WKU Football: FIU Q&A with Eric Henry of Underdog Dynasty
The Tops (2–4) look to continue to win in Conference USA play and will now prepare to take on Florida International (1–5) in Miami on Saturday.
To help us get more info on the Golden Panthers, we got Eric Henry who is a beat writer for FIU at Underdog Dynasty (part of SB Nation that covers C-USA, Sun Belt, and AAC as well as FCS level football) to answer our questions. Be sure to follow him on Twitter as well as check out the UDD website as well as their Twitter account.
Let’s see what Eric has to say about FIU.
The Towel Rack: For fans that haven’t kept up with FIU too much this season, how would you summarize how the 2021 season has gone for the Golden Panthers up to this point?
Eric Henry: Had the Panthers been able to put together four quarters of consistent football over the first six games, this could very easily be a 3–3 team. However, there’s been a myriad of factors that have caused the team’s lack of success this year. Offensively, the lack of run game has been surprising. Having to replace multiple veteran offensive linemen lost to the transfer portal or declaring for the draft over the last two seasons plays a part in this. Against FBS opponents, the Panthers are averaging just 2.4 yards per attempt — including a staggering 2.03 yards over the last four games. That type of output for a team that likes to run the ball on early downs doesn’t do FIU any favors. The lack of success in the run game has affected the passing attack. While quarterback Max Bortenschlager’s statistics look solid, consistently needing 6+ yards to convert on third down has meant the passing game is solely dependent upon chunk plays.
Defensively, the lack of pass rush from the front four has hurt the unit. The defense has only 10 sacks (t-11 in C-USA) and four of those have come from linebackers or defensive backs. That is undoubtedly playing a factor in the amount of passing yards allowed by what had been a very formidable secondary. Lastly, this team has struggled scoring when entering the redzone (127th in FBS) and they’ve had a penchant for committing penalties at the worst times.
TTR: Both WKU and FIU haven’t started off too hot record wise but have lost a few close games. Do you think the Golden Panthers are better than their 1–5 record shows?
EH: That’s tricky. In terms of talent, FIU absolutely is better than a 1–5 team. However, good teams find ways to win the close games that the Panthers have lost this year — Butch Davis would and has said as much during his postgame availability. Whether it’s the multiple turnovers against Texas State, timely penalties against Florida Atlantic and Charlotte or the second-half collapse against Central Michigan — the FIU teams of 2017–2019 probably find ways to win those games.
TTR: The Tops and Golden Panthers both seem to be allowing a lot of points defensively. How do you see the FIU defense matching up against Bailey Zappe and the Hilltopper offense?
EH: As mentioned above, FIU’s front four have struggled to get to the passer and Everett Withers isn’t shy about dialing up blitzes from the linebackers and secondary. Against the Zach Kittley’s offense, I don’t know if FIU will be able to depend on those things to generate pressure with how quickly the ball is out of Zappe’s hands, along with the Tops’ offense sets that will spread out the defense. FIU has a veteran and capable secondary, but they’ll be tested in a major way against WKU’s potent passing attack.
TTR: Do you think the FIU offense can run the ball well against the Topper defense that has struggled against the run most of the season?
EH: If you had asked me this question before the Charlotte game, I would have undoubtedly said yes. However, the Panthers managed only 72 yards rushing against what was the 126th ranked run defense entering the game. No disrespect to the Niners, but DeAngelo Malone and Juwan Jones are better than any defensive lineman on Charlotte’s roster. While the Tops certainly miss Ricky Barber, it’ll be up to this FIU offensive line to show that they’re up to the task against Western’s front four.
TTR: WKU are currently 15 point favorites over FIU according to ESPN. What do you think the Golden Panthers would need to do in order to get a win in Miami this weekend?
EH: First, they need to be able to run the football well, early. Early in the game and on early downs. FIU is a team that when games have come down to one-score or less, are between 55/45 and 60/40 run vs pass on first down. If they can get into second-and-medium situations, this offense will in better position to sustain drives, opposed to being solely dependent upon big-play strikes. Defensively, they’re going to have to find a way to pressure Bailey Zappe with the front-four. Defensive end Kevin Oliver and defensive tackle Davon Strickland are capable players, who will be depended upon to do that. Lastly, if the Panthers get in the red zone, they have to score touchdowns — settling for three won’t cut it.
TTR: What is your personal prediction for the game?
EH: FIU has shown that they can hang tough for a half or get out ahead for a half, but they haven’t played a full game. If Western doesn’t jump on them early, it could be within striking distance in the second half. However, the Tops’ offense is too talented and too experienced in Kittley’s Air Raid.
Final Score: Western Kentucky 41, FIU 27
We’d like to thank Eric for his time answering our questions! Be sure to go check out all of his content over on Underdog Dynasty for great in depth coverage on FIU as well as C-USA (and more)
