The Louisiana Tech offense has thrown the ball a fair amount this season, but four other schools on the 2022 schedule have aired it out more. And those four teams are the next four teams the Bulldogs will face, starting with FIU:

When FIU was trounced by Western Kentucky 73-0 to open conference play, the Panthers were penciled in as an easily winnable game for a Tech team that had just been blown out in Mobile the same weekend. Conference USA is no stranger to bottom five teams, and FIU seemed destined for that list.

But after a win over Charlotte (deemed so bad that it got Will Healy fired from his head coaching position), it may be time to rethink just how winnable this Friday night matchup in Miami will be.

There’s no denying that the Panthers have drawn up passing plays quite often this season. Unlike Tech, the FIU passing attack works by setting up short easy-to-complete throws that chain together to hopefully create a long-sustained drive. Something that’s often hard to do without the help of a powerful run game.

But what makes the Panthers dangerous is not QB Grayson James’s arm, but his legs. James has the second most carries on FIU in 2022, but it wasn’t until this past week’s Charlotte game that he was best utilized.

James reached the endzone as a ball carrier on both of the Panther’s first two drives in Charlotte. The sophomore almost made it three consecutive rushing touchdowns, but he was stopped a couple of yards short of paydirt.

It may be too little too late for bowl contention purposes, but FIU may have stumbled into a formula for success just in time for Tech to come into town.

What makes the 49ers scary is not a passing game that can go over the top. It’s not a run game that can take full advantage of Tech’s often-abysmal run defense.

What makes Charlotte scary is a passing offense that’s good enough, a running game that’s good enough, and a mobile QB that (while not perfect) can make up for some of those deficiencies.

The Bulldog defense has struggled in several areas this season, but they have yet to be truly tested by a mobile quarterback. Stephen F Austin’s Trae Self was expected to be a threat, but Tech was able to contain him without issue. Can Scott Power’s defense do the same with FIU’s Grayson James?

Because if so, that might just be enough to allow the Tech offense to cruise to victory.

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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.