FIU Football: Assessing Tough Start in Non-Conference Slate

A 1-3 start is not what FIU thought they would be off to and coaches and players both assessed their rough start to the season

Keyone Jenkins leads the FIU offense /

For FIU football, a 1-3 start to the season is not what anyone within the program expected. A loss to Indiana was followed by a big win against Central Michigan, but then the Panthers fell to both Florida Atlantic and Monmouth, marking the worst start of the Mike MacIntyre era.

The final two games of the non-conference slate were both winnable, but sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins puts the blame for the Florida Atlantic game on himself.

"I think with the Indiana game, we shouldn't have lost," said Jenkins. "We lost the FAU game because of me. I can take that. Then that last game this weekend, that was a tough one. It was a nail-biter. It shouldn't have been close, but those guys came to play and fought hard...We kept them in the game and we turned the ball over twice. That kept them in the game as well and that last fumble...But other than that, we had the game in our hand for pretty much the whole game."

To start the year, Jenkins has completed 74 passes for 896 yards, eight passing touchdowns (most in CUSA) and four interceptions. He was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week following the Panthers' Week Two win over Central Michigan.

On the defensive side of the ball, despite forcing five turnovers in against CMU, they've struggled at times, primarily against Monmouth, surrendering 540 yards of total offense. Against Florida Atlantic, the offensive turnovers put them in a tough position, but still were able to contain quarterback Cam Fancher's passing attack, but not the Owls' run game. Entering conference play, the Panthers' defense ranks eighth in CUSA in total defense, ninth in rush defense and fifth in passing defense.

"Indiana, Week One, I thought that was a good match," said safety CJ Christian this week. "I feel like the defense came out hitting on all cylinders and then just let up a few busted plays. Against Central Michigan we played lights out with everybody getting turnovers. We emphasize getting turnovers a lot so having that game break out five picks, other turnovers as well. That was good. Against Monmouth, I felt like we came out strong at first. I feel like the big thing with us defensively we'll either start fast and then die and then try to pick it up at the end. We just have to be more consistent overall."

FIU will look to get off to a strong start in conference play against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this Saturday. A win over LA Tech would put the Panthers at 1-0 in conference play for the first time since 2018.

"It's really important," said Jenkins when it comes to getting off to a strong start in conference play. "We lost two games that we should've won so it's very important, it's on my mind heavy and we gotta go 1-0 every week from here on out."

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