Felt like kitty barf most of Friday, which is why there was no blog post. Now feeling like cleaned up kitty barf...
Ron Turner went for Josh Conklin, Tennessee safeties coach, as defensive coordinator over former Texas-El Paso defensive coordinator Andre Patterson, who'll be assistant head coach and defensive line coach. Patterson coached NFL defensive lines with New England, Minnesota, Dallas, Cleveland and Denver. He's bounced around, doing two years at UNLV in the same job he'll have at FIU and three years as UTEP's defensive coordinator.
Under Patterson, UTEP's defense ranked 91st, 104th, 92nd, respectively, in the nation. Conklin's defenses at The Citadel -- yes, FCS, 1-AA, but they're also playing against and ranked against 1-AA teams -- ranked 41st in 2010 and 36th in 2011.
SWIMMING & DIVING
Been meaning to do a story on junior diver Sabrina Beaupre for a year and had set up a time to talk for Friday evening, after she finished at FIU's dual meet with Central Connecticut State. So, trying not to breathe on anybody and fist-bumping instead of shaking hands, I got to the meet just in time for the penultimate event, the 200 IM, won by Sonia Perez in 2:06.55.
FIU also won the 200 freestyle (Johanna Gustafsdottir, 1:53.36); the 100 backstroke (Perez 59.06); 100 breaststroke (Jessica Chadwick, 1:06.17); 200 butterfly (Marina Ribi, 2:06.19); 50 free (Courtney VanderSchaaf, 25.12); 200 back (Perez, 2:06.20); 200 breast (Gustafsdottir, 2:21.55); 100 fly (Ribi, 57.52); and the 200 medley relay (Perez, Klara Andersson, Ribi, Valeriia Popova, 1:48.88). Beaupre won the 1-meter and 3-meter diving. FIU won the meet, 198-100.
The story on her will run in the next couple of weeks. Two things of interest, perhaps only to me: she's happy about the move to Conference USA because she'll be able to go back to platform diving, which she prefers to springboard. And, she's a Montreal Canadiens fan.
Before taking their regular spot in the stands at the day's highlight FIU athletic event -- who else can claim to have been there for the rainy kickoffs of not only football vs. Louisville, but the women's soccer season opener? -- the swimming & diving team won the FIU Winter Invitational over TCU and Eastern Michigan.
Junior Sonia Perez jacked up her wins total to 15 this season by taking the 500 freestyle (4:59.32) and the 100 Individual Medley (59.52). Junior diver Sabrina Beaupre won the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions with totals of 307.35 and 314.77, respectively.
BASKETBALLS
The women's game went about as expected, a 63-47 win for FIU. Louisiana-Lafayette came in 1-4 in the Sun Belt, the closest of the four losses by 12 points. As Lou-La threw a Polly Pocket-sized lineup on the floor, FIU wound up using only six players -- starters Jerica Coley, Finda Mansare, Marita Davydova, Kamika Idom, Carmen Miloglav and sixth woman Arielle Durant.
"It was a small group, so we couldn't get all those bigs in," FIU coach Cindy Russo said. "(Lou-La is) all guards except for one. Finda can keep up with them and the rest of our bigs couldn't. Zsofia Labady sprained her ankle. She'd usually be playing. I knew I'd have to play Kamika Idom as a four tonight."
Entertaining, thrilling, painful to watch in some spots...all describe the men's 75-70 win, especially in the second half. Some great defense, a lot of bad offense and even more poor shooting. I got one crack on Twitter about FIU coach Richard Pitino's comment that he worries about defense and rebounding, not "the ball going in," but that's pretty much in line with what I've heard said by many basketball coaches. Even a team of skilled gunners goes frigid sometimes. The best most hope for from offense is getting open shots for the right players in the right spots.
Malik Smith was one for 10 from three-point range before hitting the game's biggest shot with 1:30 left to give FIU a 67-64 lead. But, he was open, that's his shot and he's a shooter. On the other hand, any three-point tried by Jerome Frink or Tola Akomalafe qualifies as a lousy shot even if it goes in and should be grounds for two minutes on the bench. Hopefully, they will feel shame.
"Really, really happy with the effort," Pitino said. "This is the second game in a row where we got 50 plus deflections. Our goal is 35. so to be able to go twice in a row with 50 plus deflections is really good. Tymell (Murphy), 28 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and 10 deflections. So he's disrupting the game, changing the game with his effort. Deflections, all that is is a barometer of effort. They gave good effort against a very well-coached team, so we're really pround of the victory. They're only going to get better because they're really young and he's a great coach."
