Florida Tech Panthers vs. West Florida Analysis
By Space Coast Daily // October 19, 2019
The Florida Tech Panthers represents the Florida Institute of Technology for intercollegiate athletics. There are 22 teams of the Panthers that represent their college in a wide variety of sports like rowing, track, and field, tennis, swimming, soccer, basketball and the most popular sports baseball and football.
The Florida Tech Panthers team competes in the NCAA Division II and the football team takes part in the Gulf South Conference.
Florida Tech’s 2019 NCAA Season so Far
The 2019 season has been a mixed bag for the Florida Tech Panthers so far. They started the season with back to back wins against Savannah State University and Newberry College. But, their joy was short-lived as they had to face defeat at the hands of Cleveland MS in the GSC encounter.
They were able to bounce back and record a huge 44-10 victory over West Georgia at their home stadium in the GSC encounter. But, after this massive victory, things have started to take a downturn and the Florida Tech Panthers have lost their last three encounters against Fort Valley State, Mississippi College, and Valdosta State respectively.
The last game against Valdosta was a one-sided affair with the Panthers facing a big defeat of 28 to 55.
Upcoming Match against West Florida
The Panther fans will be witnessing a coastal classic NCAA game when the Panthers take on West Florida at Melbourne, Florida. This game is due to be played at the Florida Tech Panther stadium and is a home game for the side. It will be held on Saturday, October 26.
There is no doubt that the Panthers fans will be turning out in large numbers to cheer their side, despite their recent losses. The Panthers have a record of 3 wins and 4 losses in the NCAA II Division 2019 season.
The average points earned by the team per game are 28 and the average of their opponents comes to 30.29.
The passing of the team has been the hallmark of their game so far this season and they have recorded 63 passes so far. This figure is better than the average passes core of the opponents that is at 61.
If Florida Tech is looking to beat West Florida, then they need to improve their overall game. They should look to keep possession for long and venture deep into the opponent’s half more to open up chances to score.
Performance of West Florida this Season
West Florida is the team to beat this season as they are in hot form at the moment. After the initial game loss at the start of the season, the West Florida players have buckled up and have proved their mettle on the big stage.
The results for their hard work and dedication are there to show everyone.
They have bounced back strongly and have recorded 5 consecutive wins after the first game loss. The Florida Tech Panthers have their work cut off as they have a strong and tough opponent in West Florida, who is in the 2nd position in the 2019 football standings until now.
The Panthers are holding on to the 8th position on the table and are only better than the shorter side.
If you check the NFL odds on WinComparator, it is clear that the odds are stacked heavily in favor of West Florida Argonauts football team. They have a stupendous record so far in the season and look hot favorite against the need to improve the Panthers, football team.
History of Florida Tech Panthers vs. West Florida
The last meeting between the two teams was on 20th October 2018 and it was a day to remember for the Panthers. The Panthers will need to bring in the same form that they had shown nearly a year ago against the Argonauts if they have any dreams of beating their next opponent.
The previous meeting was a close affair and Panthers were able to pull it through to win by a slender margin of 2 points, the result was 30-28. Their head to head result for the last three years from 2016 to 2018 reads as 1 to 2 in favor of Argonauts.
The Panthers have not been able to defeat their Coastal Classic rivals in their last home game. Their away record against this team stands at one a piece. So, Panthers have everything to play for and to prove that they are a supreme team over the West Florida footballers.
What to Expect From Panthers vs. Argonauts Clash?
The Florida Tech football team will be looking to be on the offensive once again against the West Florida side. They have started aggressively this season and there is no doubt they will be looking to do the same in this clash.
The head coach of the team is Steve Englehart and he is leading them from the front for the seventh consecutive year.
The Panthers were predicted to get to the fifth position in the Gulf South Conference coaches poll before the start of the 2019 season. They need to be tight in their defense and look to attack whenever possible to break the tight defense of the West Florida team.
Panther Stars to Look Out for
Freshman quarterback Mike Diliello is the star of the Panthers at the moment and the team will be looking forward to him to put the extra yards to make a lot of touchdowns. Diliello is in red hot form for the Panthers and has won GSC Freshman of the Week award for two consecutive weeks.
It will be a tough road ahead for Panthers and they need their stars Evan Thompson, Patrick Banks and Malachi Timberlake to showcase their best-tackling form.
Florida Tech had the best rushing defense score in the 2016 season and they need to put on a similar show to get the better of Argonauts.
Florida Tech Panthers have been taking part in the GSC events for the last six years and have a record of 39 wins and 29 losses till the 2018 season.
The West Florida football team is relatively new to the GSC field and has only taken part for three years. Their record is slightly better than the Panthers with 22 wins and 15 losses.
