FIU Panthers Prowl

A good day for Cyprien, Hobbs & Albrecht

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.

Basketball Jones; TY & History

The women ballers fell to LSU Sunday, 76-69, in the championship game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic, but the weekend transitioned the seasons from football/volleyball to basketball. The former seasons ended. The latter seasons get some home action this week with doubleheaders at The Branch against Arkansas State and South Alabama.

After the women hoopsters upset Iowa Friday night on Jerica Coley's leaner at the horn, the men took out Coastal Carolina 87-77 for the first career college win for Richard Pitino. Saturday, the volleyball team lost its epilogue match, against Central Florida hours before the football team suffered its final heartbreak to Louisiana-Monroe, putting to bed two disappointing seasons.

HILTON

As soon as T.Y. Hilton crossed the goal line on his 75-yard punt return, I got a text message from a longtime friend and Colts fan crowing that Hilton got the first of many return touchdowns. Hilton later became the first Colt to have a receiving and return touchdown in the same game, no small thing for a franchise that had Hall of Fame all-purpose guy Lenny Moore and Lydell Mitchell.

And, with the Dolphins, tight end Michael Egnew's game jersey remains pristine.

 

Perez Sun Belt Swimmer of the Week; Shula Bowl line swing

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.

Women's soccer's season ends; Hilton's happy

In a loser-goes-home Sun Belt Conference title match Sunday afternoon, FIU lost to North Texas 1-0 on a goal in the 63rd minute. FIU got outshot 21-9 and 14 of those North Texas shots came in the second half.

FIU ends the season 13-6-2.

T.Y. HILTON

Is it irony or appropriate that T.Y. Hilton's first big NFL game came against his hometown team which twice passed him over in the third round of the NFL Draft?

Hilton had 102 receiving yards and a touchdown for Indianapolis Sunday against the Dolphins. Ironically (no question here), the snallish Hilton's touchdown came by outjumping defenders while he dropped a sure touchdown on the play he outran the Dolphins secondary.

Medlock 4 weeks, Mallary OK, TY TD

Quickie updates from Sun Life Stadium, where the crowd's only slightly bigger and the quarterbacking much less enjoyable than Saturday night at La Cage.

*Quarterback Jake Medlock will be out four weeks with a broken foot.

*Running back Darian Mallary should be OK for next week.

*T.Y. Hilton scored his first NFL touchdown, a 40-yard pass from Andrew Luck.

No football, English or American

Topping this mini-post off with some electronic dap for T.Y. Hilton, who had four catches for 54 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown Saturday for Indianapolis against Washington. He also had a 22-yard kickoff return. The touchdown showed good resiliency after he had a tough first half last week against Pittsburgh.

Today's women's soccer game with Moorehead State has been cancelled as we wait for Isaac to do his thing. Don't bet on a makeup date.

The football team was scheduled to have the day off anyway.

While waiting for Isaac, check out this Isaac doing his thing...

 

 

Of Water & Watch Lists & Volleyball

This is why you do don't put off doing stuff when you can, as happened around here after Coyote 3 dogpaddled back home last night from what became Deutchsland Night at FIU men's soccer.

Let's say a water main near your building bursts one morning just because that's what water mains do occasionally. You have no running water in your crib, turning you into a high rise Okie, and your surrounding streets look like this.

That packed dishwasher that didn't get run the night before with the dishes in the sink that didn't get rinsed off? That shower you didn't take, though you already felt icky from pre-dawn to late night rippin' and runnin'? Those errands you declined to run the day before? Now all you can do is pull out the proverbial jug of wine, loaf of bread and jug of water (didn't do the pre-storm bathtub fill yet and your kidneys do not care...)

And blog about yet another watch list. The first Senior Bowl watch list includes FIU defensive end Tourek Williams, safety Johnathan Cyprien and offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann. T.Y. Hilton was the first FIU player to be named to the Senior Bowl.