And there was actually something more resembling a crowd there to watch (official attendance: 855, actual attendance more like 500) than Wednesday.
By the way, for those upset at the video from Wednesday: go to a game! Don’t be angry with me or anybody else for showing that a program in its 26th season of Division I basketball, in a major city, started a home night game with a crowd smaller than my wedding (not an exaggeration). No weather issues, no quarantine. Yes, it's holiday break, but most of the eighth largest enrollment in the nation lives within this metropolitan area. This isn’t some remote college town. Blame Florida A&M's local alums and fans, too. No few of them locally, but fewer than 100 FAMU fans were in the house at peak. I'm not sure I've covered an FIU game with fewer fans at tipoff and I covered the last season of the Rich Walker era, when they played Yale the day after Christmas.
I shoot video when I see something worth trying to shoot and remember that I can do it ("I wonder if Daffy will remember that he can fly...(sound of splash)...I guess not.").
Nobody complained when I shot video of South Alabama's flouncing women's basketball coach or the controversial final seconds of the FAU-FIU men's game at The Branch last year or the women’s soccer team’s pre-practice Halloween costume party as they prepped for the Sun Belt tournament.
I don't know what the University of Miami drew for its most recent home game. And, I really don't care. I don't cover that school and wasn't covering that game. I'm equal opportunity. I've ripped UM for its crowds, too.
Monday's men's home game against Bethune-Cookman starts at 1 p.m., so as not to clash with the BCS Championship Game. OK, so FIU plays a weekday game at midday to avoid going head-to-head with a football game involving two schools most of their locally-based student body grew up despising if they cared about them at all...but won't move Saturday games to the afternoon, just to try it. Granted, winter Saturday afternoons in Miami aren't the gray, cold, pass-the-Grand Marnier-and-hot-chocolate blocs of time that they are in Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Kansas, etc.
The same day senior safety Johnathan Cyprien will turn his tassel at graduation (Hospitality Management), he was announced as FIU's second ever Senior Bowl invitee.
"I'm really excited. I can't wait," said Cyprien, who has signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus.
NFL scouts hung around FIU practices late in the season, usually checking out Cyprien, defensive end Tourek Williams and left tackle Caylin Hauptmann. Cyprien should be able to attend the Senior Bowl, unlike T.Y. Hilton, who had to miss it last year with a quad injury. He said he'll try to get in touch with NFL cornerback and fellow North Miami Beach High alumnus Louis Delmas to get the skinny on the Senior Bowl.
As for last week's firing of Mario Cristobal, Cyprien said, "It was a shock. He was my coach for four years. But I have no say-so in the athletic department. Whatever happens, I've got Coach Cristobal's back."
Cyprien is one of Cristobal's favorite people, both on and off the field. If Cristobal had a daughter, he'd have wanted her to marry Cyprien.
FUTBOL HONORS
In more on and off the field (or pitch) news...
Senior defender Anthony Hobbs was named a Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-American. Brown defender Ryan McDuff won the Senior CLASS Award, which takes into account performance on the field, citizenship and academic achievement. Hobbs was one of 10 finalists.
The 10 goals and 23 points this year by sophomore forward Quentin Albrecht not only were the most by an FIU player in a decade, but got him selected Third Team All-South Region.
SEMI-TOUGH
Don't go looking up Shoat Cooper's college coaching record. Shoat was the New York Giants coach in Dan Jenkins' 1973 satirical classic, Semi-Tough, which was made into a Burt Reynolds-Kris Kristofferson-Jill Clayburgh movie in 1977 and followed by a few novel sequels.
There's not much going on over at the fooball offices. Assistant coaches have been told to skedaddle, take paid vacation while the hunt continues for the next coach, whether it's Butch Davis, Houston Nutt, Randy Shannon, James Coley or Shoat Cooper.
Usually a staff waiting for their official axe does the professional courtesy of prepping things for the next staff. Not so in this case. Everything's on stop. Including, of course, recruiting.
A slew of junior college recruits were set to visit last weekend. Bzzzt. That's where FIU wanted to perhaps garner some help along the lines, particularly the offensive line, next year. Iowa Western Community College Inside linebacker Steven Funderburk, wavering between Indiana and FIU, committed to Bloomington. FIU could've been reeling Northwest Mississippi Community College defensive tackle Jerome McClain. Now, no Zebco.
