By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Throughout its 15-year history of football FIU has produced some noteworthy linebackers.

The "Killer B's" of Antwan Barnes, Keyonvis Bouie and Alexander Bostic helped the Panthers lead the nation in tackles for loss in 2006 and produced the No. 28 total defense in the country that season.

The late Lance Preston was a stalwart linebacker on the 2002 inaugural FIU team. Linebacker Scott Bryant, who played from 2006-09, is second all-time in tackles in FIU history. Linebackers Winston Fraser and Toronto Smith anchored FIU's lone conference championship team in 2010.

Presently, linebackers Treyvon Williams and Anthony Wint have put up tackle numbers that could challenge FIU career tackle records and most tackles by a linebacker duo in FIU football history.

Senior linebackers Williams and Wint have combined for 451 tackles and are just 105 tackles away from matching the FIU record of 556 tackles held by Bouie and Bostic.

Moreover, Wint (244 career tackles, No. 9 all-time) has an outside shot at Johnathan Cyprien's FIU career tackles record of 365. While Williams (207 tackles) and Wint could pass Bryant (302 tackles) for second all-time at FIU.

Yet, neither player is focused on the numbers but rather on getting FIU back on track.

"Personally I don't like to look at stats because when you get too caught up in yourself then you start messing up," Wint said. "But when you get those accolades and you enter your name in the record book it shows how hard you have worked."

Both had to toil in order to be in position to leave a defensive legacy at FIU. Williams came to FIU as a little-known linebacker from Norland High. Wint was focused more on wrestling coming out of Homestead High.

"It was kind of hard for me to learn schemes when I first got here so I was kind of just out there playing," Williams said. "I improved the most by watching film. I realized how important it is to watch film when you want to learn the schemes."

Said Wint: "When I first came here as a freshman I really didn't know a lot scheme-wise. I focused a lot on wrestling so I didn't really get in to the schematics in high school so when I got here I learned a lot quickly."

Having played for three different defensive coordinators in the past three seasons at FIU exposed Williams and Wint to a variety of defensive concepts which only helped the pair better understand defensive schemes.

This season Brent Guy is the new FIU defensive coordinator. Guy brings more schemes for Williams and Wint to digest and thus far they've taken to it well.

"They are really knowledgeable football players," Guy said. "They've played in a lot of schemes. Anthony is very natural at finding the ball. He has a really good feel in the pass game especially when he gets matched up on tight ends.

"Treyvon has played to the field and sometimes he's been in the boundary. We'll do both of those in different packages that we have. Anthony has always been in the middle and he has a very natural fit especially in the four-man front. If something bad happens Anthony is very good at fixing it. They know how to find the football. They don't get themselves out of position. They make plays and they are good tacklers."

And as you might imagine as the elder statesmen on the defense they hold each other accountable.

"He matches my intensity and I match his," Williams said of Wint. "We push each other every day and we push the whole group."

Said Wint: "Treyvon is a fifth-year guy so I know when I mess up he will be on me and when he messes up I'll be on him. It's leadership both ways and we are accountable to each other."