FIU football keeps rolling as the Panthers are poised to do something they’ve never done
The FIU Panthers won again on Saturday night, defeating host Western Kentucky 38-17 for their fourth consecutive victory. And FIU coach Butch Davis said leaders have stepped forward.
“After last season, we lost the most dynamic leaders on our team — [linebacker] Anthony Wint on defense, [quarterback] Alex McGough on offense and Fred Russ on special teams,” Davis said.
“It’s taken several weeks for the guys that we think can be leaders to emerge — [quarterback] James Morgan has become a leader. [Defensive tackle] A.J. [Johnson] is a leader. [Middle linebacker] Sage [Lewis] is a leader.
“We’re getting some guys that now their voice matters. They’ve set a level of expectations.”
That’s what happened on Saturday as the Panthers continued with what is shaping up as possibly the greatest season in FIU football history.
Morgan completed 19-of-28 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions as he continues to play winning football.
It was the second road win of the season for FIU (6-2, 4-0), which leads Conference USA’s East Division and clinched bowl eligibility for the second consecutive year, both under Davis.
Prior to Davis’ arrival in 2017, FIU had been to just two bowl games in school history. And this sixth win on Oct. 27 marks the earliest calendar day ever for the Panthers clinching bowl eligibility.
FIU has four games left in its regular season, all of them in league play, including this Saturday night’s home date against defending Conference USA champion Florida Atlantic, which has slumped this season (3-5, 1-3).
The Panthers on Saturday will try to contain FAU running back Devin Singletary, a 5-9, 200-pound junior from Deerfield Beach who led the nation last season with 32 rushing touchdowns.
In Saturday’s 21-13 loss to Louisiana Tech – which snapped FAU’s 10-game home winning streak – Singletary ran 19 times for 171 yards and his nation-leading 15th rushing touchdown of the season. His 59 career TDs are tied for 11th place in NCAA history.
Davis said his team has been missing too many tackles lately, and, when facing a talented runner such as Singletary, setting the edges and wrapping him up will be priorities.
“In the past three or four games,” Davis said before the Western Kentucky game, “we have given up somewhere between 55 and 80 yards that we could have eliminated if the first guy there makes the tackle.”
Against Western Kentucky, FIU never trailed, leading 7-0 after the first quarter, 14-3 at the half and 28-3 after three quarters.
Western Kentucky did some damage late, but it was still a solid defensive effort by Lewis, who had eight tackles, and outside linebacker Edwin Freeman, who led the team with 11 stops.
Johnson and defensive end Noah Curtis each had one sack, and wide receiver-turned-cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III had a monster game with an interception, four passes defensed and one tackle for loss.
Offensively, wide receiver Austin Maloney caught four passes for a team-high 70 yards – including a 52-yarder — and one touchdown. Wide receiver Maurice Alexander also had a big game with six catches for 48 yards and one touchdown.
FIU, which had no turnovers, also ran the ball for 197 yards and a 5.2 average. Sophomore D’Vonte Price led the way with 119 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, and Napoleon Maxwell added 80 yards on 16 carries.
For the season, the 6-2 195-pound Price leads FIU running backs in yards rushing (427), average per rush (6.8) and touchdowns (five).
Keep in mind that Price has started just twice this season, but he has really emerged of late. Over the past two games, Price has 198 yards on 26 carries, two touchdowns and a 7.6 average per rush.
“I’m a little bit shifty, but mostly speedy,” Price said when asked about his running style. “They say I run high, but when I get contact, I try to get low. I try to run people over.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 1:19 PM.