Miramar wide receiver Sean Avant, rated at two stars by Scout.com and three stars by Rivals.com, had committed to FIU shortly before the firing, so it'll be interesting to see what happens with him between now and signing day.
SWIMMING & DIVING
A quote from FIU swim coach Randy Horner on how out of shape Johanna Gustafsdottir was at the start of the 2011-12 season, her freshman year at FIU though she was 21, and how it affected the way Horner handled her got cut from the story for length. But, I really liked it so here it is.
“She was not obesely overweight. Probably a good 30 pounds overweight, very soft, not where she needed to be. Her specialty is 200 IM, 200 back, 200 free, up to 400 IM which we haven’t done with her here. We put her in the sprint grounp because we didn’t feel like, the condition she was in, she could handle the middle distance group on our team. We didn’t want to blow her away with too much yardage. She’s not a sprinter at all. It took the entire academic year last year just to get her into condition to go that fast.”
"That fast" being last year's Sun Belt Conference meet, when Gustafsdottir blew up the FIU record book. Though she failed to make Iceland's 2012 Olympic team, she wants to train here for a shot at the 2016 team she already sounded quite determined to make.
As far as basketball at The Branch tonight, the women won, the men lost, I'll blog more about it later or tomorrow morning.
At the final night of the Mizzou Invitational, sophomore Johanna Gustafsdottir finished second in the 200 backstroke to Missouri's Dominique Bouchard by 5.06 seconds after clocking a 1:57.83. In just over one season at FIU, Gustafsdottir owns five individual records and swam on four of the record holding relay teams.
The 200 butterfly saw Marina Ribi finish third in 2:00.31 while smashing her own school record of 2:04.36 set in October.
The 400 freestyle relay of Gustafsdottir leading off, Ribi anchoring and Klara Andersson and Sonia Perez Arau in between came in sixth in 3:25.23. Gustafsdottir's opening leg of 51.03 broke Trudi Maree's record of 51.27 set Feb. 28, 2008 at the Sun Belt Conference meet.
Multiple reports are saying what I projected last night by crossing some streams -- Conference USA will invite FAU and Middle Tennessee State to join the conference in 2014.
This not only means the Shula Bowl revives after a year in suspended animation, but FIU breathes a sigh of relief across the board. Spreading a conference all over the map creates travel time and money nightmares for the schools on the edges. It does the same for all the other schools during basketball and volleyball seasons when a school being 600 miles from the nearest conference mate defeats the ease of using the "travel partner" arrangement in scheduling.
I don't understand any pouting over playing FAU in football. FIU doesn't have much tradition. What rivals do the Panthers have that stir their fan base? Or the players? They're not staying in the Sun Belt, so the Western Kentucky dislike will fade. Central Florida? For reasons that rank as pettiness, FIU's not playing the University of Miami any time soon. Might as well keep developing something with the Division I school in the metropolitan area that'll play you. What's the point of one more home game against an opponent most of the fan base doesn't care about (remember that Akron home opener attendance?) or one more road game you can't reach by an easy drive?
FIU athletic director Pete Garcia said Wednesday morning that he and president Mark Rosenberg are lobbying Conference USA to invite FAU to join in 2014.
FIU's motivation is obvious. Why it wouldn't be a surprise if Conference USA warmed to the idea was detailed in my last post. And the Shula Bowl would resume after a one-year break.
C-USA's other replacement school? Couple of sources say it might be Middle (again, see my last post for why this wouldn't be surprising). This all might be happening within the next two days.
For those thinking Big East for FIU...slow down. Realize where you are. Look around at FIU's facilities and fan support for football and the basketballs (yes, that should improve over the next 10 years across the board, at least for football) and be happy they're moving up one step on the conference ladder, this year's Sun Belt vs. C-USA football records notwithstanding.
Tuesday, Conference USA commissioner Britt Barnowsky issued a statement on Tulane and East Carolina leaving for the Big East:
“We thank East Carolina and charter member Tulane for all their contributions to the league and wish them well. These are unprecedented times in higher education. Notwithstanding the changes, we are excited about our future and we remain committed to our strategic plan - a major market, two-division conference that is student-athlete friendly.
“To be clear, we have several options but no new member agreements have been made at this time. We appreciate the support of our members and will immediately begin a presidentially led process to evaluate our future options.”
