FIU Football: Can the Panthers improve in year two under Mike MacIntyre?

Can FIU football score points this year?

So, this is year two of the Mike MacIntyre experience at FIU, which also means year two of David Yost’s offense. If the Panthers want to show progress, they must put more points on the board. FIU was among some of the worst offenses in the country.

The Panthers were 117th in total offense in 2022. They were equally mediocre in throwing and running the football. It’s hard to win if you can’t score points consistently. A lot of things have to come together for that to happen.

First, junior quarterback Grayson James must be more consistent in throwing the football. He did flash at times. He was outstanding in back-to-back games against Charlotte and Louisiana Tech. Then there were back-to-back games against Florida Atlantic and UTEP.

Consistency on offense starts with better offensive line play. This unit was considerably better in pass protection than run blocking. The O-line lost some players to the portal but did gain Travis Burke in the portal.

South Dakota transfer running back Shomari Lawrence should be solid in the run game. Yost likes to run the quarterback, and James can run the football too.