FIU's first season as a D-I team has to be considered a rousing success considering it was hit with a three-year probation for illegal practices and with all the adjustments needed to play at the next level.
There's reason to get excited about the future with a fertile recruiting base to work with, a big school with the potential for a fan base, and an exciting young coaching staff that should get better as the program improves.
2005 wasn't all happy happy, joy joy with five losses in the first six games — hurt most by a crushing 66-24 loss to Arkansas State — but the team quickly found its stride, winning four of its final five games including a Sun Belt title ruining 31-29 win over UL Monroe.
It's the Sun Belt, so there are immediate dreams of winning a title and going to a bowl game with a little bit of improvement. The team should be even better this year with a good nucleus of top players and several young playmakers to build for the future.
It all begins with the stars. Quarterback Josh Padrick should grow into the role as the league's best quarterback and needs to carry the offense on his back using his experience and live arm to make the attack more productive. He has the league's best tight end combination of Samuel Smith and Moses Hinton to throw to, and he has a dependable No. 1 target in Chandler Williams returning. The backfield has plenty of promise working behind a big, but rebuilt offensive line.
The defense will be a work in progress, but it has two sure-thing All-Sun Belt stars to work with in linebacker Keyonvis Bouie and defensive end Antwan Barnes. The secondary will be the rough spot early on with the corners needing more work, and the smallish defensive front should have a few problems with power running teams.
There will be more than enough chances to see time against some of the biggest national names getting rid of D-IAAers Florida A&M and Western Kentucky for some big paydays and big spotlights, but for FIU, the season will be about improving in Sun Belt play. If the non-conference schedule doesn't beat the team into a pulp, it'll be a player in the race for the New Orleans Bowl.
The Schedule: It starts out with must-win game in the Sun Belt opener at MTSU and is followed up by an interesting battle for in-state bragging rights against South Florida. There are brutal bloodlettings to be had at Maryland, Miami and Alabama, but the Sun Belt schedule has several huge breaks getting Arkansas State, UL Monroe and Troy at home. Three of the final four games are at home, with the one road game a trip to Florida Atlantic.
What you need to know on offense ... There are a lot of ifs all over the place hoping for several promising young prospects to become major factors all over the place. One area that's not a problem is quarterback where Josh Padrick is primed for an All-Sun Belt season while backups Tavares Kendrick and Jamie Burke could be the best reserves in the league. There are several good, speedy backs to count on behind a huge offensive line that should be fine by midseason. The receiving corps needs a second wide receiver to emerge to help out Chandler Williams and tight end Samuel Smith.
Best Offensive Player: Senior QB Josh Padrick. Can he do for FIU what Steven Jyles did for UL Monroe last year and be the type of player to keep the team in the Sun Belt title hunt? He needs to cut down on his interceptions and has to be even sharper spreading the ball around with an inexperienced receiving corps to work with.
What you need to know on defense ... It's a good-looking young defense with great players to build around. Keyonvis Bouie is one of the nation's most productive linebackers and will be on the short list for Sun Belt Player of the Year. Antwan Barnes is a tremendous pass rusher who'll be the key to the success of the front line, while huge Jonas Murrell is growing into a great prospect in the middle. The secondary has to be far better at breaking up plays and can't get picked apart on short passes like it did last season.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Keyonvis Bouie. One of the nation's best kept secrets will be unearthed this season. He's a top tackler with phenomenal range and a nose for the ball. 150 tackles isn't out of the question if he stays healthy and plays a full 12 games.
Key player to a successful season: Senior CB Zach Davis and junior CB Lionell Singleton. The run defense will produce against the average running teams, but the team won't improve unless it's better against the pass. Davis and Singleton have to be better at anticipating the shorter routes and can't allow quarterbacks to complete 68 percent of their passes again.
The season will be a success if ... FIU finishes second in the Sun Belt race. It'll go into the season dreaming of winning the title, but there's not enough depth and there's still a D-IAA level of overall talent that'll keep the promising team from falling just short of its goal.
Key game: Aug. 31 at MTSU. FIU beat MTSU 35-31 to close out last year with three straight wins and needs a repeat performance in the opener to get a confidence boost for the rest of the conference season. An 0-4 start, which will likely happen if there's a loss to the Blue Raiders, will hurt going into the Arkansas State game
2005 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 107 - FIU 41
- Average yards per pass: Opponents 8.2 - FIU 6.8
- Fumbles; FIU 24 (lost 18) - Opponents 20 (lost 12)
The Last Time FIU…
…played in a bowl game…never
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2002 (Butler)
…was shutout…2002 (Bethune-Cookman)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Florida Atlantic)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Rashod Smith)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…never
…had a first-round draft choice…never