Totalling the losses from its current structure for Conference USA (with TV market): Central Florida (Orlando market), Memphis (Memphis, duh) Houston (the big college dog in Houston, leaving C-USA with private, academically superior Rice), SMU (Dallas), Tulane (New Orleans) and East Carolina (Greenville-New Bern-Washington).
Total gains: FIU (Miami-Fort Lauderdale), North Carolina-Charlotte (guess), North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth), Texas-San Antonio (obvious), Louisiana Tech (Shreveport), Old Dominion (Norfolk).
Losing Tulane hurts C-USA as much in recruiting as television. No state produces more talent per capita than Louisiana so nobody gripes about being in a conference with a presence in or around Louisiana's largest city. All six FIU players from Louisiana are from the New Orleans area. Louisiana Tech's at the other end of the state, in Ruston. Recently, Tulane's been a dream conference pal for football -- a bad team in a talent thick area. The school recently threw some big money at its athletic facilities, so a turnaround might be in order.
Nobody knows East Carolina, but ECU draws better than Central Florida and FIU put together in football (and they're going in as football only). Those sighing over the death of Big East football, an accidental child a decade after the conference's birth as a made-for-TV basketball group, can turn up their noses at Tulane and East Carolina. C-USA will look back longingly while looking forward.
So, C-USA, where to next? If you want to talk "student-athlete friendly" you want a school near one of your current schools to cut down on days missed by weekday travel and save on total travel costs. FAU, in the nation's No. 38 TV market, would get a look. And there can't be an Owlman or Owlwoman happy that now their nearest Sun Belt rival is Georgia State, in Atlanta.
They're losing Memphis. Four hours away in Tennessee is Middle Tennessee State, officially in Murfreesboro. Still, that's closer to Nashville than, say, downtown Miami is to the DDT Center or whatever the Panthers arena is named these days. Middle's got strong programs in football and the basketballs. And it would give Alabama-Birmingham a closer playmate.
So, don't be surprised if the next poaching of the Sun Belt involves those FAU and Middle.
Marina Carmona, a catcher out of Wellington Palm Beach Central High, hit .384 with 25 RBI as a junior
Gabreilla Spallone, an outfielder out of Palm betto High was a First Team All-Dade player with a .556 average and 31 RBI.
Stephanie Texeira was a First Team Miami Herald All-Dade small school player for Gulliver and Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year according to the Orlando Sentinel. She hit .464 with five homers and 33 RBI. Like Spallone, she played club softball with the Miami Stingrays.
And, because Mike Bernal mentioned this on Facebook...
Sonia Perez won the 400 Individual Medley in a dual meet with North Florida, then stole the show by winning her guest star appearances in the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke. Her 4:20.97 in the 400 IM was the 33rd best in the nation this year.
For this, Perez was named the Sun Belt's Swimmer of the Week Wednesday.
FOOTBALL
FIU opened a 1.5-point favorite over FAU for Friday night's Shula Bowl. Now, across the Vegas sportsbooks, FAU is a 1.5 to 2-point favorite. The over/under sits at 52, which, to me, seems on the low side.
And, in Davie, tight end Michael Egnew, a player the big-play-starved Dolphins took while leaving T.Y. Hilton on the board, has yet to get into his first NFL game.
FIU men's soccer, 8-1-1 outside Conference USA, but 0-7-1 in C-USA, didn't place anyone on the all conference First Team. The Panthers did, however, put leading scorer Quentin Albrecht on the Second Team, three players on the Thirrd Team and two players on the All-Freshman team.
Albrecht, whose 10 goals and 23 points were the most for FIU since 2002, was fourth in points and goals in C-USA. Freshman midfielder Daniel Gonzalez, senior defender Anthony Hobbs and senior defender Jo Dawkins were named to the Third Team. Gonzalez, out of Killian High, and goalkeeper Robin Spiegel, who started every game this season, were on the All-Freshman team.
Unlike the football team, which planned to be at the FIU-Middle Tennesssee State Sun Belt Conference women's soccer semifinal but got into Mobile late after a two-hour delay in Fort Lauderdale, my flight got me into Mobile ahead of schedule. So, I had a choice -- grab dinner and hit the hotel or race over to catch the last 30 minutes of FIU vs. Middle regulation.
I chose the game. Hope I chose my Lotto numbers as well. It was the kind of finish that would've given the football team an extra bounce that would've stayed with them through Saturday.
