In the Panthers current two-game losing streak, they’ve been outscored 104-21 including a disparity of 45-0 in the opening quarters of those contests. Yes, the defense has had their struggles during the stretch, specifically the North Texas game that saw multiple chunk plays allowed.
However, the FIU offense has 13 first-half drives that have gone five plays or fewer in the last two weeks with 10 of them ending in either three-and-outs or turnovers.
A dive inside the numbers shows the link between early-down success and the ability to sustain drives that produce points — something that isn’t revelatory but glaring, nonetheless.