Starting quarterback Grayson James had a historically bad night on Saturday as FIU choked a 14-point lead and ended up losing to LA Tech 22-17.
What happened?
FIU’s ground game was rolling early on as Shomari Lawrence had 139 yards on the ground and a touchdown, averaging 9.3 yards a carry. In most cases, a dominant running game, especially early on, should open up the passing game but that didn’t happen.
Grayson James only threw the ball 14 times for five completions and a whopping four yards. I’ll repeat that because we’ll never see this again – James threw for only four yards on five completions. So, when James threw the ball, FIU lost yards on the play. It’s wild to even think that if James could throw for 10 yards, the Panthers would have escaped with a win.
The fourth quarter of the game encapsulates Grayson James’ awfulness perfectly.
Late in the fourth quarter with 3:30 left in the game, FIU got the ball back after LA Tech kicker Jacob Barnes missed a field goal to take the lead. So, FIU still had the lead, 17-16.
A first down for FIU’s offense would end the game but James trotted out to the field and mayhem ensued.
It was first and 10. You would think that the Panthers would let Lawrence run the ball; he was averaging nine yards a carry. However, James kept the ball on an RPO, rolling out of the pocket. LA Tech’s defense got to him immediately. James then tripped on his own feet while trying to escape the pressure. The defense caught up to him and sacked him for -3 yards.
On the next play, Lawrence rushed for 11 yards, making it a third and 2. Everyone in the stadium and watching on TV knew that FIU wasn’t going to trust James with the ball on third down. So, LA Tech ran a sensible defensive formation, stacking the box. It resulted in a huge stop, preventing a first down. LA Tech got the ball back, drove down the field, and took the lead.
Needing to score a touchdown to win, Grayson James had to throw a pass on the first play of the drive. He stepped back and let it rip, resulting in an interception. James’ performance couldn’t get much worse.
You ought to feel for James, though. FIU lost their top two receivers in the portal so the weapons around James aren’t there. Even so, it isn’t that hard to muster 10 yards, especially against LA Tech.
Is FIU’s Grayson James one of college football’s worst quarterbacks?
Here’s how he performed against LA Tech last Saturday 😬 pic.twitter.com/ZFXuYOOanJ
— FL Teams (@FLTeams) August 30, 2023