Panthers waiting to see if C-USA changes its schedule
FIU football coach
Butch Davis said Tuesday he is waiting to see if Conference USA “reshuffles the deck” in terms of the league’s 2020 schedule.
Because of COVID-10 concerns, Old Dominion, which went 1-11 last year, recently decided to skip the 2020 season.
That still leaves 13 CUSA teams that are determine to play football this fall.
But FIU, which had hoped to play 12 games this year, is down to eight at the moment. UCF, Massachusetts and Jacksonville State are all off the schedule for various reasons.
“Who can we add [to the schedule]?” Davis said. “Can we do like the ACC and SEC and reschedule our whole fall? Until Conference USA decides, all we can do is train and prepare.”
Davis said that “for the first time ever”, his FIU players are living in dorm rooms only with teammates as opposed to nonfootball-player students. Call it the “FIU Bubble”. Even so, Davis said even his third-team players will have to be on high alert this year because they could get tons of playing time if some teammates get sick.
“We’ve got to be pretty cautious,” Davis said.
“One of my biggest concerns is when you play a team, and, the next Tuesday, their trainer calls and says, ‘Coach, we feel bad about this but our running back has tested positive.’
“Well, we tackled that guy 27 times. How does that impact everybody on our defense who tackled that guy? I don’t have an answer for that other than we will test our players and hope that didn’t impact us.”
As for on-field matters, FIU recently added offensive lineman Dontae
Keys, who started 21 games at right tackle for North Carolina A&T over the past two years.
Davis credits his new offensive line coach, Joel Rodriguez, for recruiting Keys, a 6-4, 300-pound redshirt senior from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“That impressed me,” Davis said of Rodriguez’s recruiting effort.
“[Rodriguez couldn’t] do a home visit or get [Keys] to come to our campus [because of the pandemic]. But he still got someone that talented.”
According to the North
Carolina A&T website, Keys can bench press 225 pounds 20 times, has a great work ethic, missed just four assignments all of last season and made second-team all-conference (MEAC). He also gave up three sacks and was penalized three times last season, recording 19 knockdown blocks.
REMEMBERING HILL
Davis said FIU plans to dedicate its 2020 season to Aubrey Hill, who died Sunday of cancer at age 48.
Hill coached FIU’s wide receivers until the time of his death, and one of his position players, Bryce Singleton, was the leader who came to Davis with the idea of dedicating the season for his mentor.
Still, Hill’s death shocked the entire program, Davis said.
“His wife was in my office last week,” Davis said. “Aubrey had experienced some ups and downs in his battle with cancer, but this was the first time I had seen his wife be somewhat positive [about his chances for a recovery].
“Aubrey was looking forward to getting back with the team, maybe late in the fall. But, within 48 hours, he passed away.”
THIS AND THAT
Since the pandemic canceled all of FIU’s spring practices this past March, Davis’ team has yet to have a full-pads workout in 2020. FIU’s most recent full-pads practice was in December of 2019. “We probably won’t go full pads until Saturday,” Davis said.
Davis said he wouldn’t be surprised if UCF returned to FIU’s schedule quickly, perhaps as soon as 2021.
FIU’s young cornerbacks have stood out in camp so far, with Davis initially mentioning redshirt sophomores Jesson Walker and Jamal Anderson as worthy of praise.
“Our veterans are really impressed with them,” Davis said.
Davis said he “anticipates” that cornerback Henry Gray, a freshman transfer from Nebraska, will be eligible this fall. Davis called Gray “a great addition.”
Freshman Joe Perkins, a cornerback from Mississippi, has turned heads, Davis said.
“I don’t know if anyone on the planet knew [who] he was,” said Davis in a slight exaggeration. “He’s only been here six weeks, but he’s been on fire.”