Florida International has only been playing football for a little over 10 years. They were and FCS Independent from 2002 through 2004. Beginning in 2005, and going through 2012, Florida International was in the Sun Belt Conference. In 2013, Florida International moved to Conference USA. Mario Cristobal actually led the Panthers to back-to-back bowl appearances in in 2010 and 2011 (1-1 record). Cristobal was let go after the 2012 season in which the Panthers went 3-9. That was the start of the a downward slide for FIU. Ron Turner took over in 2013 and we will look at that next.

2013 Florida International Panthers Season

The 2013 was an unmitigated disaster for the Panthers. They returned only six starters on the whole team and it clearly showed during the season. They averaged a paltry 9.8 points and 219 yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 37 points and 430 yards a game. In addition, it was also year one of the Ron Turner era. The out-of-conference schedule was difficult despite the appearance of an FCS team. FIU could not even beat FCS Bethune-Cookman, but did manage to salvage a one point victory over Southern Miss thanks to a blocked field goal. All of that led to the 1-11 record FIU finished the season with. The 2013 results are below.

Offense

Year two of Ron Turner will feature 10 returning starters. The only position that is getting a new starter is quarterback. However, given the inefficiency at that position in 2013, it will not be much of a problem. EJ Hilliard started four games and played in 10 last season with 775 yards passing, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He had a completion percentage of 58.3. He will battle with true freshman Alex McGough, who was in for the spring session and has a decent handle on the offense. Given they only averaged 143 yards passing in 2013, this group should be much better this year.

The running game was also poor last year. The team average only 76 rushing yards per game with a terrible 2.1 yards per carry. The top three rushers all return with Lamarq Caldwell the best rusher in 2013. Caldwell finished with 504 yards and a touchdown as well as catching 13 passes for 104 yards and one touchdown. Silas Spearman was second on the team with 368 yards and four touchdowns. This group should easily be able to top an average of 100 yards a game in 2014.

It is hard to believe, but FIU did produce TY Hilton, now a star in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. The top four receivers all return from last year. Leading the way is tight end Jonnu Smith with 39 receptions, 388 yards, and two touchdowns. TJ Lowder was second with 24 receptions, 307 yards, and three touchdowns. Also on the roster is former Ohio State player James Louis, who was highly recruited out of high school. However, Louis has not played the last two years. With better quarterback play, this unit should be better, just like the rest of the team.

The entire offensive line returns intact for 2014. Three of the linemen will be seniors led by center Donald Senat. Senat started all twelve games as did left guard Jordan Budwig, right tackle Aaron Nielsen, and left tackle David Delsoin. With an entire year and offseason of Ron Turner's system, this group should be one of the bright spots for the offense.

Defense

As mentioned earlier, the defense was appalling in 2013. They gave up 37 points and 430 yards per game. Seven starters return this year, but the defensive line needs to replace two. Coming back are the two ends, Giovani Francois and Denzell Perine. Perine recorded 34 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. The entire unit will need to put more pressure on the quarterback as they only recorded 15 sacks all year. They should improve in 2014.

At linebacker, the Panthers need to replace their heart and soul in Markeith Russell. Russell recorded 96 tackles in 2013, which was 43 more than the next guy. Replacing Russell will be Luis Rosado. He started all 12 games last season with 44 tackles. His fellow linebackers are projected to be Patrick Jean (17 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2013) and Davison Colimon (22 tackles). With the year of experience these guys got in 2013, this group should be better.

The defensive secondary returns three of their four starters. Justin Halley will lead the way at costless safety. Halley had 53 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions last year. At one of the cornerback spots will be senior Randy Harvey. Harvey started the last 11 games in 2013 and finished with 40 tackles and one interception. The other cornerback spot is expected to be taken by Richard Leonard. Leonard did not play in 2013 due to being academically ineligible. In 2012, he started six games and recorded 55 tackles. The strong safety spot will be contested between Jordan Davis (3 starts, 12 games, and 47 tackles in 2013) and Demarkus Perkins (8 starters and 31 tackles). The unit should be far better than last year when they conceded an average of 224 yards per game.

Special Teams

Both the kicker and punter return from 2013 when they were both sophomores. Austin Taylor was solid as kicker last year going 8 of 12 with a long of 52. Chris Ayers returns at punter after battling with Jake Medlock in 2013. Medlock departs this year while Ayers averaged 35.4 yards per punt in 2013. Once again, this group should be much better with a year of experience under their belt.

2014 Season Outlook

After the incredibly awful 2013 season, 2014 should provide some excitement for the Panthers. Both the offense and defense should improve drastically from their poor showings a season ago. The schedule gets better for FIU as they have two FCS opponents and all four of their out-of-conference games are at home. In total, there are eight home games for FIU in 2014, which is a school record. The 2014 schedule is below.

The Panthers have to prove they can beat Bethune-Cookman, which is ranked at number 24 in the FCS Preseason poll by Lindy's. If FIU can beat Bethune-Cookman and Wagner, they may be able to sneak a win against UAB. It looks like anywhere from one to three wins is where FIU will end up for 2014. There is still a long way to go before FIU is competitive again and makes a bowl game, but 2014 should not be a repeat of the horrendous 2013 season they provided us.