Junior Kim Lopez's second goal of the game, 5:34 into sudden death overtime, gave FIU a 2-1 win against Middle Friday night. Lopez's goal, off a feed from Chelsea Leiva after Leiva spun around a Middle defender then drove deep right of the goal to draw the goalkeeper to her, came after the Blue Raiders almost won the game twice late in regulation. Middlle hit the right post on a hopeful long ball and FIU sophomore Marie Egan cleared a header from Regina Thomas off the line in the final minute of regulation. Both teams had back-to-back corner kicks in the last 14 minutes of regulation.
"I saw Chelsea make the run and I was just trying to get to the box, get myself open," Lopez said. "I screamed for it. The ball came kind of bouncy. I took a touch and I tried to lean over it. I struck it well. The goalkeeper (Jessica Gilchrist), the defender was kind of in front of her, blocking her."
FIU hadn't beaten Middle in Chestnutt's six seasons as coach. During the regular season, FIU lost 3-1.
"When we knew Middle was coming up in the regular season game, we knew that was a big game to prove ourselves. Unfortunately, we fell short the first game," freshman defender Jazmin Jones said. "We told ourselves this time, 'we don't care what happened in the past. It doesn't matter anymore. We're coming out here, we're going to win this game and we're going to show them who's better."
Jones said FIU began the game playing balls over the Middle defense because they were playing so high, then shifted to playing to feet on the wings, particularly Lopez ("All Day Kim!" laughed Jones). Working off the left side, Lopez ate up the Middle back line, a tall, broad group that can look lumbering or gawky when dealing with Lopez's shiftiness.
Lopez scored in the first minute, also off an assist from Leiva. Middle got its goal off a penalty kick -- "An absolutely bad call, they actually fouled our keeper," FIU coach Thomas Chestnutt said -- following a hand ball call in the area. Chestnutt acknowledged that Middle had the better of it late in the first half.
"We feel we controlled a large part of the second half," he continued. "The rhythm passing was much better. Chelsea got in on a one-on-one, she hit it right to the keeper, the keeper makes the save. She hits the corner after that, heads it, they make the save. So we had opportunities that were starting to come. Then, late, they got a couple of opportunities. They've got some very dangerous players on their team. The No. 8 (Tori Hawkins), 10 (Kate Loye) and 12 (Paige Goeglein) are fantastic players for them and did a good job tonight.
"We talk about this doing One More -- one more sprint, one more tackle, find one more opportunity," he continued. "Tonight, the ladies did it. It was the first time beating MTSU since I've been here. We've lost every time to them and they've always scored multiple goals."
Now, FIU, the 2011 Sun Belt tournament champions, face top seed North Texas Sunday for the championship and the right to go to the NCAA tournament. When the two teams met in the regular season at North Texas, it ended 1-1.
On the eve of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, junior forward Chelsea Leiva, FIU's leader in goals and points, and redshirt junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage were named First Team All-Sun Belt. Sophomore midfielders Johanna Volz and Marie Egan and sophomore defender Nikki Rios were named to the Second Team.
For Leiva, it's her third All-Sun Belt honor, her second First Team honor. Savage's freshmen year and redshirt sophomore year ended with her being named to the Second Team. As far as individual honors, it completes a nice rebound season for Egan and Rios, who suffered season-ending injuries as freshmen.
Before Monday's practice, their last before leaving for Mobile and the Sun Belt tournament, which they'll start Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Troy.
The advance story on today’s game discusses Glenn Coleman and Willis Wright. I wrote most of the story Monday, intending it to run in Tuesday’s Herald. However we’ve scaled back coverage at 1-7, so I holstered it to use it as the advance. Coincidentally, i think they’ll be the keys if FIU wants to score enough to keep up with Western Kentucky.
Last year, Western ran the old USC-O.J. Simpson offense with running back Bobby Rainey. Run him left, right, up the middle – “The ball isn’t very heavy and he doesn’t belong to any union,” then-USC coach John McKay once said of Simpson’s heavy workload – throw to him and make the quarterback do as little as possible.
This year, quarterback Kawaun Jakes ranks ninth nationally in passing efficiency. Jakes is still is no Bernie Kosar – more like Frank Costa – yet works better off Western’s running game than last year, now with Antonio Andrews in the Bobby Rainey role. Western likes the double tight end look and the best of them is Jack Doyle (Cathedral in the house!), the Hilltopppers leading receiver with 33 catches, but only 9.8 yards per catch. Also, fullback Kadeem Jones plays the ever-helpful Thing role (not to be confused with The Thing except by size) by doing whatever’s necessary – the occasional needed run (5.9 per carry) or catch (three touchdowns in 11 catches), lead blocker, pass protector.
