166 yards. He finished the year as the team’s leading receiver with 638 yards and eight touchdowns. The Hoosiers will probably try and cover up Owens with their top corner Rashard Fant or use Tyler Green, a bigger corner, who can combat Owen’s size.
The Golden Panthers also return leading rusher Alex Gardner in 2016 after running for 760 yards and nine scores in 2015. Gardner is 5’10” and 192 pounds and may not be the type of back who could flourish in the Big Ten week in and week out, however he can be a handful, particularly for a defense whose main concern is depth along the defensive line.
2. The Golden Panthers Will Try And Control The Pace of The Game
Everyone knows that the Hoosiers love to push the tempo of the game and run as many plays as possible while trying to wear out the opponent’s defense. In 2015 Indiana ran 81 plays per game, which was only behind Arizona State (82.31), Baylor (84.85), Boise State (82.92), Bowling Green (81.14), Cincinnati (81.46), TCU (82.92) and Tulsa (83.31). The best way to combat an offense that tries to push the up-tempo agenda is to keep the ball out of their hands. The Golden Panthers ran just 68.75 plays per game in 2015 and will try and be play ball control offense to keep the Hoosier defense on the field and the high-powered offense on the sideline.
3. FIU is Reloading On Defense In 2016
FIU lost six of their eight top tacklers from a season ago, including number two tackler all conference corner Rashard Leonard. Despite the losses on defense, FIU does return star linebacker Anthony Wint who finished with a team-high 88 tackles last season, along with five tackles for loss and an interception. Wint will have to lead by example to slow down the Hoosier offense with an inexperienced group around them.
The biggest test for FIU will come in the trenches as a rebuilt defensive line will try and penetrate a veteran and extremely talented Indiana offensive line. If FIU cannot get a push upfront it will be a long day for the Golden Panthers (We’ll have more on this later in the week). Heading up the defensive line unit are seniors defensive tackle Leonard Washington, who has played in 22 career games and has put up solid career numbers with 17 tackles and 2 TFL’s, and fellow tackle Imarjaye Albury, who led all returning linemen with 19 stops.
4. Home Field Advantage?
Opening the season as the home team always has an advantage. There is limited travel, the routine up to the game is smoother, fans are probably at the height of their excitement, and it is just plain more comfortable. But, just how much of a home field advantage will FIU have on September 1st? There are several factors that should go into that.
First, it is a unique situation for a Conference USA team to host a Big Ten squad and that will have the locals fired up to come out and soak in the atmosphere of being on an ESPNU broadcast and the opening night of college football. As far as being intimidated by the opposing crowd, the Hoosiers have plenty of experience playing in much more hostile environments than FIU. Indiana has played road games at Group of Five schools before, sometimes with disastrous results, losing to Bowling Green in 2014 stands out the most. However, Indiana has been solid on the road under head coach Kevin Wilson winning at Missouri in 2014 and knocking off Maryland and Purdue on the road to end last year with two wins and a bowl berth.
Secondly, the weather will probably be a factor. When one thinks of Florida at the end of summer, you think of either sweltering heat or tropical storms and hurricanes. While there will probably not be a tropical storm pounding down, there will probably be a thunderstorm that could wreak havoc on the game. It is never really known how teams can react to a lightning delay. Luckily, the weather in Indiana this summer has been Florida-like. Fall camp has featured some extremely hot and humid afternoons as well as practices where there was a steady heavy rain, so the Hoosiers have “simulated” as best as they could the conditions they may play in.
Finally, playing in a new stadium with a new quarterback could get difficult. Outside of the crowd noise, there are slight differences that could throw a quarterback and offense for an early loop. Things like locating the play clock and the game clock. How does throwing in a smaller stadium with different wind patterns affect passes? While all these extra-curricular factors should be figured out by the end of warm-ups it could be an adjustment that shows itself as the game gets going.
The bottom line is, playing at FIU should not be that much of an adjustment for the Hoosiers. They have practiced in all the elements and have even simulated lightning delays. IU regularly plays road games in front of 70,000+ opposing fans.