MEN'S SOCCER

Eric Reyes started 12 games for FIU in goal last season. For Friday night's opener against Bryant, Reyes watched freshman Robin Spiegel, from Wipperfurth, Germany, get a three-save shutout win. Spiegel was a relatively late recruit, according to coach Kenny Arena, a June find. 

"At this point in the season, we started who we felt was doing the best," Arena said of the whole lineup. "Like I told the guys, it's game by game, practice by practice."

Spiegel's sophomore countryman, Quentin Albrecht, potted both FIU goals.

VOLLEYBALL

FIU sits at 1-2 after a four-set win against Florida A&M Saturday evening at the (big breath now) Campus USA Credit Union Invite in Gainesville.

Earlier in the day, the Panthers suffered a five-set loss to Florida Gulf Coast 25-23, 13-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-12. Senior Marija Prsa compiled 25 kills while redshirt sophomore Jessica Egan racked up 25 assists. Hopefully, there's no three-knockdown rule if FIU loses this afternoon to Florida A&M.

Friday, freshman Lucia Castro, out of Puerto Rico's Caribbean School, led FIU with nine kills and Egan had 21 helpers in FIU's 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-12) loss to No. 18 Florida. FIU actually led 19-17 in the first before a 5-0 run swung the game.

 

Two more things from Media Day

A couple of things I forgot from earlier...

1. Some programs shoo NFL scouts away for fear the temptation of league money will shorten the careers of their best players by one or two years.

FIU, on the other hand, embraces the NFL hawks.

"Not every school allows them in for preseason camp," Cristobal said. "We do because that's the next phase of our program."

He said three NFL scouts would be at Monday night's practice and NFL scouts would be around the team throughout the season.

"When a guy like Anthony Gaiter and T.Y. (Hilton) catches their attention, now there's that much more focus that there are legitimate, really, really good football players down at FIU," Cristobal said. "So we open up the doors to them. We actually provide weekly e-mails and footage and information.

"We want guys to graduate and they will. Again, that's the most important thing. But we make no reservations about it -- we want guys to come here who want to play in the NFL. We want to coach guys and want to play with guys who want to play in the NFL, who want to make this a way of life. That do not want to make this a hobby."

2. The players present were logical ones: quarterback Jake Medlock; kicker Jack Griffin; and the preseason All-Sun Belt players -- running back Kedrick Rhodes, right tackle Rupert Bryan, Jr, left tackle Caylin Hauptmann, defensive end Tourek Williams, linebacker Winston Fraser, safety Johnathan Cyprien.

The only preseason All-Sun Belt player not there? Junior defensive tackle Isame Faciane, not having the best camp so far. I'm hearing it was a coincidence, however.

Quick hits from Media Day; T.Y. pics from Sunday

Not much new at Tuesday's Media Day. But here are a few tidbits, some of which appear also in a story that'll appear in tomorrow's print Herald and online later this evening:

Mario Cristobal said there's a significant gap from Jake Medlock to Lorenzo Hammonds, Jr., and E.J. Hilliard, but that in less than two weeks, he expects the latter two to be up to where they can help FIU win and not just get FIU through the night. As far as their classmates, he expects 23 to 26 freshmen or redshirt freshmen to play on the first or second string or play serious special teams time.

Cristobal called Jeremiah Harden "1A" at running back behind Kedrick Rhodes and said Darian Mallary looked as good Monday evening as he has in two years.

Senior left tackle Caylin Hauptmann, when I asked about the senior leadership this year and the way they've done so much teaching with the younger guys, he said, "When we went to our bowl game two years ago, we had great leadership from people like Brad Serini and Cedric Mack. Whereas last year, we didn't have a core leadership -- what to do, wehwer to go, what steps to take. I remember that, our seniors remember that. We just took from that. To be able to see that two years ago, we're just implementing it to them."