Andrews is the second-leading receiver. Jakes’ longest completion this year is 40 yards. They’ve allowed only 15 sacks. Essentially, don’t expect a lot of deep drop, long-developing plays. That’s not Jakes’ strength and if you’re running the ball well, mixing in short throws, you’re not going to be in situations where you need to do that, especially on third down. Western coach Willie Taggart, a man deservedly very confident in his own team, can make the FIU pass rush sound like a collegiate Fearsome Foursome while figuring they won’t have many opportunities to do what he says they can do.
“They’re athletic, physical. I would say by far overall, the most athletic defense we’ve faced this year,” Taggart said at his Thursday media session. “Their defensive line is really good. Its pass rush wiil the best pass rushing D-line we’ve faced this year, that’s including Alabama. Alabama has a great defense overall and does a lot of good things, but these guys do a really good job of pass rushing, getting up the field.”
Here’s what’s most impressive about Western’s offense: they’re 48 of 91, 52.7 percent, on third down. Getting them off the field is harder than getting college graduates out of the house these days.
So, FIU’s run defense, which got trampled by Middle Tennessee’s Benny Cunningham, and linebacker/defensive end pass coverage will be tested more than any other tonight. In some ways, that’s better for FIU than its shredded secondary. If Western starts to make plays downfield, send in the clowns.
On the other side, the Hillpeople give up only 3.5 yards per carry and that’s not because of sacks – they have only 20. That’s just good run defense like they’ve played the last two seasons. They’ve got a ferocious, scary linebacker in Andrew Jackson and an excellent defensive end in Quanterus Smith, who leads the team in sacks.
Here’s why I see Wright and Coleman as even more important than they’ve been the last two weeks. I looked over the scoring drives Western’s allowed in its last six games (Austin Peay? Austin Please, I’m not counting that). There’s not much grind-it-out on the H-tops. They’ll play Patton vs. Rommel all day and be happier than a pig in Paducah. You have to, at some point, make a big strike. Not one or a few 10-15 yard plays. You have to rip off a pass over 30 yards, two 20-29-yard throws or a 20-yard run. A real thicker-than-a-Snicker chunk.
Western likes to play man coverage downfield. Troy went over the top on the Hills and had them on the ropes early. Louisiana-Monroe moved the ball well on them in a wild comeback last week. FIU should have its chances. If FIU executes early and gets up big as it did the last two games, Western’s not as equipped to come back from 16 or 17 points down. Also, I see FIU running the ball on Western a little better than it did last year. Not overwhelming Western, but maybe having just enough success to keep Western off balance.
In special teams, Andrews averages 30.4 yards per kickoff return and 14.3 yards per punt return. Opponents average 12.7 yards per punt return on the Hi-tops, but that might be a moot point – Western doesn’t punt often and FIU’s to the point of being just happy to get through the play without a muff or fumble.
Another tough call. Western 28, FIU 27.
But that’s just one black man’s opinion. I could be wrong.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
When Middle Tennessee tied Western Kentucky Friday night, it left Middle, North Texas and FIU all at 8-1-1 in the Sun Belt and with a share of the regular season title.
That's the title of limited meaning. For the one that gets you into the NCAA tournament, the Sun Belt tournament title, a tie with North Texas and a loss to Middle leaves FIU seeded third. The Panthers will play Troy (9-9-2, 4-5-1 in conference) on Wednesday. FIU won at Troy, 2-1, on Sept. 23.
Depening on what happans tonight between Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, the women's soccer team will head into next week's Sun Belt Conference tournament either as a No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed after beating FAU Thursday night 2-1 on a pair of goals from Chelsea Leiva.
A Middle win vaults it over FIU and North Texas into the No. 1 seed and pushes FIU down to third. A tie puts Middle, FIU and North Texas in a three-way tie at 8-1-1 (25 points), but still puts FIU in third because FIU has the worst record in intrateam competition (0-1-1) among the three. North Texas beat Middle Tennessee and tied FIU, so would get No. 1. Middle would get No. 2. A Middle loss leaves FIU where it sits now, as the No. 2 seed.
No matter the seeding, the preseason Sun Belt favorites and defending champions go into the tournament as the hottest team, on a five-game winning streak and seven-game unbeaten streak. The 1-1 tie at North Texas was the last game FIU (11-5-2) didn't win.
