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 3 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:
 
3. GREEN ZONE

When Napoleon Maxwell scored from one yard out to cap FIU's scoring at 63 points against UMass in the regular season finale the Panthers had overtaken Georgia as the No. 1 red zone offense in the NCAA this season.

It's called the red zone in football but for FIU the area inside the opponent's 20 this season might as well be called the green zone because the Panthers have been money.

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. That stat is one huge reason for the Panthers' record-breaking season.

This year FIU set program records for converting in the red zone and for 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.

FIU is currently on a streak of scoring on 20 straight red zone possessions with the Panthers most productive red zone game coming against the Minutemen scoring seven out of seven trips inside the 20.

The last time FIU led the nation in an NCAA statistic you have to go back to the 2006 season when the Panthers led the NCAA in tackles for loss. That season with the Killer "B's" linebacker troika of Antwan Barnes, Keyonvis Bouie and Alexander Bostic, a winless FIU (0-12) also finished No. 28 in the nation in total defense.

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
6. UNSUNG PANTHERS
5. COOKED RICE
4. RECORD FINISH