T.Y. HILTON

T.Y. Hilton, Sr. sent me some photos from Sunday's Indianapolis Colts preseason game. Here's one of T.Y., who had a total of five touches (three catches, one run, one punt return)...

...and one of T.Y. Hilton, Sr. and Cora Hilton

 

 

A few thoughts from Saturday night; Hilton's debut and football cards

Usually, as readers of this blog know from last year, my usual long-winded postgame blog analysis is done after the game and posted sometime in the wee am hours (exceptions for excessive sleepiness preceding multi-hour morning drives). Last night, I planned to do the same. I didn't plan to get home late, sleepy and still needing to hit Lincoln Road for dinner with the wife.

So, it's Sunday morning.

Head Coach's view (or, part of it):

"Kedrick Rhodes ran really, really well. Tourek Williams played really really well. Richard Leonard, Junior Mertile, big plays. Jeremiah McKinnon played some good fotoball...a lot of big plays both sides of hte ball. Back and forth in a good way. That's what you want to see. A really good first scrimmage."

While there were big plays by both offense and defense, it seemed most of the offensive explosiveness came from the 3s facing each other. My first thought after the scrimmage was, "Well, that's probably the best defense they'll face all season..."

Fireman's Fund full coverage in the secondary. A pass rush that usually got to or around the quarterback. Solid tackling. That was the first team defense all night. They had maybe two real failures in a series of downs. The first I describe in the next paragraph. The other was a third and 10 with the offense backed up on its own 1 on which quarterback Jake Medlock completed a pass to Zach Schaubhut for about 19 yards.

Medlock was upbeat afterwards, but that's him.  He's the kind of guy in the action movies who says, "So I lost an arm -- I still had one to shoot with and there was less of me for them to shoot at!" He said he wanted to show composure after bad plays and he did that. He also showed a good voice at the line, turning a third and 6 into a third and 1 by drawing defensive tackle Isame Faciane offside. He nearly did it again on the third and 1, the entire defensive line jumping forward and back like a quartet of Kappas or Q-Dogs in a step show. Rhodes plowed for a first down. Mario Cristobal was happy about that.

Othewise, it was pretty much a shutdown. The second teamers didn't have quite the same amount of success with the second team offense, but they allowed only one score, an incredible one-handed catch sky sweep by Jairus Williams with Mertile in his jersey. They had some outside containment problems. Shane Coleman got outside for a 48-yard run and Hammonds broke out for a 22-yard run. They had freshman linebackers Leroy Owens and Patrick Jean working the middle much of the night. That's going to happen with young guys. Owens, who also had a sack, made the interception that killed the second team's two-minute drill drive.

Among the third-teamers, quarterback E.J. Hilliard, aside from telegraphing a throw that allowed Mertile to jump the route for a pick six with the second team, showed his legs and a pretty good arm for distance and accuracy. He escaped the pocket and hit redshirt sophomore Michael Curry deep for a 70-yard touchdown.They hooked up for a 42-yard play earlier in the scrimmage. Both were behind freshman safety Davison Colimon, who bounced back after the first one with a fumble recovery.

The touchdown to Curry came with Hilliard being chased by freshman defensive tackle Darrian Dyson. A helmetless Darrian Dyson, who drew a flag for it. According to Mario Cristobal, this year, once you lose your helmet, you can't re-engage a block and can't rejoin pursuit of a player. Three helmets came off during plays Saturday night, which Cristobal mentioned as a concern.

Freshman quarterbcak Favian Upshaw hit redshirt freshman T.J. Lowder for a 44-yard touchdown late in the scrimmage. That kind of made up for the handoff between Upshaw and freshman fullback Lemarq Caldwell that freshman defensive lineman Diegot Joseph snatched up.

I would've been shocked if I had seen anything else Saturday night. FIU's a top notch defensive team -- and big, really looking big -- with a strong running game and a quarterback still getting it all together. That's only slightly less the case with the second team units.

