Luis D. Gutierrez/ Staff Writer
Four years ago, a slender wide receiver from Miami Springs senior high signed a letter of intent to continue his football career at FIU with a desire to make a name for himself. It didn’t take long as he burst right onto the scene with a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown in his first collegiate game and after a few more of those games, the name T.Y. Hilton made its rounds across FIU and various other campuses. Soon enough, Hilton’s knack for the home run hit ignited fireworks much bigger in sight than his slim 5’9, 183 lb. figure and thus, became an instrumental component in placing FIU football on the map.
Beacon File Photo
But four years have come and gone and Hilton now serves as a cherished memory rather than an immediate contributor on Saturdays. At the expense of Hilton’s inevitable departure to the NFL, the time has come to find the next sparkplug within this Panthers squad, one taking the field Saturday night at Duke under the direction of a new offensive coordinator in Tim Cramsey and a new quarterback in Jake Medlock. However, if the lofty expectations placed upon FIU this past offseason serve as a precedent towards upcoming success, finding that sparkplug could be a simple task.
In regards to production, it’s difficult to find a running back in the Sun Belt as effective as Kendrick Rhodes, who returns as the conference’s only 1,000 yard rusher from last season. Rhodes set individual school records for rushing yards (1,148) and carries (234) in a single season and the Panthers will need similar numbers from him once again. In addition, FIU also returns a veteran core behind Rhodes with Jeremiah Harden, Shane Coleman and Darian Mallary all being part of a backfield that came in seventh nationally in turnovers lost.
FIU also returns four of its five top receivers from last season, including Wayne Times who alongside Hilton was part of a special teams unit that finished first nationally in punt returns and twelfth nationally in kickoff returns. Last year, Hilton notched seven of the Panthers’ 14 receiving touchdowns and sans Hilton, no other FIU receiver recorded 100 yards or more in at least one game.
That is expected to change this season with a healthy and athletic receiving core back for the Panthers. Jacob Younger, who has played in 34 contests for FIU since his redshirt year in 2008 and has seen his receptions and yards improve statistically each season, should be among the contributors. Willis Wright almost doubled his playing time from six appearances in 2010 to eleven appearances in 2011 and also made headlines after solid outings during two of the three preseason scrimmages.
At quarterback, Jake Medlock enters his first season at the helm replacing graduated senior Wes Carroll. Medlock made his way onto FIU’s radar last season by completing 17 of 27 passes and throwing for 216 yards in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, the season’s first for the Panthers. He went on to make his first start against rival FAU where he notched a season-high 18 completions on 24 attempts and threw his first career touchdown to date
Heading into the season under much acclaim, the defense also brings its own set of contributors. Returning nine starters from a unit that ranked 14th nationally in scoring, the Panthers hope to get the best out of a defense that placed four out of a program-record seven players on the preseason all-conference team.
Tourek Williams, tabbed as the preseason pick for the Sun Belt’s defensive player of the year award, emphasized that in order to fulfill expectations this yea,r the defense must be “relentless and aggressive.” If the rest of the unit follows suit to Williams, then Panther fans are in for quite the year. Williams is among the team’s most aggressive yet refined tacklers, leading the way with 13 tackles for loss last season including three in the upset against Louisville and four in a win against Louisiana-Monroe.
Williams anchors a steady defensive line that is very athletic and physical up front alongside fellow all-conference pick Isame Faciane, who recorded 32 tackles last year with 8.5 tackles for loss. Faciane also returned the 51-yard fumble for a touchdown that was ultimately the difference in a monumental win over UCF last September. Greg Hickman, last season’s team sack leader (5) also returns with Andre Pound, Josh Forney and Paul Crawford to round out the highly-efficient line
Winston Fraser, one of the the six players to start every game last season and the team leader in tackles with 108, captains a solid linebacker corps. Fraser was the first Panther to notch a score against Louisville by returning a 71-yard interception for a touchdowns. Eventually, FIU gained control of the game with a 21-3 lead heading into halftime.
To Fraser’s left stands Jordan Hunt, who recorded a season-high 13 tackles in the bowl game loss to Marshall and to Fraser’s right stands Kenny Dilliard, who posted five tackles apiece against UCF and in an overtime win against Troy.
Justin Halley became a popular name around campus last year by recording a team-high four interceptions, including two against FAU. He looks to replicate the same success this season at free safety under the wings of strong safety Jonathan Cyprien, another all-conference Panther who is 31 tackles away from dethroning Scott Bryant (302) as the program’s career leading tackler.
Second-year cornerback Richard Leonard looks to build on the 47 tackles and three interceptions he recorded during his inaugural campaign and Jose Cheeseborough, who started all 13 games last year, provides stability to and defensive backfield hampered by injuries throughout 2011. In addition, Sam Miller returns after a breakout season that saw him lock up starting cornerback job opposite Cheeseborough with 63 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries Junior Mertile provides valued experience as a fifth-year senior and incoming freshmen Jordan Davis and Jeremiah Mckinnon also look to contribute.
Panther fans and coaches will miss Hilton’s fireworks. However, the extent of how much they long for his skills will depend on the roster in place. With a preseason all-conference pick in Rhodes and a flashy playmaker in Times, fireworks could still be present this batch of Saturdays at Alfonso Field. At one point, T.Y. Hilton was just that guy with a desire to make a name for himself. With his absence already in effect, it’s time for another one to do the same.
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