By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Coming off a 4-8 season a year ago not many would have expected FIU to have a game this season where overlooking an opponent might be an issue. But then again, not many expected the Panthers to be 6-2 at this point and already bowl-eligible.

Thus you have a game like this Saturday where FIU takes on an underachieving Old Dominion with a 3-6 record and one loss away from being eliminated for bowl-eligibility. ODU won 10 games last season, including the Bahamas Bowl over Eastern Michigan, and had 16 returning seniors this season but have lost six of its first nine games.

The game against the Monarchs is the typical trap game – a struggling opponent this Saturday for the Panthers with arch rival and conference-leading Florida Atlantic waiting in Don Shula Bowl XVI the following Saturday.

FIU coach Butch Davis is honest with his players about Saturday.

"One of the things that I refuse to do to players and I never have is you don't cry wolf," Davis said. "You don't go in and say this is a team that is 1-9 and they are the best team on the planet. You tell them just watch the games, how competitive they were early in that football game against Virginia Tech, who is one of the top 15 teams in the country. They played a tough schedule and some of the games they have been very, very close right on the cusp of being able to fight their way in and make themselves 6-6 and make themselves bowl-eligible."

The Monarchs snapped a six-game losing streak last Saturday with a 6-0 win over Charlotte. ODU has played a tough schedule with games against North Carolina and Virginia Tech. The Monarchs lost handily to FAU 58-28, lost by just one score to C-USA West Division leader North Texas 45-38 and a late turnover did them in against Western Kentucky.

ODU is in the bottom half of most statistical categories in C-USA. Where the Monarchs excel is on special teams. ODU has three kickoff returns for touchdowns. Isaiah Harper averages 31 yards per kickoff return, which is second in the league behind Marshall's Keion Davis (31.2). Harper has all three kickoff return touchdowns, including a 100-yard return.

"They are dynamic in their return game," Davis said. "They have had kickoff returns for touchdowns where we haven't hardly gotten the ball past the 30-yard line. They have had punt returns for 35 yards, 28 yards. They have really good return guys. You can tell they put an emphasis on special teams because you don't get that type of success by accident."

The Monarchs lost their top running back Ray Lawry and receiver Jonathan Duhart to injuries earlier this season. Lawry is back but not at 100 percent. Backup running back Jeremy Cox is out with a broken clavicle.

Quarterback play was shoddy for ODU with Blake LaRussa and Jordan Hoy so 17-year old freshman Steven Williams was pressed into signal caller duties.
ODU averages 19.7 points per game which is 11^th out of 14 teams in C-USA. The Monarchs are 12^th in total offense with 320.4 yards per game. Still, the FIU defense has to be ready.

"They are going to look at the things we struggled with over the last four or five games and some of those things they already do and some of them they will possibly incorporate into their offense," Davis said. "You go back and I hate looking back and reflecting on a game but UTSA, everything that we prepared for and practiced all week on they almost didn't do any of it. They completely altered their entire offense and it was one of the things they had success on in the second half.

"The message you have to tell the kids is you have to be fundamentally sound and make sure you are lined up right and know your responsibilities, make sure you take care of the fundamentals and tackle. This stage of the season there are going to be new things. People are going to plagiarize other people. Good coaching staffs are going to come up with ideas and ways to attack you so it's a lot about us."

ODU does lead the conference in sacks with 25. Three Monarchs are in the top 10 in sacks in C-USA: Oshane Ximines (No. 4 with 6 sacks), Bunmi Rotimi (No. 5 with 5.5 sacks) and Miles Fox (No. 6 with 4.5 sacks).

"On the defensive side I look at the front and how physically talented are they," Davis said. "There is something about Conference USA that I have come to appreciate whether its Marshall or UTSA. There are a lot of teams that have good defensive linemen, defensive ends that can come off the edge, and big defensive tackles that are strong and physical at the point of attack. That's a big part of the success of the [Old Dominion] defense."

ODU is 11^th in scoring defense allowing 32 points per game and ninth in total defense allowing 414.2 yards per game. The ODU defense can struggle to get off the field. The Monarchs are 10^th in opponents third down conversion (44.6 percent). The FIU offense is fifth in C-USA at converting third downs at a 42.3 percent rate.