2018 Florida Tech Panthers football team

Last updated

2018 Florida Tech Panthers football
Conference Gulf South Conference
Record8–4 (5–3 GSC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJayson Martin (6th season)
Defensive coordinator Rick Minter (2nd season)
Home stadium Florida Tech Panther Stadium
Seasons
←  2017
2019  →
2018 Gulf South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 Valdosta State $^  8 –0   14 –0  
No. 16 West Georgia ^  7 –1   10 –2  
Florida Tech ^  5 –3   8 –4  
West Alabama ^  5 –3   8 –4  
West Florida  4 –4   6 –5  
North Greenville  3 –4   4 –6  
Delta State  2 –6   2 –8  
Mississippi College  1 –6   3 –7  
Shorter  0 –8   0 –11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from AFCA Poll

The 2018 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Englehart. The Panthers played their home games at Florida Tech Panther Stadium, approximately one mile from the Florida Tech campus, and were members of the Gulf South Conference.

Contents

The 2018 season saw FIT finish with a record of 8-4, earning their second trip to the NCAA Division II Football Championship where they were eliminated in the first round at Lenoir-Rhyne. [1] The Panthers finished with a record of 5-3 in GSC play, including their first ever win over in-state rival West Florida with a 30-28 victory in Pensacola that saw them record the largest comeback in program history after trailing by 18 points in the first half. [2]

Preseason

Gulf South Conference coaches poll

On August 2, 2018, the Gulf South Conference released their preseason coaches poll with the Panthers predicted to finish in 6th place in the conference. [3]

Predicted finishTeamVotes (1st place)
1West Alabama62 (6)
2West Florida59 (3)
3West Georgia44
4Delta State41
5Valdosta State38
6Florida Tech32
7North Greenville24
8Mississippi College16
9Shorter8

Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Team

The Panthers had four players at four positions selected to the preseason all-Gulf South Conference team. [4]

Schedule

Florida Tech 2018 football schedule consists of five home and six away games in the regular season. The Panthers will host GSC foes Delta State, Mississippi College, North Greenville, and Valdosta State, and will travel to Shorter, West Alabama, West Florida, and West Georgia. [5]

The Panthers will host one of the three non-conference games against Newberry from the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and will travel to Benedict from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Wingate also from the SAC. [6]

Two of the eleven games will be broadcast on ESPN3, as part of the Gulf South Conference Game of the Week. [7]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 16:00 p.m.at Benedict *
W 33-141,528
September 81:00 p.m. Newberry *
W 17-102,500
September 157:00 p.m. Delta State
  • Florida Tech Panther Stadium
  • Melbourne, FL
 ESPN3 W 30-123,567
September 222:00 p.m.at No. 8 West Georgia
L 21-302,524
September 293:00 p.m.at Wingate *
ESPN3W 26-232,171
October 67:00 p.m. Mississippi College
  • Florida Tech Panther Stadium
  • Melbourne, FL
W 31-242,543
October 131:00 p.m.No. 8 Valdosta State Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Florida Tech Panther Stadium
  • Melbourne, FL
L 21-513,679
October 205:00 p.m.at No. 17 West Florida
W 30-285,191
October 275:00 p.m.at West Alabama
ESPN3L 22-295,106
November 32:00 p.m. North Greenville
  • Florida Tech Panther Stadium
  • Melbourne, FL
W 37-72,800
November 101:00 p.m.at Shorter
W 55-71,575
November 172:00 p.m.at No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne
L 21-432,436
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time
Schedule Source: [8]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011Final
AFCA RVRVRVRVRVRVRV—RV——RVRV

Game summaries

At Benedict

1234Total
Panthers1637733
Tigers700714

Newberry

1234Total
Wolves037010
Panthers0710017

Delta State

1234Total
Statesmen066012
Panthers2190030

At West Georgia

1234Total
Panthers777021
Wolves70101330

At Wingate

1234Total
Panthers0771226
Bulldogs0107623

Mississippi College

1234Total
Choctaws0147324
Panthers3771431

Valdosta State

1234Total
Blazers141002751
Panthers0071421

At West Florida

1234Total
Panthers37101030
Argonauts1470728

At West Alabama

1234Total
Panthers0109322
Tigers1407829

North Greenville

1234Total
Crusaders00707
Panthers20107037

At Shorter

1234Total
Panthers102810755
Hawks00077

At Lenoir-Rhyne

1234Total
Panthers7014021
Bears171013343

Awards and milestones

Gulf South Conference honors

Four players from Florida Tech were honored as All-GSC selections by the league's coaches. Linebacker J.T. Hassell was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second Panther to receive the honor. [9]

Gulf South Conference All-Conference First Team

  • J.T. Hassell, LB
  • Adonis Davis, DL
  • Romell Guerrier, WR

Gulf South Conference All-Conference Second Team

  • Antwuan Haynes, RB

Gulf South Conference offensive player of the week

  • October 22: Romell Guerrier [10]

