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Florida Gators opponent preview: Florida International Panthers
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AP/Stephen Morton
The Florida International Panthers began their 2009 campaign at SEC power Alabama. On Saturday, the Panthers will conclude their 2009 road slate against another SEC heavyweight with a visit to Gainesville to face the top-ranked Gators.
The Panthers are still trying to get established as one of the 120 teams at the FBS level. The Sunbelt conference school has been an FBS program since 2005. FIU stumbled to 23 straight losses from the beginning of the 2006 season to the final contest of the 2007 campaign. The Panthers improved to a 5-7 mark in 2008 and are 3-7 this season.
While it might be some standard praise of an opponent, Florida head coach Urban Meyer feels that the FIU program is moving in the right direction. "There is no question FIU will be a bowl team sooner than you think,'' Meyer said. "This is not a smaller Division I team. This is a very good team that will be in a bowl game within two years.''
FIU has struggled on offense this year. The club is last in the Sunbelt in total and rushing offense. FIU is averaging a woeful 2.8 yards per carry as a team. No player on the team has gained more than 301 yards on the ground in 2009.
The passing game has fared better for the Panthers. Senior quarterback Paul McCall has fired 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2009. Sophomore wideout T.Y. Hilton leads the club with 50 receptions. He has already caught 12 TD passes in his collegiate career.
The defense has been a major problem for the squad this season. The Panthers are in the bottom four nationally in total and rushing defense. The unit has allowed 40 or more points five times this season.
FIU does have some weapons on special teams. Hilton leads the conference in kick return average while junior wideout Jason Frierson tops the Sunbelt in punt return average. The club is a solid 28th in the country in net punting.
Former Miami Hurricanes player and assistant coach Mario Cristobal moved across town to take over the head coaching duties from former Miami Dolphins quarterback Don Stock prior to the 2007 season. He is 9-25 with the Panthers.
Gators complete SEC regular season sweep
While anything short of a BCS title will be a disappointment for the Gators, a perfect 8-0 run through the conference in the regular season is a major accomplishment. Florida survived another challenge in their 24-14 win at South Carolina. The Gators defense delivered another solid performance. The unit forced three turnovers while the Florida offense had no miscues.
Meyer continues to be impressed by the performance of his squad's stop unit.``The second half was just dominance with defense as well as I have seen,'' Meyer said. "We did not play perfect, and I am not sure we have played perfect in quite a while, but I think that is 20 wins in a row, and I'm awfully proud of our team."
The Gators continue to win in 2009 but in less dominant fashion than in 2008. Florida has been held to under 30 points in six of its eight conference games this season. While the Gators have been less explosive this season, the club still leads the conference in rushing offense.
While many fans are waiting for the offense to explode, wide receiver Riley Cooper is content with the club's offense as the wins continue to pile up. "I don't care if we win by one point. We are a different style team this year. We're a tough team and we wear other teams down," said Cooper.
In addition to a dominant defense that is in the top two nationally in total, scoring and passing defense, Florida has also been sound on special teams this year. The Gators are in the top ten in the country in net punting and kickoff return average.
Florida International Panthers (3-7) at FLORIDA GATORS (10-0)
When: Saturday, November 21, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Odds: Florida is favored by 45 points
TV: Pay-per-view/ESPN360
Radio: WFLF 540 AM
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