Despite disappointment of losing season, FIU may have found hope at running back

Amid the disappointment, there’s hope.

The FIU Panthers football team clinched its fifth straight losing regular season last weekend when it lost to Jacksonville State 34-31. But in that defeat, FIU (3-7) may have found its running back of the future in Devonte Lyons, a true freshman from St. Augustine High.

Lyons got 12 carries for a team-high 88 yards, a game-high 7.3 average and one touchdown. Including his two receptions, he posted 103 scrimmage yards.

In 13 games last season at St. Augustine High, Devonte Lyons ran the football 239 times for 1,568 yards, a 6.6 average and 27 touchdowns on a team that went 13-1, losing 21-19 in a state finals matchup against Daytona Beach Mainland.

“Devonte has great vision,” FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He can make the second-level guy (typically linebackers and safeties) miss.”

FIU linebacker Eddie Walls III, who has tried to tackle Lyons in practice, agreed with his coach.

“This dude is fast,” Walls said of Lyons. “This dude is shifty. His vision is crazy good.”

Lyons, a 5-10, 190-pounder who barely speaks above a whisper, hadn’t had a carry all season … until Saturday.

He said he only found out that he was starting just a few minutes before kickoff, which is when MacIntyre told the team that FIU’s opening “package” of plays included Lyons and Lexington Joseph in the game simultaneously at running back.

“I really wasn’t that nervous,” Lyons said of his start. “But after the first time I got tackled, I got up, rubbed my shoulders and went from there.”

Lyons gained four yards on that initial carry, which was also the game’s first play from scrimmage. FIU got a field goal on that drive.

On FIU’s second possession, Lyons broke off a 10-yard run. That was just his second collegiate run. His fourth run came later on that possession, and it was an 11-yard touchdown.

“He got hot,” MacIntyre said, “and we (coaches) said, ‘Here we go!’”

MacIntyre said Lyons had been developing all season in practice as FIU went with its three veteran backs: Joseph, Shomari Lawrence and Kejon Owens.

FIU coaches were also cognizant of not playing Lyons in more than four games this season because that would cost him a year of eligibility.

But since this was the ninth game of the season, that “redshirt year” was no longer a factor, and the rest was up to Lyons, who said he never got frustrated sitting on the bench.

“I stayed patient,” he said. “I waited my turn.”

Once last Saturday’s game was over, Lyons said he couldn’t make his way to the bottom of all his text messages and voice mails.

“There was a lot of love,” he said. “I don’t know how many messages. I think it was the entire city of St. Augustine.”

Brian Braddock, the coach at St. Augustine, was one of those well-wishers.

Braddock said Lyons, as a prep freshman, was already one of St. Augustine’s top-two running backs on a team that made it to the state semifinals.

As a sophomore, Lyons had two straight 200-yards-plus games, and he only got better from there.

“Devonte is beloved in our community,” Braddock said.

“On the field, he has amazing contact balance. He doesn’t go down easily. He also has great lateral agility and quickness.

“We knew he was capable of this four years ago. FIU has a great one.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ FIU’s women’s soccer team (13-5-2) ended a breakthrough season with a 4-1 loss at Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

▪ FIU’s men’s soccer season (6-6-6) ended this past Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Charlotte in the American Athletic Conference final.