Winless Panthers face a tough test against Western Kentucky defense
FIU’s football team — off to a 0-4 start with just four games remaining — is set to meet a hot defense Saturday, when the Panthers travel to face the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in a Conference USA game.
WKU (3-6, 2-3) is coming off a 10-7 win over Southern Mississippi. The previous week, WKU lost to Florida Atlantic, 10-6. Last year, WKU traveled to FIU and won 20-14.
FIU has lost six consecutive games, dating to last season. A loss to WKU would clinch FIU’s second losing season in a row, and the Panthers continue to be the only winless team in the league.
“You hate this for our kids,” FIU coach Butch Davis said of the skid. “If you had any idea the enormous sacrifice they have made just to play. … The only way to get better is for our guys to play in games and learn from their mistakes.”
Meanwhile, WKU’s defensive stars include a pair of seniors: defensive end DeAngelo Malone and safety Devon Key.
Malone, a 6-4, 230pounder, is the league’s No. 1 NFL prospect — at any position. He is also the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and on Saturday he set the
WKU modern-era career sack record with 25.
Key, a 6-1, 210-pounder with 44 career starts, finished Saturday with 327 career tackles, also a school record.
WKU ranks fifth in CUSA in points allowed for the season, and its losing record can be blamed on an offense that is last in the 13-team league in scoring (14.7 points per game).
Even so, Malone could be a major problem for FIU’s offensive line, which has been blitzed by injuries, including left tackle D’Antne Demery and left guard Mershawn Miller, both out for the season.
Injuries, coronavirus and contact tracing have taken a massive toll on the Panthers this year. Perhaps the worst-hit position has been running back. Davis said
the Panthers have lost four of them to injuries, including Shaun Peterson, who is the team’s secondleading rusher; and Lexington “Flex” Joseph, who was sixth in the nation on kickoff returns before hurting his wrist in practice.
“There is no depth,” said Davis, who estimated that 17 Panthers are out for the year. “When we practiced [last week], our offense had to also serve as the scout team for our defense.
“I don’t know if any school could lose this many players and still be just as good.”
In February, Davis said he thought he would have his best team in four years at FIU, but the pandemic has helped sink that notion.
There have been few bright spots beyond senior running back D’vonte Price, who has averaged 7.9 yards per carry, stamping himself as an NFL prospect with impressive size (6-2, 215) and speed. He leads the team in rushing yards (481) and touchdowns (five).
No FIU player has more than 10 catches this season, although true freshman tight end Rivaldo Fairweather offered hope for the future with his performance last Friday against FAU. He had seven catches for 116 yards and one TD in
that game.
Quarterback has been an issue all season. FIU has started three QBs: Redshirt freshman Stone Norton (twice), Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager and redshirt junior Kaylan Wiggins.
None of the QBs has a completion percentage above 54.5, but Bortenschlager (14 for 30 for 178 yards this season) may get the start on Saturday since he was FIU’s best passer against FAU.
Davis praised Bortenschlager’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly: “Max is making fast decisions.”
THIS AND THAT
FIU is last in the league
● in rushing defense. Offensively, FIU is last in passing efficiency and next-to-last in passing offense and third-down conversions.
●WKU finished No. 1 in C-USA last year in fewest points allowed and No. 2 in total defense. They returned just about everyone defensively, including nine
starters, nine secondteamers and defensive coordinator Clayton
White.
●WKU’s quarterback is Tyrell Pigrome, a graduate transfer who played 34 games at Maryland, including seven starts. In high school, he was Alabama’s 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year. This season, he has passed for 913 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions, and he is second on the team in rushing (233).
●WKU’s top running back is redshirt senior Gaej Walker, who moved from defensive back last year and finished second in C-USA with 1,208 rushing yards. He had seven 100yard games and eight touchdowns, leading WKU to nine wins. This year, he leads WKU in rushing (352 yards), averaging 4.0 per rush.
FIU junior Jason Mer
●
cier has shifted from defensive end to d-tackle. He has gained about 13 pounds and is now at 6-3, 275.
Davis lauded a pair of
●
true freshmen: Miles Frazier, who has been getting more playing time than expected on the offensive line due to the injuries; and linebacker AJ Mathis, who has made plays on special teams.