There's still three weeks practice time left before Duke. And as I wrote in a story from Sun Belt media days, given the choice, every Sun Belt coach said they'd rather have the best defense than the best offense.

T.Y. HILTON

 Hilton made his preseason debut with Indianapolis today -- three catches for 25 yards, one rush for 9 yards around the right side as the Colts lined up in the shotgun, one punt return for 6 yards.

A few days ago, his father texted me pictures of three autographed Hilton rookie cards.

 

Basketball games, football tickets & golf outings

As expected, we'll get a psychologist's dream, a Freud Shootout (or is it Oedipus Throwdown) this season in men's basketball: son Richard Pitino, Jr.'s FIU team trying to slay father Rick Pitino's Louisville bunch.

But don't be surprised if it's not just a one-shot deal, but a home-and-home series lasting at least the first two years of The Pitino Era at FIU.

FOOTBALL

Season tickets go on sale for men's football at midnight tonight at http://www.fiusports.com.The first 500 new season ticket buyers who buy two tickets in the sideline sections get a limited edition replica of Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium. Limit one replica per account.

I should've blog posted about T.Y. Hilton's 4-year deal when I found out about it Thursday evening. But, I lollygagged a bit, then fell asleep watching the Thunder swat the Spurs and, well...

Good for T.Y.

GOLF OUTING

Friday's FIU Athletics Golf Outing on Doral's Red Course got drenched. So you know the names that follow are almost as serious about their golf as Bishop Pickering.

 

Andrew Vargas, Eric Kaplin and Juan Cueto shot a 52 in the scramble scoring. Six shots back were the foursomes, Tom Shull, Brad Randall, Blake St. Clair and Chuck Beurman; and Frank Gonzalez, Daniel Chavez, Carlos Arboleda and Robert Shafer.

A Seed; An Offer; A Thank You and Goodbye for Goodbye

FIU will be the No. 3 overall seed, the second highest seed in Pool B, for the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament.

FIU faces No. 6 seed Troy Thursday noon, No. 7 Middle Tennessee State Friday noon and No. 2 Arkansas State 4 p.m. on Saturday. The best record in the pool plays the team with the best record in Pool A for the championship next Sunday.

FIU swept Troy in West Dade, scoring 20 runs in the three games; took two of three from Middle at home, although they got mercy ruled, 13-3 in the one loss; and took two of three, including a 16-5 mercy rule KO win, at Arkansas State last week. 

FOOTBALL

Boca Raton Olympic Heights cornerback Degaulle Sama says he's received an offer from FIU.

HILTON

The Stadium Club was the site of a celebration and send off for T.Y. Hilton Saturday night. As Hilton highlights from Miami Springs High and FIU played on eight flat screen TVs around the room, various speakers, including FIU President Mark Rosenberg, spoke of Hilton as a person, player and what he's meant to FIU.

President Rosenberg said he showed a 1981 graduate film of the 2010 19-14 loss to Rutgers in which Hilton had 110 all-purpose yards and the alumnus said, "Mark, I have never seen anybody cheer for FIU before."

Hilton himself wasn't able to be present, having to remain in Indianapolis.

This was what greeted folks on the right as they entered.

A potentially breathtaking combination: Hilton & Colts

In contrast to the bulk-based, muscular football identified with the Midwest, the Indianapolis Colts began believing in scoring points from a distance and with style since drafting Peyton Manning in 1998. Going! Going! Gosh!, Zoom at the Top and Gee Whi-z-z-z describe the Colts offensive style (OK, they're also the titles of RoadRunner/Coyote cartoons, but even more to my point...). Evolution of rules and style pushed the rest of the NFL toward the Colts style and they chose to rebuild starting with quarterback Andrew Luck, you know they're not changing.

That's why it wasn't shocking they took T.Y. Hilton. They resigned aging Reggie Wayne, drafted a couple of tight ends, so they needed some zoom, baby. They need it on the offense and in the kick return game.

