This is why a victory Saturday is important for the FIU Panthers and coach Butch Davis
FIU Panthers safety Olin Cushion III, listed at 5-8 and 175 pounds, used his small stature to his advantage recently, hiding behind a referee just before making a game-saving interception in the end zone against Middle Tennessee.
Cushion serves as an apt metaphor for the Panthers, who started the season with virtually no hype. Lindy’s magazine ranked FIU 108th out of 129 FBS teams entering this season and fifth out of seven squads in Conference USA’s East Division.
But the Panthers have surprised many prognosticators so far this season, posting a 5-2 overall record, leading C-USA East with a spotless 3-0 mark.
In other words, the Panthers can no longer hide. They have gone from hunters to the hunted — not that sophomore running back D’Vonte Price is worried.
“We’re at the top, [and] people are going to start coming at us differently,” Price acknowledged. “[But] we’re not the old FIU that was at the bottom of the conference.
“Now we’re getting up there. We’re going to stay up there, too, and become a powerhouse in Conference USA.”
The Panthers, who have won three consecutive games, will travel to Western Kentucky (1-6, 0-3) this Saturday. It will be FIU’s first time leaving Dade County since the Panthers beat Old Dominion at Norfolk, Virginia on Sept. 8.
If the Panthers were to win at Western Kentucky, they would be bowl eligible for just the fourth time in school history. It would also be the earliest FIU has ever won its sixth game, and it would make coach Butch Davis two-for-two in terms of getting the Panthers to bowl eligibility.
But Davis cannot afford to think big picture right now and has given his players a simple commandment.
“If it doesn’t help us win, quit doing it,” Davis said. “We need to be 100 percent focused on Western Kentucky.”
It would be easy to look past the WKU Hilltoppers, who are 2-11 in their past 13 games and 0-3 this season at home. FIU routed WKU 41-17 last season.
However, four of WKU’s losses this season have been by three points.
Last week, WKU lost 37-34 to Old Dominion.
With two seconds left in that game, WKU lined up for what could’ve been a game-winning 52-yard field goal. But the kick was short, and ODU returned it 83 yards, only to be tackled by a face mask. Because a game cannot end on a penalty, ODU was given an untimed down, and Nick Rice made a 26-yard field goal to win.
“I’ve never seen that in all my years of coaching,” said Davis, who became a college assistant in 1979. “You better watch the film, as players and as coaches, because (WKU is) pretty good.”
BACK AT WORK
FIU running back Anthony Jones and offensive lineman Mershawn Miller, who were shot in a drive-by shooting on Sept. 6, continue with their recoveries.
Jones, shot in the face and back, is back at practice, non-contact, and is on track to return this season despite getting shot in the face and back.
“He’s getting into some individual drills, running some routes,” Davis said. “He’s getting his strength back, his conditioning. He’s getting his weight back up. I think we’ll see him before the season is over with.”
Miller, who suffered an arm injury, is not yet back at practice.
“The next step for him is to get into a cast that will protect his arm,” Davis said, “and then we’ll see what happens.”