Jacob Spiwak
Asst. Sports Director
I’m just going to go on record and say it: FIU’s next game will set the tone for how the team plays for the rest of this season, and may just determine whether or not we see the Panthers (2-2) playing in a Bowl Game this winter and maybe even competing for the Conference USA Championship.
A midseason matchup against the bottom-feeding University of Massachusetts Minutemen (0-3), which will take place this Saturday, Oct. 3rd, may not seem like that big of a deal on the surface, but hear me out on this; through the first four games of the season, FIU has split with 2 wins and 2 losses. The two wins were against a terribly underperforming University of Central Florida team (0-4) and the FCS North Carolina Central University Eagles (1-2). On the other hand, their two losses are against two very solid teams in Indiana University (4-0) and Louisiana Tech University (2-2).
So why exactly is this game so important? Momentum. This is FIU’s last non-conference game before getting fully into their C-USA schedule, and finishing 3-1 in out of conference games (especially with 3 of them being played on the road) would be a huge confidence builder for an improving FIU team.
Plus, FIU needs as many wins as they can get early in the season to be on pace for a Bowl appearance. Generally a team needs 6 wins to clinch a berth in postseason play, but due to FIU’s low attendance and lack of national exposure they’ll more than likely need 7 wins to be invited to a Bowl Game. With games later in the season against C-USA powerhouses such as Marshall University and Western Kentucky University, FIU must win games against schools like UMass when they have the chance.
UMass shouldn’t be a huge problem for the Panthers on paper, as the Minutemen have struggled mightily on defense and don’t have an overwhelming offense whatsoever. They’re not necessarily a bad team, and their extremely difficult non-conference schedule is partially to blame for their winless record. Either way, I don’t view the Minutemen as being on the same level as FIU, and this is a game the Panthers need to win if they want to be viewed as a legitimate C-USA contender.
FIU has beaten both of the lesser teams they’ve played thus far, and if that trend continues this weekend they’ll improve to 3-2. However, nothing is guaranteed in college football, and FIU will need to bring their A-game to take down a UMass squad that also views this as a must-win game.
Early weather forecasts predict Amherst to be chilly and rainy this weekend, which could point to an advantage for UMass. New England weather is vastly different than here in Miami, and the Panthers will definitely need to adjust to weather in the high 50s.
If it is indeed raining with the 12 mph winds that are predicted, FIU will have to count on running backs Alex Gardner and Anthon Samuel to lead the offense on the ground. FIU’s running game looked awful last week, but most of that can be attributed to the sheer size and strength of LA Tech’s front seven. This UMass defense is nowhere near the size and talent of LA Tech’s, so I see FIU’s running backs playing a much better game and helping the Panthers move the ball.
Prediction: FIU defeats UMass 27-14. I don’t expect this to be a blowout, but the Panthers have been playing too well lately to show any reason why they can’t handle a team like UMass. The Panthers defense will force at least 2 turnovers and sophomore quarterback Alex McGough will turn in another solid performance despite the weather, leading FIU to their third win of 2015.
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