Paws Up Preview – FIU Football vs LA Tech

RUSTON, LA – It’s been a long offseason, but the FIU Panthers are set to take the field in Week 0 of the 2023 college football season, facing the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this Saturday at 9pm.

While a 4-8 record doesn’t come off as a successful season for any college football program, it’s a solid start for head coach Mike MacIntyre, who is heading into his second season with the team.

Considering the 1-16 record in two seasons before his arrival, there’s something to build upon here.

In any event, the Panthers are going to get to show the country what they have in store, as this game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.

“A nationally televised game against a good opponent that we had an exciting game with last year,” said Coach MacIntyre at Tuesday’s press conference. “I know they’re wanting to have a little revenge, for sure.”

The New Look Panthers

Like most programs, FIU was faced with seniors graduating, veterans entering the transfer portal, and injuries. Some of FIU’s biggest weapons of offense, including tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and wide receiver Tyrese Chambers transferred to Auburn and Maryland, respectively.

In addition, running back Lexington Joseph suffered an ACL injury and is out for the year.

On the defensive end, edge rusher Shaun Peterson Jr, linebacker Gaethan Bernadel, and safety Demetrius Hill have also transferred to UCF, Stanford, and Illinois respectively.

In their place, a handful of players who have been given a plentiful amount of reps will look to take their place. Some of the standouts have been defensive lineman Jack Daly and linebacker Avery Huff.

On offense, expect to see running back Shomari Lawrence and wide receiver Eric Rivers be given plenty of snaps against the Bulldogs.

The Returning Leader

One veteran player that fans will remember is quarterback Grayson James, who led FIU last season with 1969 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. He was officially named the starter on Tuesday.

Grayson threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in FIU’s double-overtime thriller over the Bulldogs back in 2022.

“I know their offense is good, but so is ours,” said Grayson. “At the end of the day, it’s about who puts up the most points. I know we’re gonna come out swinging, so I’m excited.”

The New Look Conference

In addition to the team itself, Conference USA has gone through a makeover. Nine former teams have shipped out to either the AAC (FAU, Rice, Charlotte, UNT, UAB, UTSA) or the Sun Belt. (Marshall, ODU, Southern Miss)

In their place are Liberty, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State, and Sam Houston State. FIU will be playing all these new teams, as well as the returning members (LA Tech, MTSU, WKU, and UTEP) during this season.

It’s a bit unusual for a football season to begin with a conference matchup, as most FBS schools tend to begin the season at home against an out-of-conference opponent, likely from FCS.

Thanks to a brand new TV deal between C-USA and both ESPN and CBS Sports Network, the conference is set to receive more nationally televised games on Friday, Saturday, or Wednesday night.

“I think it’s exciting for us,” said MacIntyre. “Just the fact that we’re going to be able to play on national television and play a good opponent at their place with an excellent crowd and a lot of excitement.”

The Dawgs from Ruston

The Bulldogs did not have a great season in 2022, going 3-9 and finishing second to last in Conference USA. In a similar instance to FIU, this will be the second season for head coach Sonny Cumbie, who was previously an interim coach for his alma mater, Texas Tech.

Louisiana Tech has some retuning pieces from last season, but their roster has also taken a hit from both the transfer portal as well as the injury bug.

Their star running backs Marquis Crosby (Who racked up 115 yards and two touchdowns against FIU last year) and Tyre Shelton have suffered injuries and will not play against the Panthers, though Shelton is a game-time decision.

The Bulldogs offense was highlighted by their run game, which set up the passing game when least expected. Fortunately for LA Tech, their running back core is stacked, with Charvis Thornton and Keith Willis set to be the main backs.

The big change to Louisiana Tech is its quarterback department, which was led by both Parker McNeil and Landry Lyddy last season. They had combined for 2675 yards and 21 touchdowns on the campaign.

Now, the new leader of this LA Tech offense is Hank Bachmeier, a transfer QB from Boise State. In only four games of work in 2022, Bachmeier still racked up almost 500 yards and six touchdowns.

“The way they used him there, they know what they’re doing offensively at Louisiana Tech,” said MacIntyre. “They’re very explosive and they got a lot of explosive players that can fly.”

The receiving core will likely be led by Smoke Harris, who recorded 65 catches for 635 yards and five touchdowns last season. In MacIntyre’s own words, Smoke is electric and can make anybody miss.

Jake’s Prediction

I don’t see this game being the offensive-oriented bloodbath that it was last year. With so many new faces and lost players, I think both team’s offenses are going to take time to get rolling.

The defenses for both schools are in a much more game-ready situation right now, so I expect this to be more of a low-scoring affair.

What gives the Bulldogs a slight advantage in this matchup is the combination of a talented running game and a dominant rush defense. The depth of their offense, from the running back room to the receiving core, feels more safe than FIU’s situation right now.

With that said, both teams feel evenly matched with similar storylines entering this season. It can go either way and should make for an entertaining, close game.

LA TECH – 20

FIU – 17

After their trip to Ruston, the Panthers will head back home to begin a two-week homestand. They’ll start against the Maine Black Bears on Saturday, September 2nd at 6:30pm.