Leiva's two goals give her 10 for the season and pulled her into the team goals and scoring (25 points) lead over sophomore Scarlett Montoya (nine and 22, respectively). Freshman midfielder Madlen Weinhardt has a team-high nine assists.
FOOTBALL
FIU Stadium was half full for the home opener, back when bowls, rankings and conference titles remained in FIU's possible future. When you start from that, you know that at 1-7, ticket sales could be so slow and crowds so sparse that marketing becomes a red light district of ideas.
So it is on Thursday that FIU announced Saturday's game against Western Kentucky will be dedicated to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Free tickets for staff, students and their families! All they have to do is fill out the form below, print it out and bring it with them Saturday an hour before the game to Gate 8. They give up information abou themselves and get free tickets. Sounds like a football version of a timeshare seminar.
No real news coming out of Wednesday morning's football practice. Jacob Younger's the only first team player who didn't practice. Senior running back Jeremiah Harden could be back this week, which would let them give even more of a rest to Kedrick Rhodes, who's been doing kind of a working rehab on that right ankle.
I talked to defensive coordinator Todd Orlando after practice. Maybe you won't like my questions -- yes, "what happened?" and "how would you rate your coaching this year?" were two of them -- and maybe you won't like his answers. But he didn't duck me and I don't think he ducked any questions. Around college-affiliated football, you'll find many coaches who would've gone groundhog until the spring. I'll have the transcript up either later today or Friday (furlough on Thursday).
SWIMMING & DIVING
Junior Sabrina Beaupre earned her 11th Sun Belt Diver of the Week award by qualifying for the NCAA Regionals in the 3-meter (275.45) and 1-meter springboards (292.55).
Defensive tackle Isame Faciane, who had to be helped off the field twice Saturday at Troy, will play this Saturday against Western Kentucky. Faciane and the rest of the interior defensive line need to be dominant or FIU's offense could spend the game playing Monopoly on the sideline.
Western tends to line up in the I and pound the ball, although quarterback Kawaun Jakes threw for 308 yards Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. That was the first 300-yard performance of Jakes career and of any Western quarterback since 1994. Western once again has the Sun Belt's leading rusher. This time, his name's Antonio Andrews. According to Bowling Green Daily News writer Chad Bishop, Western coach Willie Taggart said Andrews tweaked a hamstring against ULM but would play against FIU.
The line on the game opened at Western by 4.5 and quickly moved up to 7 across the board. The early line setters clearly looked at FIU's last two games (close losses in which the Panthers covered the spread), looked at Western's last two games (a close win, an overtime loss), noted the game was at FIU and set the line. Alert bettors jumped on Western quickly, forcing the line to get a bump.
In answer to a question on a previous post: I plan to talk to defensive coordinator Todd Orlando this week.
On the Sun Belt coaches weekly teleconference Monday, North Texas coach Dan McCarney used the phrase "respect the football." I couldn't help but think of this...
SWIMMING & DIVING
Junior diver Sabrina Beaupre qualified for the NCAAs in the two diving events and senior Marina Ribi broke a school record that's hung around since 2004 in Saturday's tri-meet against FAU and Florida State.
FIU beat FAU 160-134 and lost to FSU 189-101.
Ribi's 2:04.36 in the 200 butterfly erased Claudia Barsi's record. Ribi won the 100 fly in 56.78. Junior Sonia Perez's 4:21.83 in the 400 individual medley was the 12th fastest time in Division I so far this year. FIU also went 1-2 in the 200 freestyle relay. Klara Andersson, Valeriia Popova, Becky Wilde and Kelly Grace got it done in 1:38.51 to beat Danielle Meara, Courtney VanderSchaaf, Colleen Quinn and Ribi by 1.29 seconds.
MEN'S SOCCER
Reader's Digest version: a 5-1 loss to Kentucky Sunday in which they avoided a shutout only by senior Lucas Di Croce's goal with less than three minutes left. FIU fell to 0-4-1 in Conference USA, 7-5-2 overall.
FIU hosts its biggest regular season soccer game in many a year the same day defender Anthony Hobbs was announced as one of the finalists for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award in soccer.
Tonight, FIU, 7-3-2 and ranked No. 7 in the South Region, hosts 8-3-2 SMU, ranked No. 19 nationally. FIU gets top goal scorer Quentin Albrecht back from a one-game suspension for getting five yellow cards. SMU's 4-1-0 in Conference USA while FIU's only 0-2-1, but, clearly, the coaching change from Munga Eketebi to Kenny Arena and being back to a full complement of scholarships agrees with FIU so far. This game could tell much about how far they've come and how far they still have to go before regaining the status the program held in the 1980s and 1990s.
