FIU Athletics
FIU Football: Reggie Peterson looks for a chance at redemption
FIUs' junior linebacker Reggie Peterson is having a season to remember. Through eight games, he already has 58 total tackles, with 33 of those being solo tackles, two and a half sacks, and one interception.
Peterson has been with the Panthers since the 2020 season - the year that the Jacksonville State Gamecocks came to FIU Football Stadium and took down the Panthers, 19-10. At the time, the Gamecocks were an FCS team, pulling an upset over their future conference mates.
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Peterson, who was only getting special teams reps at the time, clearly remembers that game and is glad that they will have another shot at the Gamecocks.
"Last time I saw Jax State, I was a freshman in 2020 and it was not pretty," said Peterson. "It was not pretty at all. My role on special teams just getting to watch their offense and I was like, 'wow, this team could run' and that was like three years ago."
The opportunity at redemption, says Peterson, is something that he believes God was telling him is his opportunity to beat the team that they should've beat three years ago.
"I'm back to get that opportunity. I just see it like as like, God just talking to me like here's your opportunity, because three years ago, I didn't get that," said Peterson. "Now I get to go against them."
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If there is one thing that the Gamecocks do more than any other team in Conference USA, it is run the ball. This season, JSU has the second-best rushing offense in the conference. That includes quarterbacks Zion Webb and Logan Smothers, who are the second and third leading rushers on the team.
"They're amazing runners, they're an amazing football team," said Peterson. "You can tell how their block schemes work where they want to run the ball. Throwing down the space, that's what they wanna give us."
The Panthers will take on the Gamecocks on October 25th at 7:00 pm at FIU Football Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
