Carroll is likely to start against Duke according to Cristobal

By: Jackson Wolek / Staff Writer

FIU got all kinds of exposure in the week leading up to their game against Louisiana. Getting AP votes and an ESPN College Gameday appearance was not what they were accustomed to. Nor was their defense used to getting exposed, as they had only given up three touchdowns before the matchup.

After giving up 36 points last week, they now must figure out how to fix their pass defense.

“You have to give credit to their quarterback for steeping into pressure and not being afraid to take the hit,” said head coach Mario Cristobal. “So many little things that led to their success on big plays and more than half of their offensive yards came on big plays.”

The offense, on the other hand, held its own, even without having starting quarterback Wesley Carroll for three quarters.

Cristobal is still confident that Carroll will be the starter this Saturday against Duke.

“Carroll is going to be fine, which is good. He practiced today already,” said Cristobal. “If he had to go back in this past Saturday and just sit there, he would have been okay. It just wasn’t that type of game.”

A good sign is that the status of their top wide receiver T.Y Hilton has improved. Two days before their game on Saturday, he had only participated in 40 percent of practice, according to Cristobal.

In Saturday’s game he made only three catches for 32 yards in limited playing time. On Monday, however, Cristobal said that Hilton is continuing to get better.

The bulk of the offense was given to sophomore running back Kedrick Rhodes, who carried the ball 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

After the game, he said that it was the most times he has ever gotten the ball in his whole career, and he wasn’t really expecting it.

“I’m still a little sore, but with a couple massages I’ll be alright,” Rhodes said. “None of our jobs are secure, at any given time he can throw any one of us in there. I just have to keep working hard.”

If anything, it shows that the running back stable of Rhodes, Darriet Perry, Darian Mallary and Jeremiah Harden is starting to dwindle down to just Rhodes. He has a total of 67 carries on the season, compared to Perry’s 37, Hardens four and zero for Mallary.

“[Rhodes] was the main guy on Saturday, I don’t want to take away from the other back because they have done a good job, but you just can’t deny the fact that on Saturday he was hot,” Cristobal said.

Amongst all the speculation of injuries and playing time is homecoming week, a time for fans and players to enjoy, even if it does come right off a disappointing loss.

“It is what it is, another home game and another opportunity for us to come play in front of the crowd and dominate,” said defensive back Jose Cheeseborough in regards to the homecoming game.