WKU Football: FIU Q&A with Underdog Dynasty’s Eric Henry
We’re three days away from WKU’s next game against FIU. Last week the Tops pulled out a win over a struggling Southern Miss program, this…
We’re three days away from WKU’s next game against FIU. Last week the Tops pulled out a win over a struggling Southern Miss program, this week they get an equally struggling team in the FIU Panthers. With all of that in mind, we thought that we’d get an FIU perspective on the game. Luckily for us, we got Eric Henry, the FIU beat writer from Underdog Dynasty to give us his thoughts on the FIU program, the game, and some predictions. Without further adieu, here is our conversation with Eric.
FIU has had a strange season with multiple covid postponements and is currently sitting at 0–4 record. Was this an expected down year or has the weird year affected the program more than anticipated?
o Having to replace an NFL quarterback (James Morgan), two RBs that spent time in NFL camps (Anthony Jones, Napoleon Maxwell), and three defensive NFL players (Stantley Thomas-Oliver, Ike Brown, and Teair Tart) was going to be tough. That was known at the end of last season. However, nobody around the program could have anticipated the number of injuries — or the 0–4 start to the season.
Prior to 2020, Butch Davis had taken FIU to three straight bowl games, were there signs that the program was building steam in the fickle Miami market?
Being a college football team in Miami comes with a unique set of challenges — especially for a program that’s less than two decades old and a university that doesn’t have a rich tradition in athletics. Entering last season, there was a palpable sense of momentum around the team. That feeling seemed to dull — until the upset of Miami. Expectations around this year’s team weren’t the same as they were entering last season, but the fact that the program hasn’t won a game since beating the Hurricanes has stalled any progress that they may have made reaching three straight bowl games.
Davis is now 68 years old, how long do you see him sticking around at FIU?
Butch is quick to let anyone who asks about his age know that he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. He’s always been highly energetic during practices and around the media. I think he’ll remain at FIU as long as they’ll have him or he loses the desire to coach, which he hasn’t shown signs of.
now on onto the game…
FIU has played three quarterbacks this season with average to mediocre results. Who has been the most promising for the Panthers and who do you see playing Saturday?
Statistically speaking, the most promising has been redshirt freshman Stone Norton. He has started the last two games but hasn’t gone the distance in either. Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager played most of the second half against Florida Atlantic and found some success. On Saturday, I expect to see both Norton and Bortenschlager. Davis has said that he’ll ride the hot hand if either quarterback is moving the team down the field, but who will start has become less clear following the FAU game.
Running back D’vonte Price has been FIU’s main weapon on offense this season (481 yards and 4 touchdowns). What kind of player is he and what will WKU need to do to slow him down?
D’Vonte Price showed flashes of his potential during the 2018 season when he served as the RB3 behind Jones and Maxwell. Last season, he began the year nursing a hamstring injury and was never able to get going. Now that he’s the feature back, he’s showing that he’s among the top backs in Conference USA. Davis has raved about Price’s vision and ability to find rushing lanes that are outside of the play design. Outside of his vision, his best strength is his athleticism and home-run potential on any play. Western Kentucky’s best defense for Price will be pressure up the middle, as Price is at his best when he’s able to hit the outside.
Who are some other skill position players that the WKU defense should worry about Saturday?
Quite frankly, the Panthers’ passing game has been abysmal throughout the season. With that being said, they don’t lack receiving threats. Receivers JJ Holloman and Bryce Singleton are capable of big plays at any time. True freshman tight end Rivaldo Fairweather has emerged as a capable threat and junior tight end Sterling Palmer is a sizable target.
FIU’s defense has struggled thus far, giving up 31 points per game while only forcing three turnovers. Why has been the biggest factor for the porous unit and does WKU’s struggling offense actually have a shot of breaking out this week against the Panthers defense?
If you look at the box score, it would be easy to come down on the Panthers’ defense. However, in two of FIU’s four games, the defense has been on the field for over 40 minutes. FIU hasn’t won the time of possession battle in any game this year. The Panthers rank last among C-USA teams in first downs per game (13.3) — that hasn’t helped their defensive efforts. What has to change is the unit isn’t forcing the number of turnovers that they had in the previous two seasons, specifically in the secondary. I think Tyrrell Pigrome has a chance to break out because FIU has struggled with dual-threat quarterbacks dating back to last season. I’ll be interested to see if Gaej Walker is able to get going on the ground as well.
How do you see the game playing out? What’s your final score prediction?
It’s fair to say with two of the C-USA’s least scoring teams, expect a low scoring affair. If FIU can keep Pigrome contained and get Price established on the ground, they have an excellent chance to win. However, given all the injuries that the team has suffered and DeAngelo Malone still resides in Bowling Green, I’m expecting WKU to have enough to pick up the win. Final Score: WKU 21 FIU 17
I want to thank Eric for taking the time to do this q&a with us. You can read his work here, listen to the podcast weekly here, and follow his Twitter @EricCHenry_ account for fun analysis and reaction to Saturday’s matchup.