Hilton said on his visit to Indianapolis, "The receivers coach and I grew a bond, the offensive coordinator and I grew a bond as well. He saw where I was coming from and I saw where he was coming from."

He also visited with Philadephia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Jacksonville, worked out for Baltimore and the Dolphins. As the third round plodded along, "I was just being patient," Hilton said. "What really got me was when Jacksonville chose the punter. I was thinking, what is the world coming to?"

The third round was winding down when he saw the phone call from the Colts. "I was holding my breath. I was thinking, their next pick is in the fourth round. They're calling me to tell me they're taking me in the fourth round iwth the first pick tomorrow. They said, "we just traded up for you." It took my breath away."

 

Volleyball assistant gets a bump; Karaoke in the afternoon; Mayock loves T.Y.; Tennis pulls a Panthers

Trevor Theroulde, an FIU assistant coach for four seasons, has been promoted to head volleyball coach, the school announced Friday. Theroulde was head coach of Trinidad and Tobago's national team from 1995-2002. He's also been an assistant at Central Florida and Marshall.

BASEBALL TIMES

Saturday's baseball home game will start at 1 p.m. Presumably, Arkansas-Little Rock also has been informed. As fan karaoke -- with prizes -- will be on the non-game entertainment bill, UALR might wish they'd showed up at the originally scheduled time. 

T.Y. TALK

NFL Network's Mike Mayock, their scouting ace, spoke kindly of T.Y. Hilton when I brought up the wide receiver on a conference call Thursday:

"He's really an exciting player because he's one of those guys that's not just quick, but fast. He ran in the 4.30s on his pro day and very quick with the ball in hand and added value in the return game.

So, when you add all those things up, I think he's going to be a late two to a mid three. He's going to be a return specialist. He's dangerous with the ball in his hand. Some teams will look at him as a slot receiver because he's so darned quick but I don't think you can lump him in there and say he's just a slot and return specialist, because he also has long speed.

But give him a chance to earn a spot outside, because there's some value there, but ultimately, he's going to be, I think, one of the better inside receivers in the game along with a return specialist."

 WOMEN'S TENNIS

Over in the Panthers-Devils NHL playoff series, a 3-0 lead has been taken in each game. In Tuesday's Game 3, the Panthers came back with four unanswered goals for a 4-3 win. Friday, FIU's tennis team, getting whipped 3-0 by Troy, stormed back for a 4-3 match win that gets them a 9 a.m. Saturday court time with Middle Tennessee State.

Stormed might be appropraite, as the rains came Friday after Troy took the 3-0 lead. After a rain delay long enough to play What's Goin' On a few times ended, FIU's Sarah McLean routed Lyubov Dorofeeya 6-2, 6-2. Giuletta Boha then beat Rosaura Ramirez-Vega 6-3, 7-6. Christine Serendi tied the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Samya El-Hsissen.

Karyn Guttormsen and Candela Munoz decided the whole affair with, fittingly, a three-setter. Munoz took the first set 6-1, but Guttormsen answered by taking the final two sets 6-3, 6-4.

 

Hilton Pro Day Video (belatedly) & groundbreaking stuff

Sorry I've been away in Dolphinland since returning from Tampa, where I thought the FIU-South Florida Women's NIT game at the Campus Recreation Center would be preceded by a gym class playing Dodge Ball, Pinball or Prisoner's All. Much anger and dysfunction up in Davie.

I also just regained my camera, thus allowing me to post the video of T.Y. Hilton's Pro Day, albeit 12 days after I intended. 

 

  

  

 

This Friday at 3:15, the school will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the new north side of Alonso Field at FIU Stadium. Knowing how construction projects often go in Dade County, if they get this thing done on time, I think they should hold a serious party with hours of Afro-Cuban bongos, booty shaking and enough pork to beach the Steelers.

