Panthers shorthanded; may use multiple QBs in opener
When the Panthers open their
2020 season Saturday at Liberty, the visitors will be without “eight to 10” injured players, coach Butch Davis said Thursday.
Davis said he doesn’t believe any of his players are out due to COVID-19, but that certainly wasn’t the case earlier in training camp.
“We’ve had peaks up and down the past couple of months,” Davis said. “A majority of [players who tested positive] got back last week. It was a concern.
“We can’t wait to play. But if we had to play earlier in the season there would’ve been no chance. We wouldn’t have had enough players. It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen.”
Davis cited how the virus has affected football programs such as Houston, which has had four wouldbe season-openers in a row canceled or postponed because of positive tests revealed by the opposing team. In addition, Memphis played its opener and then postponed its next two games.
“Memphis had like 40 players test positive,” Davis said. “We have 65 to 70 players on our team who have never tested positive. That sounds good, but those guys have a target on their chests [for the virus]. I don’t know if or how things will change between now and the end of the season.”
Davis said he is also worried about injuries since his team hasn’t played since December, and it’s hard to be in game shape without actual games.
Beside injuries/illness, the other big story at FIU is the battle at quarterback between supposed favorite
Kaylan Wiggins, Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager and freshmen Stone Norton and Haden Carlson.
Asked how many quarterbacks he planned to play Saturday, Davis had a classic response.
“Seven,” he joked.
Davis added that he has yet to pick a starter, although that could happen on Friday. He also said, ‘We will play more than two I’m sure.” However, he also added this:
“If the starter is on fire, we’re not taking him out.”
Saturday will also mark the first matchup between Davis and Liberty coach Hugh Freeze. But the men know each other well because Drew Davis, Butch’s son, was a quarterback at Ole Miss when Freeze was the coach there. Davis worked for ESPN at the time and got to watch Freeze’s games and practices, with
the added benefit of visiting his son, who is now FIU’s tight ends coach.
“I have a lot of respect for [Freeze],” Davis said. “It’s his ability to coach, the type of athletes he recruits and the assistants he hires.”
THIS AND THAT
Ex-FIU tight end Jonnu Smith is off to a stellar start for the 2-0 Tennessee Titans, teaming with former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. In two games, Smith has eight catches for 120 yards and three TDs.
In the four years since the Titans drafted him in the third round, Smith has started 41 of his 47 games played. But this could be his breakout year.
Smith had four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Jaguars. On the first play of the game, he caught a 63-yard pass. Later, he ran over a would-be tackler for a score, and then went up to catch another TD pass even though he was well covered.
Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is the only other former FIU player starting in the NFL. The other ex-FIU players in the league are 49ers safety Johnathan Cyprien; Panthers cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver; and Jets quarterback James Morgan. In addition, quarterback Alex McGough (Texans) and defensive tackle Teair Tart (Titans) are on NFL practice squads.