It’s been a long time since there has been any excitement for FIU football but there seems to be something brewing for the small commuter school in south Florida. Year three under coach Mike MacIntyre might finally be a breakthrough and with a weak conference USA, the Panthers could climb to the top.
How could they go from the very bottom to fighting for the top? I have the answer for you: they have some absolute workhorses in the backfield.
Usually, if you think of the best running back you would probably name Tahj Brooks from Texas Tech, Ollie Gordon from Oklahoma State or even go up north in the state of Florida and you have an ultra-talented running back in RJ Harvey. However, there are two running backs ready to make waves this upcoming season for the Panthers: Shomari Lawerence and Kejon Owens.
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These two running backs will carry a massive workload on the offensive end for FIU. Either one could pop off for 100+ yards on any given Saturday. Lawrence has all the talent to play on Sundays and if FIU can build a gameplan around him, they’ll be able to win more games. Somehow, some way, coach MacIntyre was able to keep both of them in Miami and not transfer to major programs. This brings me to another key piece of why I think FIU will have an incredible season.
In the day and age of the transfer portal, the Panthers were able to hold on to key pieces across the field. They didn’t just hold onto the running backs, but they kept star linebacker Reggie Peterson, who is expected to have another 100+ tackle season. Dean Patterson will be another solid piece in the WR core. These pieces on top of the running back room and rising star QB Keyonte Jenkins should propel FIU into a huge year.
Another running back to keep an eye out for is Lexington Joseph, who missed all of last year with an injury. He’ll play a factor in the backfield as well. Since Conference USA has no strong teams besides Liberty, FIU could play a major factor in the race to the conference championship game.