By Pete Pelegrin 
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

FIU led the NCAA in red zone offense this season scoring 39 times out of 40 trips from the opponent's 20-yard line and in.

If you ask FIU offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky why the Panthers were the best offense in the red zone in college football, he'll tell you it's because of its balance.

"A stat like that everyone is a part of the success," said Skrosky. "The first thing is start with the kicker. As a play caller with Jose [Borregales] you know you got three [points] and I'm not saying you get a little more aggressive but you feel like you got three so we might as well get seven.

"The second thing is the composure of [quarterback] Alex [McGough] and how he has progressed throughout the year. Everything shrinks in the red zone and I think over the years younger guys have struggled with the tight windows.

"The third thing I attribute it to is our ability to run the football because when you can run down there with the safeties as low as they are, you are doing some good things. I think it's a combination of those three things."

Besides leading the nation in red zone efficiency this season, the Panthers also – to no surprise – broke the FIU records for red zone offense and red zone touchdowns.

Before this season the 2010, 2011 and 2015 FIU teams scored at an 87 percent clip in the red zone. The 2017 FIU squad scored 98 percent of the time in the red zone.

The 2015 Panthers held the program red zone touchdowns record, getting six points 67 percent of the time. This year the Panthers scored touchdowns 77 percent of the time from the opponent's 20 and in.

"We've had a big focus on not having any negative plays especially with our run game being efficient in first and second down and not getting behind the chains," said guard Jordan Budwig. "Once you get in the red zone the only way you really don't score is you hurting yourself."

FIU has not hurt itself in the red zone. The Panthers have just one turnover in the red zone – a fumble against UTSA.

The only game that FIU did not get into the red zone this season was against Central Florida in the season opener. Since the UCF game, the Panthers had 19 straight red zone chances and scored in each one of them before the streak was snapped against the Roadrunners. FIU is currently on a streak of scoring on 20 straight red zone possessions.

FIU scored a season-high seven times (49 points) in seven chances against UMass in the red zone and if the final whistle hadn't blown the Panthers might still be scoring on the Minutemen.

Red zone success was one of the first aspects of the game that FIU coach Butch Davis preached to his team when he took over.

"All the way back to the spring we talked about if you are going to be successful offensively you got to finish drives," Davis said. "Finishing drives means when you get into the high red zone, the tight red zone you got to be able to put points on the board. I think the one single common denominator of the success are the great decisions that Alex McGough made. You can drive the ball six, seven, eight first downs with big explosive plays and get it down in the red zone but now the quarterback has got to make excellent decisions whether it's throw the ball away or throw it to the right guys and not have turnovers and Alex did a super job this year."

Although McGough has made the right decisions, FIU's ability to run the ball all season long and Borregales hitting six of six field goals from the short distance has gone a long way to the success inside the 20-yard line.

"Since we are a well-balanced offense, it helps that the defense has no idea what's coming whether it's run or pass," Budwig said. "We've done a real good job of being efficient in the red zone with the run game and mixing it up inside and outside. When you keep the defense on its toes and we execute to the best of our abilities we're going to have real good success."