By
Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin
It has been an historic 2017 season for FIU. The Panthers have matched the program record for wins in a season, broken all kinds of FIU records and can cap an outstanding first season for FIU coach
Butch Davis by defeating Temple in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 21.
The Gasparilla Bowl is the third bowl game in FIU's short history and the last time the Panthers were in the postseason was in the same building – Tropicana Field – in the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl.
Today marks 6 days until kickoff between FIU and Temple. Until Dec. 21 we're going to count down the days until the Gasparilla Bowl by re-visiting the Top 10 moments of the 2017 FIU football season.
Of course, the No. 1 moment could happen in the Gasparilla Bowl, but until then there is another No. 1 moment that we'll reveal on Dec. 20. Let's continue the countdown:
6. UNSUNG PANTHERS
You hear it all the time in football when a starter is injured, "Next man up". Arguably, in no other sport is depth more important than football. And if a team is going to have a successful season that depth has to produce when called upon.
This season FIU encountered several instances when its depth was tested and more often than not the unsung Panthers came through.
In October, FIU played the then-No. 8 running game in the nation in Tulane without its top two linebackers,
Treyvon Williams and
Anthony Wint, and one of its leading sackers,
Anthony Johnson. However, with linebackers
Sage Lewis and
Fred Russ starting and
Jermaine Sheriff on the defensive line for Johnson, the Panthers held the Green Wave to their lowest point total this season in a 23-10 win.
Leading receiver
Thomas Owens missed the final three games of the regular season when FIU needed at least one more win to lock up a bowl berth. The Panthers relied on and were rewarded with production from receivers Bryce Singleton, Shermar Thornton,
Darrius Scott,
Austin Maloney and Tony Gaiter.
Scott had a key 42-yard touchdown catch that put FIU ahead to stay in the third quarter against Western Kentucky in a 41-17 Panthers' triumph that secured the seventh win of the season. Singleton single-handedly destroyed the UMass secondary with 111 receiving yards and an FIU freshman record three receiving touchdowns.
One of FIU's top cornerbacks,
Isaiah Brown, was lost early in the season to injury, but
Andrew Brown filled in admirably, leading the FIU defense in forced fumbles.
And on the offensive line,
Devontay Taylor and
Shane McGough played for
Daquane Wilkie and
Neal Mars, respectively, helping the FIU offensive line block for the unit to score 104 points in the final two games of the regular season.
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2017 FIU FOOTBALL SEASON COUNTDOWN
10. TWO-YARD SPECIAL
9. SWEET "HOME" ALABAMA
8. TULANE BECOMES ONE LANE
7. OVER HERD
