To say that Florida International was not a good football team last year would be quite an understatement. Out of 131 teams in 2022, they ranked 120th in points scored and 125th in points allowed. That equates to an average game ending as a 37-17 loss for the Panthers last year.
But before we start dunking too hard, we do have to remember - they did beat Tech.
So the question in the heads of FIU fans will be similar to the one echoing around Ruston: “Will this season be a meaningful step up or just more of the same mediocrity that we saw a year ago?”
Comparing the 2022 versions of these teams to find advantages feels like a fool's errand. Will the 102nd-ranked FIU run defense be able to stop the Bulldog’s 107th-ranked rushing attack? Can a Panther offense that ranks 111th in yards per game take advantage of a Tech defense that ranks 127th in the same category? What happens when a stoppable force meets a moveable object?
Well, the answer we learned last year was two overtimes.
One area where FIU did excel last year was protecting the QB, and that’s somewhere Tech struggled to take advantage of.
But what’s that? I hear the transfer portal calling! Starting LT Shamar Hobdy-Lee is now a Houston Cougar. Starting RT Lyndell Hudson is now in Gainesville. And perhaps what stung the most was starting Center Julius Pierce’s intra-conference move to Middle Tennessee.
The transfer portal does indeed giveth as it also taketh away, but it was still likely a net negative. OT Travis Burke from Gardner-Webb will hopefully provide some relief, but QB Grayson James may often find himself running for his life behind an inexperienced offensive line. Especially since the Panthers were the 17th most pass-heavy team in college football a year ago.
Increased pressure on the QB leads to more errant throws and more errant throws lead to more interceptions. And avoiding interceptions was something Grayson James struggled with in 2022, even with an above-average offensive line in front of him:
And what do you know, gathering INTs was one of the few areas where the 2022 Tech defense excelled.
None of this matters though if Tech can’t create a pass rush. The Bulldog defense had the 8th worst pass rush in FBS football in 2022. And without an influx of transfers, Sonny Cumbie and DC Scott Power are betting on some meaningful development from the guys already in the program.
If that improvement happens, the compounding problems for the FIU passing game may provide ample short fields and opportunities for the new Hank Bachmeier-led offense to work out some early-season kinks.
If that improvement does not happen, we might need the Tech passing offense to hit the ground running to avoid a close game against an FIU team that's expected to be one of the Bulldogs' weakest opponents in 2023.
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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.
