It’s the FIU Panthers’ home opener Saturday. And coach Davis won’t say who starts at QB
The FIU Panthers football team will face more than a dozen Floridians in their home opener Saturday.
FIU (0-1) and Middle Tennessee (0-4) will kick off their game at 4 p.m. (ESPNU), and the Blue Raiders boast 17 scholarship players from the Sunshine State.
“There’s no question Florida produces a lot of athletes and good players,” Raiders coach Rick Stockstill told the MT website. “It’s a fertile state to recruit, and we’ve had a lot of good players from the state of Florida.”
One of the six South Floridians on the Raiders roster is junior safety Gregory Grate, who has forced two fumbles and grabbed one interception while tying for the team lead in tackles this year (28).
Grate, who led Carol City to a Class 6A state title in 2016, also had a pick-six against Troy called back on Sept. 19 because of an offsides penalty.
“At safety, I can utilize my skills,” said Grate, who played some at cornerback in his first two years with the Raiders. “At safety, I can read the quarterback and make a play on the ball.”
Just who will start at quarterback for FIU is not yet known. Redshirt freshman Stone Norton was impressive in his collegiate debut in a 36-34 loss at Liberty on Sept. 26, playing the entire second half. But FIU coach Butch Davis also has veteran QBs Kaylan Wiggins and Max Bortenschlager.
No matter the passer, however, the Panthers want to get the ball to redshirt junior wide receiver Bryce Singleton, who missed last season due to injury but had a big game against the Raiders as a sophomore.
In that 2018 game, the 5-11, 195-pounder caught a career-high eight passes as FIU prevailed 24-21.
“They have a different team now,” Singleton said when asked if Middle Tennessee will remember him on Saturday. “That was a long time ago.”
FIU is 4-3 when playing Middle Tennessee in Miami. However, the Raiders lead the all-time series 10-5, and that includes a 50-17 win over visiting FIU last year.
In that 50-17 game, Raiders quarterback Asher O’Hara blitzed FIU’s defense for 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
This year, O’Hara has scrambled for 222 yards and ranks 11th in Conference USA in rushing yards per game. As a passer, O’Hara has completed 67.5 percent of his throws for an average of 186 yards per game.
However, his five interceptions are the most in the league.
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU has added a commitment from Carol City senior running back Katravis Geter, a fourth-year starter who played several games last season despite having a fractured left ankle.
▪ The starting time for FIU’s Oct. 17 game at Charlotte has been moved back to 8 p.m. to accommodate ESPNU. It will be FIU’s third straight game on ESPNU.