Week one is in the books, and this game went just about how we expected: Florida International flexed its FBS muscle, walking away with a 42–9 win over our Wildcats.

The odds makers listed BCU as 31 point underdogs heading into this contest. I disagreed and had this game pegged for something in the 41-21 range. I got the 41 part almost right, but unfortunately BCU could only muster three field goals in the contest. Thankfully I didn’t lose my lunch money by betting on Bethune but all was not lost by night’s end.

Here’s what stood out as things BCU can build on moving forward:

1. Relax everyone— This isn’t last year so let’s give the guys a chance to grow into the season. Especially since we knew going into this year that BCU was punching way above its weight class the first two weeks, facing FBS foes in back to back games. The FIU matchup was always going to be an uphill battle. Even still, the offense showed flashes of life piling up 346 yards of total offense (105 rushing, 241 passing)—over double the output from last year’s opener against USF, where they managed just 170 yards. The offense made five trips inside the red zone which is good. But unfortunately, the Cats settled for just three field goals.

2. Meet Javon Ross. Bethune has a fairly deep wide receiver room. On Friday night, it was Ross’ time to shine. The sophomore from Deland, Florida hauled in 6 catches for 109 yards. Fellow receivers Maleek Huggins and Lorenzo Jenkins have proven how productive they can be so watching Ross have a 100+ yard receiving night is something to build on as the season unfolds.

3. Marqui Johnson flashed when his number was called. The transfer running back from Montana State did not get the start the contest at running back. Yet he still went for 76 yards on 9 attempts, a whopping 8.4 yards per carry average.

4. The secondary battled and had a nice outing. Your leading tacklers on the evening were two secondary players, Antwone Watts (7) and Johnny Harris (6). The entire defensive backfield played well and were in good position all night delivering nearly half a dozen pass breakups including three that could have easily been interceptions. That is a good outing against a talented FIU offense.

5. Coach Woodie got a kicker we can trust. Juan Dominguez went 3-for-3 on field goals (35, 22, 28 yards). That kind of reliability can swing close games, and given how many BCU lost by slim margins last year, this is a big morale booster.

Final Thoughts

Despite the final scoreline, there are glimmers of life—an improved offense, a reliable kicker, and bright individual performances. There were some mistakes to extend drives, missed reads, dropped interceptions, and empty trips in the red zone. Those things sting a bit but are to be expected early in the season. Overall, there were seeds of progress when compared to last year. And that’s ultimately what this early part of the season is about, progress. I will take what I saw on Friday and look forward to next week’s matchup against #10 ranked Miami!

Statistic	BCU	FIU
First Downs
Total	17	28
Rushing	7	14
Passing	10	11
Penalty	0	3
Rushing
Total (Net)	105	223
Attempts	30	38
Avg. Per Rush	3.5	5.9
Rushing TDs	0	6
Yds. Gained	137	246
Yds. Lost	32	23
Passing
Total (Net)	241	233
Comp.-Att.-Int.	23–39-0	22-35-0
Avg. / Att.	6.2	6.7
Avg. / Comp.	10.5	10.6
TDs	0	0
Total Offense
Yards	346	456
Plays	69	73
Avg. / Play	5	6.2
Fumbles – Lost	2-1	1-1
Penalties – Yds.	8–75	7-40
Punting
Punts – Yds.	4–171	2-102
Avg. / Punt	42.8	51
Inside 20	1	1
50+ Yds.	0	2
Touchbacks	0	0
Fair Catch	2	0
Kickoffs
Total – Yds.	4-234	7–421
Avg. Yds. / Kickoff	58.5	60.1
Touchbacks	0	3
Returns
Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs	2-9-0	2-2-0
Punt: Avg. / Return	4.5	1.0
Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs	3-51-0	4–103-0
Kickoff: Avg. / Return	17.0	25.8
INT: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	0-0-0
Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs	1-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous
Misc. Yards	0	0
Poss. Time	27:59	32:01
3rd. Down Conv.	5 of 15	8 of 14
4th. Down Conversions	0 of 3	1 of 2
Red-Zone: Scores – Chances	3-5	5-5
Sacks: Total – Yds.	0-0	2–19
PAT: Total – Made	0-0	6–6
2PT Conversion: Total – Made	0-0	0-0
Field Goals: Total – Made	3–3	0-1