 

Hilton runs 4.36 at Friday's Pro Day

T.Y. Hilton began FIU's Pro Day this morning, attended by scouts or personnel men from all 32 NFL teams, by running an unofficial 4.4 (media timed) and a second 40 that FIU folks got at 4.36. Hilton didn't run at the NFL Scouting Combine because of a quad injury. More than the speed in shorts -- NFL teams have his football speed on tape -- he needed to show recovery from another minor injury.

Of the spring practice scrimmage that preceded the Pro Day, head coach Mario Cristobal said, ""The offense, at least the No. 2 offense, came out strong. The first team defense played especially well. They put a lot of pressure on the offense to perform and perform on third down. Not too many friendly third down sitatuions.

"The offseason as it should, has paid off a bunch. It's the smallest injury report we've ever had and we played hard. We played 100 plus plays today, not including special teams. I believe we had four penalties, which is still four too many, but in terms of a game, it's a little bit of an improvement."

"(Quarterback) Jake (Medlock) came out and did some good things. I thought (freshman quarterback E.J. Hilliard) really flashed today, made some big throws. Both (wide receivers) Glenn Coleman and Wayne Times took a couple of routine plays, made a guy miss and made the defense pay for it. That was against the (No. 2 defense). We had success against the ones as an offense as well, but not the same amount of success. We didn't bust that big play against that No. 1 defense. A little bit of that, too, is when you have guys like Richard Leonard and Jonathan Cyprien who can hunt down a guy after a tackle is missed. It makes a difference."

Beaupre, oui (again); rain dances; Taylor plays; spring flings

Going into this year's Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships, FIU sophomore Sabrina Beaupre counted as the most sure thing out of Quebec province since Mario Lemieux.

Favorite pays: on Wednesday's first day, Beaupre won her second consecutive 3-meter diving championship by breaking her own Sun Belt record of 304.8 points with 328.85 points. Had Beaupre merely tied her own record, she still would've won by 31.8 points. As it was, she won by 55.85, her score exceeding that of runner up, North Texas' Catherine Johnson, by over 20 percent. That's a blowout on the level of Secretariat (which was trained by a French-Canadian, Lucien Laurin, and ridden by a Canadian, Ron Turcotte.)

FIU's fourth in the team rankings after the first day with 90 points. North Texas' 110 points has them nine up on soon-to-be-WAC Denver and 12 up on Western Kentucky.

FIU's 800 freestyle relay (junior Kayla Derr, sophomore Sonia Perez Arau, senior Vicnan Torres, freshman Johanna Gustafsdottir) finished third in a school redor 7:18.62, and Derr's leadoff of 1:49.24 broke her own school record for the 200 free. Gustafsdottir also was part of a school-record 200 Medley Relay, with freshman Klara Anderson, senior Kariann Stevens and junior Kelly Grace. Their 1:43.38 got them fifth place.

Thursday will be the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and 200 free relay.

BASEBALL

Though the baseball team went 0-3 at Rice, their rain delay dance from last Friday's season opener drew admiration from Sports Illustrated.

 

And, somewhere, Don Cornelius smiles...

 

BASKETBALL

FIU appealed what would've been a one-game suspension for point guard Phil Taylor, who got tossed from Saturday's loss at Arkansas State after a pair of technical fouls, and the Sun Belt said, OK, let him play, Thursday.

FOOTBALL

Walk-on tryouts are Friday and the spring insanity known as spring football begins the next Friday (no video). The spring game is March 30.

This weekend, T.Y. Hilton will be at the NFL Scouting Combine, probably answering more questions about whether or not he's injury prone than anything else. A Hilton with dependable health would get taken in the second round by a team willing to roll the dice on someone so slight, yet so fast as a big play threat in a big play league. If adjudged a health risk -- and with wide receivers, NFL teams can be more risk averse than an insurance company -- he's a third or fourth-rounder.

OC Satterfield Out; Willis In; some others enrolled early

Some football updates while exiled in Dolphinland on coaching search watch:

FIU will be looking for a new offensive coordinator now that Scott Satterfield is heading back to Appalacian State as offensive coordinator. What's your feeling on this move? Good? Bad?