As for Hobbs honor, the award goes to a Division I senior who has shown excellent acheivement in "community, character, classroom and competition." Fan voating accounts for a third of the award (you can vote at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/DI_mens_soccer_2012/) with two-thirds being the opinions of coaches and national media.
Quarterback Jake Medlock practiced Tuesday. Not much and, watching him come off the field as we waited to talk to Mario Cristobal, you could tell his mobility registered somewhere midway between Normal Medlock and Normal Fred Sanford.
Cristobal dismissed the idea of giving underclassmen more playing time, even if the goals of a Sun Belt title or bowl bid disappear, although he did say at this point in the season, you usually see some of the freshman raise their game to earn more playing time.
The Vegas books that have this game on the boards like Middle Tennessee by 3. I'm sure a number are holding it off the boards until Medlock's situation gets settled one way or the other.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage earned her second Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week award for her 16-save performance in a 1-1 tie with North Texas.
Seymour Lieberman died Monday morning, having hung onto this plane of existence one more NFL Sunday and almost to the finish of the Major League Baseball regular season. Despite the Giants losing to Philly and the Jets getting skunked at home, I absolve them of all blame for Sy's Monday metamorphosis. I never saw him get upset when one of his New York teams or his school, Michigan, wasn't up to snuff. He loved the games, no matter the sport, for themselves. He was a pioneer in market research who, during my time covering the Panthers/NHL, loved to needle me that I covered the one major sports league that had never been his client and the one that was also the least successful.
In ways you don't know, he's affected what you see in sports, news media and advertising and how you see it. He's into the ground now having lived a very good life in most senses of that phrase. Salut, Sy.
Now to tonight's FIU-Arkansas State game, to be covered by Andre Fernandez.
ASU got plowed by Western Kentucky last week. That's what Western does. That's what FIU did reasonably well until last week, when Lou-La squashed FIU's run game and exposed the freshman parts of E.J. Hilliard's current game. Hilliard stared down receivers occasionally and took just a hair past deadline to make some decisions. He looked a little like Jake Medlock playing the RC's last year, which is to be expected. Well, he looked like Medlock against the RC's if Medlock worked without much help from receivers, offensive line, running game...
Ryan Aplin's name always reminds me of "apple pie." Because I love apple pie. And maybe also because Aplin treated FIU's defense last year the way I treat Epicure's apple pie the days after Thanksgiving. I don't see him scrambling the way he did last year. FIU's pass rush hasn't been strong enough to make anyone leave the pocket. But he could throw for 300 yards, the way FIU's been leaving receivers more uncovered than Rollergirl. Receivers have found the soft parts of FIU's zone this year as easily as I find McDonald's locations.
This game could show FIU's team maturity around Hilliard and mental toughness. They're 1-4, but still only 0-1 in the Sun Belt. Surprise wins have sprouted from plenty of teams not called "FIU." Still, this isn't the SEC.
I'm still not sure that'll be enough tonight. Arkansas State 38, FIU 24.
But that's just one black man's opinion. I could be wrong.
COACHING STUFF
Those on the "Fire Cristobal" wagon need to stop whining like a bunch of Jag-driving, helicopter-parent-coddled wussies told they have to fly commercial instead of private.
This is a disappointing season for FIU, highlighted by the repeated failure of what everyone -- from inside and outside -- expected to be the team's bedrock. No question that questionable coaching, bad coaching and mistakes made by experienced players from whom you'd expect better mark this season thus far. Now, they're sallying forth with a true freshman (and don't bring up Teddy Bridgewater's freshman year by comparison. Same high school, good friends, not the same player as they started college. Period).
And this makes FIU school No. 103 in the history of Division I-FBS football to see an unexpected kink in an upward achievement curve. It's happened in every program with almost every coach who's enjoyed more than a shot glass of success, especially those trying to build or rebuild programs. If this sinks into a trend, that's when you start looking at the euphemistic "going in a different direction."
This is one season after two bowl seasons for an 11th season program. Get over it.
WOMEN'S GOLF
After winning medalist honors at the Wolverine Invitational and taking third at the Johnie Imes Invitational, FIU freshman Meghan MacLaren received the Sun Belt's Womens' Golfer of the Month award. The next tournament for MacLaren and the Panthers is the FIU-hosted 35th annual Pat Bradley Tournament.
