Thursday, September 20, 2007
Florida International, Kansas’ next opponent, is infamous. And its infamy doesn’t come from off-the-field issues with its players.
In fact, the Golden Panthers’ reputation stems from a singular, on-the-field incident.
Florida International players were part of a monumental brawl during a game with their cross-town rival, the University of Miami, less than a year ago.
Although the Golden Panthers’ 2007 roster includes 15 players who were suspended for taking part in the fight, Kansas coach Mark Mangino said new Florida International coach Mario Cristobal has changed the team’s culture.
“Their new coach has brought some structure and discipline to the program,” Mangino said.
Cristobal was hired as head coach this off-season after former coach Don Strock resigned before the end of last year.
The football team is now in its sixth year and the goal is simple: Become competitive. The nasty scuffle that made national headlines last October makes reaching that goal more difficult. Add in the fact that the Golden Panthers possess the nation’s longest losing steak this season at 14 games, and a successful program seems generations away.
Cristobal doesn’t it see it that way, though. He said he was enthusiastic about the way his team had played so far this season.
“Slowly but surely our guys are understanding the process a little better and understanding our schemes better and sure as heck are putting every ounce of effort into it,” Cristobal said.
So far, the Golden Panthers have shown improvement every week. They suffered a 59-0 thrashing against Penn State in their first game, but then only lost by 16 points to the University of Maryland. And last week, they played evenly with Miami for most of the game, losing 23-9.
Mangino said Florida International’s encounters with nationally-recognized teams make it a prepared opponent.
“They played Miami toe-to-toe and a good Maryland team very well,” Mangino said. “They are used to playing in big venues so this is a game we have to get ready for.”
Two teams from Florida International’s conference, the Sun Belt, pulled upsets last weekend as Troy piled points on Oklahoma State and Florida Atlantic beat Minnesota.
But Florida International has never enjoyed a winning season. With a new coach and an urge to distance themselves from the events of last October, however, the Golden Panthers have to start somewhere. They’ll try to make that somewhere be Memorial Stadium this Saturday.
—edited by Rachel Bock
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