I thought while FIU's offense's scheme played to its strengths, the Panthers did tend to get repetitive and into a pattern (not always the same thing) on play calls. They didn't use their tight ends enough, either, in the red zone and, yes, that did gnaw at me the whole season, especially when you see the matchup problems Jonathan Faucher and Colt Anderson could cause. FIU's offense was both explosive and inconsistent.

THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT...WILLIS

Source at Camp Mitch confirmed a verbal commitment by Fort Meade High outside linebacker Jamie Willis. Here's some highlights.

 

HEAD START (IN THE) PROGRAM

On the recruit front, the word out of Camp Mitch is offensive lineman Delmar Taylor, defensive lineman Fadol Brown and running back Lemarq Caldwell will begin classes Monday. Miami Northwestern quarterback E.J. Hilliard told other Herald reporters months ago he wants to enroll after graduating high school early.

So, that takes a little of the angst from the coaches' coffees about National Signing Day.

ANOTHER SIGN T.Y. HAS GONE GOODBYE

Hilton signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Football Gameday XIII; baseball gets some preseason props

One nice thing about the bowl game has been running into some of you blog regulars, such as the couple I just spent two hours yammering with in the lobby of our hotel. So what if I don’t get to sleep until infomercials dominate every channel outside the ESPN family? Bob Evans always serves breakfast – if I don’t get breakfast food, unpleasantness ensues -- and that day spa around the corner can deep tissue my back and shoulders in the afternoon.

Trivia question: Anybody else recognize the tune the band on the ESPN 3D bowl game commercial is playing after they march into the living room of the two guys in sunglasses watching a college football game?

The line: FIU opened a 5-point favorite for the Beef O' Brady's Bowl. It’s now down to 4 points with a 48 ½ to 49 over/under. Bettors see FIU winning, but by a late field goal or come from behind touchdown. The over/under number’s a tough one in this game, as there could be a special teams play or two that boosts the point totals.

The game: One team is in its second bowl game, the other is a young team with many players in a bowl for the first time. Scrape yourself on the rust, you could get lockjaw. Players sometimes take time to break mentally from holiday break and get into the game. Expect some blown blitz pick ups, coverages in the secondary, some shoddy tackling early in the game. The wacky could be the norm before things settle down late in the first quarter or early in the second.

I don't think all the "Will Mario Cristobal head for Pitt?" talk will affect FIU's performance. Cristobal's there on the sideline and been there at practices, doing his normal job. When Brian Kelly left Cincinnati for Notre Dame before Cincy played Florida in the Sugar Bowl -- or, currently, Todd Graham leaving Pitt for Arizona State before the BBVA Compass Bowl -- that's the kind of thing that can gut a team.

It’ll be Wesley Carroll at quarterback for FIU. The pinched nerve in Medlock’s shoulder hasn’t healed enough.

Freshman Rakeem Cato starts for Marshall. His net of 28 yards rushing on 54 carries over a season in which he started eight games tells you he shouldn’t give cause Ryan Aplin or Blaine Gauthier flashbacks for FIU. Cato needs good pocket feet against FIU’s rush (14^th in the nation at 2.83 sacks per game), and such Bojangles Robinson deftness often isn’t developed yet in a freshman quarterback.

That assumes FIU can get to Cato. Marshall’s done a good job of keeping its quarterbacks upright, giving up only 26. Their size upfront concerns some FIU coaches, but the Thundering Herd isn’t a pound-it-out team and FIU’s had success slowing the solid rushing attacks of teams more multi-dimensional. The Herd’s team rushing average is 3.6 per carry. Top running backs Tron Martinez  and Travon Van (doesn’t “Martinez & Van” sound like either a road-trip show on The Food Network or a cop team from a late 1970s drama?) average 4.1 and 4.0 respectively. The Thundering Herd moves best through the air.

