FIU Panthers

Five Florida International Players Who Could Cause Problems

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Maryland had a convincing win to begin the season and will now turn their sights towards Florida International.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2013 season opener. In that game, the Terrapins smoked the Golden Panthers 43-10 behind C.J. Brown’s three touchdown passes and 105 yards on the ground.

The Golden Panthers are coming off a 34-13 loss at the hands of another Big Ten school in Indiana. Florida International struggled to move the football throughout the game and had to settle for field goals on multiple occasions.

Florida International was also the victim three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions that were taken back for touchdowns by the Hoosiers. The Golden Panthers hung with the Hoosiers throughout the first half, but outscored 21-3 in the second half.

Despite the loss, the Golden Panthers have quite a few playmakers on both sides of the football.

We’ll take a look at five Florida International players that could cause problems for Maryland.

Sep 3, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; FIU Golden Panthers tight end Jonnu Smith (87) runs with the ball as UCF Knights defensive back Drico Johnson (21) defends during the second half at Bright House Networks Stadium. FIU Golden Panthers defeated the UCF Knights 15-14. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When you think of Florida International, you may not necessarily think marquee playmakers.

However, tight end Jonnu Smith is one of the more talented players at his position in the nation.

In fact, Smith was named to the Mackey Award Watch List, which is annually given to the top tight end in college football. Past winners have included Dallas Clark, Tyler Eifert, Heath Miller, and Kellen Winslow II.

Smith is an extremely explosive pass catcher that has the ability to run after the catch. He also possesses great hands.

The 6’3 tight end has had three very strong seasons for the Golden Panthers entering the 2016 campaign. In the season opener, Smith caught a team-high eight passes for 83 yards.

During his career at Florida International, Smith has averaged at least 9.9 yards-per-catch and totaled 14 touchdowns. His best year came in 2014 when he hauled in 61 passes for 710 yards and eight touchdowns.

Smith led the team in receiving two of his three seasons.

This is the type of athlete that needs to be accounted for on every single snap.

Oct 24, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; FIU Golden Panthers running back Alex Gardner (1) runs with the ball in the first half of a game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Dual-threat running backs don’t exactly go on trees nowadays.

However, Alex Gardner fits the mold for the Golden Panthers.

While Gardner didn’t have a great game against Indiana, the junior tailback is coming off a strong 2015 campaign. He rushed for 760 yards and nine touchdowns while also hauling in 60 catches for 442 yards and a touchdown.

He ended up leading the team in rushing and finished second on the team in receiving.

Gardner is very elusive when he is able to get into the open field. He is also a very physical back despite only being 5’10.

The junior running back is able to pinball off of defenders quite frequently.

Gardner is used very often in the screen game due to his quickness. He could be compared to a Brian Westbrook type of player based on his versatile skillset.

Despite totaling just 27 yards on the ground against the Hoosiers, Gardner is as explosive as tailbacks come and the Terps will need to key on him throughout Friday’s game.

Sep 1, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Fiu Golden Panthers quarterback Alex McGough (12) drops back to attempt a pass against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It’ll be a stark contrast between the quarterbacks that Maryland will face in the first two games.

Howard didn’t possess exactly what you would call a lethal offense. On the other hand, Florida International can flat-out spread the ball around.

Junior quarterback Alex McGough is coming off a season in which he set single-season records in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. When it was all said and done, McGough completed 64.3 percent of his passes and tossed 21 touchdown passes.

McGough shows a tremendous amount of poise when he’s in the pocket. While he doesn’t run the football a lot, he is very mobile in the pocket, which allows him to avoid the pass rush and make throws on the run.

Most quarterbacks struggle throwing the ball when they’re backpedaling to escape a defender. However, McGough is still able to put a lot of force behind his throws and still find open wideouts.

McGough is an extremely talented signal caller that can make a ton of plays. While he did struggle at times against Indiana, he’s plenty dangerous and Maryland will have to bring the pass rush very frequently in order to knock him off his game.

Sep 12, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Jordan Howard (8) is tackled by Florida International Golden Panthers linebacker Treyvon Williams (52) during the second quarter of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Linebacker Treyvon Williams was all over the field against Indiana last week.

Williams proved that he’s more than capable of being a force for the Golden Panthers.

Williams only played in four games in 2015 after suffering a season-ending injury. The Miami native registered 28 tackles (17 solo) during that brief amount of time.

In his first game back, he tallied 13 tackles (nine solo) which happens to lead all Conference USA players after one week.

Williams may not be the biggest linebacker at 5’11, but he is extremely athletic.

“On the second row, their defense, [Vontarious West and [Treyvon] Williams both are rugged kids,” offensive coordinator Walt Bell said. “They’re not your prototypical big, slow, big west MIKE’s. They run, they hit, they’re rugged kids and they’re going to make plays all over the place. On the first and second level defense, I think the biggest issue is going to be handling that movement.”

Williams is arguably the most talented player on Florida International’s defense and Maryland’s offensive line will need to know where he is at all times.

Sep 3, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; FIU Golden Panthers wide receiver Thomas Owens (81) runs with the ball as UCF Knights defensive back D.J. Killings (24) defends during the first quarter at Bright House Networks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

McGough certainly has several offensive weapons at his arsenal.

Wide receiver Thomas Owens may possess the most talent out of all of them.

Owens was the Golden Panthers leading wideout a season ago. He hauled in 52 passes for 638 yards and eight touchdowns.

His eight touchdowns led the team.

Owens is a very quick wideout on the outside, but he’s also extremely tough. He’s the type of receiver that will fight for extra yards and more often than not, he will find the sticks when he needs to.

When you watch film of Owens, he just oozes playmaker potential. He can go get just about any ball due to his large frame.

He possesses great hands and has incredible concentration. Owens could arguably be one of the best wideouts that the Terps face all season.

It’ll be interesting to see how often cornerback Will Likely is matched up with Owens. Owens is certainly a player that will need to be shadowed throughout the bulk of the game.