Downfield, the length and height of Marshall 6-3 junior wide receiver Aaron Dobson, Marshall’s leading receiver in catches (42), yards (587) and touchdowns (10) could leave him reaching for the stars while FIU’s diminutive cornerbacks plot for his landing. The only FIU defensive back with similar build is redshirt freshman strong safety Justin Halley, the team leader in interceptions. FIU's been on an seven-game interception roll, though, and Cato's thrown 10. 

Marshall’s defenders likened FIU’s skill position players to those of Houston and Southern Mississippi, the schools that wound up playing for the Conference USA title. Marshall beat Southern Miss 26-20 in the second game of the season for each, then got strafed 63-28 by Houston on Oct. 22. 

Normally, with a defensive end like Marshall’s All-American Vinny Curry, you’d run some traps and screens to his side early just to contaminate him with hesitation. But Marshall moves Curry around so much that adjustments for that would have to be made on the fly. Still, with the Herd worrying about how well they’ll tackle, perhaps FIU should try to hit regular screens to Kedrick Rhodes, bubble screens and hitches early to get T.Y. Hilton and Wayne Times on the edge.

Despite Curry’s 11 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, Marshall allowed 4.2 yards per rush and 155.0 rushing yards per game for the season – that’s including sacks -- and came up with only 25 sacks. Curry’s going to get his, but Marshall’s opponents have done a good job of not letting him ruin their attack singlehandedly. FIU’s had three weeks to figure out how to do that. That also sounds like a lot of running room for Rhodes.

Marshall’s special teams worries FIU – three blocked kicks, three blocked punts and an 87-yard punt return by Andre Booker. Booker also averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return. FIU will be trying some new players on special teams, so don’t be surprised if Marshall’s first couple of returns blow up big.

FIU’s special teams should worry Marshall just as much. Four FIU players – T.Y. Hilton, Wayne Times, Richard Leonard and Colt Anderson – had kickoff returns longer than 30 yards and Anderson’s was on a pooch kick. Jonathan Faucher got his hands on two punts in the last three games and nearly a third. Jack Griffin gives FIU the edge in kicking.

I’m seeing experience making the difference early as FIU grabs a big lead and late as they hang on for the win. I’m seeing a couple of massive plays out of Hilton, maybe a touchdown from Colt Anderson and maybe some type of special teams or defensive touchdown off a youthful mistake to put the game away.

Call it 31-20, FIU. But that’s just one black man’s opinion. I could be wrong.

Trivia answer: It’s the “Theme from SWAT,” which actually went to No. 1 on the charts in 1976 during the show’s year and a half run.

 BASEBALL

In Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 preseason poll, FIU comes in at No. 39.

A sampler of football stuff...and a big-headed Byron Leftwich

A few things while listening to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack and watching the wife make turkey marsala...

VEGAS SAYS...

The opening line of FIU by 5 has held only at the Wynn. The rest of the Vegas books and offshore sites have dropped it to 4.5 or 4. Means little other than Marshall was a little better against the spread than FIU was. The over/under across the board is 49.

FUTURES

Riviera Beach Suncoast defensive back Davison Colimon, a verbal commit in November, apparently had a good in-home visit Wednesday night. He's a hurdles champion, speaking to his speed and athleticism, but he also has the size FIU could stand to add on the back end.

Prattville (Ala.) High's quarterback/wide receiver/athlete Jalen Whitlow says FIU, Minnesota, Arkansas State, FSU and Auburn are recruiting him, but only FIU, Arkansas State, South Alabama, Minnesota and Samford have offered him so far.

ALL ABOUT THE HYPE

Both FIU and Marshall did some preseason Heisman campaigning to get exposure for their stars and, by extension, their program and school. FIU used Facebook and Twitter for its Hilton4Heisman push. Back in 2002, Marshall went a different, slightly goofier (creepier?) route...