Gulf South Conference defensive player of the week

  • September 10: J.T. Hassell [11]
  • October 1: J.T. Hassell [12]
  • October 29: J.T. Hassell [13]
  • November 5: Dezmond Morgan [14]

Gulf South Conference special teams player of the week

  • November 5: Trey Schaneville [14]

School records

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf South Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference

The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Alabama Tigers football</span> Football team of the University of West Alabama

The West Alabama Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of West Alabama located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division II and is a member of the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama's first football team was fielded in 1938. The team plays its home games at the 7,000 seat Tiger Stadium in Livingston, Alabama. The Tigers are coached by Brett Gilliland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Tech Panthers football</span> Intercollegiate American Football Team

The Florida Tech Panthers football program was the intercollegiate American football team for the Florida Institute of Technology located in the U.S. state of Florida. The team competed in the NCAA Division II and was a member of the Gulf South Conference. Florida Tech's first football team was fielded in 2013, and the final team was fielded in 2019. Steve Englehart was the first and only head coach. In May 2020, Florida Tech shut down its football program due to budget cuts that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2013 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the NCAA Division II football season. They were led by head coach Steve Englehart, who was in his first year at Florida Tech. The Panthers played their home games at Pirate Stadium, approximately one mile from the Florida Tech campus and were a member of the Gulf South Conference. The 2013 season was the Panthers' first, after having football approved at FIT in April, 2010.

The 2014 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the 2014 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by head coach Steve Englehart, who was in his second year at Florida Tech. The Panthers played their home games at Pirate Stadium, approximately one mile from the Florida Tech campus and were a member of the Gulf South Conference. The 2014 season was the Panthers' second, after having football approved at FIT in April, 2010.

The 2016 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by head coach Steve Englehart, who was in his fourth season at Florida Tech. The Panthers play their home games at Florida Tech Panther Stadium, approximately one mile from the Florida Tech campus and are members of the Gulf South Conference.

The 2017 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the 2017 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Steve Englehart. The Panthers played their home games at Florida Tech Panther Stadium, approximately one mile (1.6 km) from the Florida Tech campus, and were members of the Gulf South Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 North Alabama Lions football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 North Alabama Lions football team represented the University of North Alabama during the 2017 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-yer head coach Chris Willis. The Lions played their home games at Braly Municipal Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference. They finished the season 5–5, 5–3 in GSC play to finish in a five-way tie for second place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Delta State Statesmen football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Delta State Statesmen football team represented Delta State University in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Todd Cooley. The Statesmen played their home games at McCool Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference.

The 2018 Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach John Bland. The Choctaws played their home games at Robinson-Hale Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference (GSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Valdosta State Blazers football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Kerwin Bell, who also served as offensive coordinator. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. Valdosta State compiled an overall record of 14–0 with a conference mark of 8–0, winning the GSC title. They beat Ferris State in the NCAA Division II Championship Game to win the program's fourth national title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 West Alabama Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 West Alabama Tigers football team represented University of West Alabama during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Brett Gilliland. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium and are members of the Gulf South Conference.

The 2018 West Florida Argonauts football team represented the University of West Florida in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Pete Shinnick. The Argonauts played their home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium and are members of the Gulf South Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 West Georgia Wolves football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 West Georgia Wolves football team represented the University of West Georgia in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by second-year head coach David Dean. The Wolves played their home games at University Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Delta State Statesmen football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Delta State Statesmen football team represented Delta State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Todd Cooley. The Statesmen played their home games at McCool Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference.

The 2019 Florida Tech Panthers football team represented the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Steve Englehart. The Panthers played their home games at Florida Tech Panther Stadium, approximately one mile from the Florida Tech campus, and were members of the Gulf South Conference. In May 2020, Florida Tech shut down its football program due to budget cuts that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach John Bland. The Choctaws played their home games at Robinson-Hale Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference (GSC).

The 2019 West Florida Argonauts football team represented the University of West Florida as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Pete Shinnick. The Argonauts played their home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Argonauts won the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship by defeating Minnesota State, 48–40 in the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. T. Hassell</span> American gridiron football player (born 1995)

Justin Tyler "J. T." Hassell is an American professional football defensive back who is a free agent. Hassell played college football at Florida Tech. He has been a member of the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Toronto Argonauts

The 2022 Gulf South Conference football season was the season of college football played by the eight member schools of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) as part of the 2022 NCAA Division II football season.

References

  1. ↑ "Panthers' Season Ends with NCAA Playoff Loss to Lenoir-Rhyne". Florida Institute of Technology. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Florida Tech Comes Back to Win Coastal Classic". Florida Institute of Technology. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ "West Alabama Tops GSC Football Preseason Poll". Gulf South Conference. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  4. ↑ Gulf South Conference 2018
  5. ↑ "Football Announces 2018 Schedule" (Press release). Florida Institute of Technology Department of Athletics. March 2, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Florida Tech Panthers football adds Newberry to 2018 schedule" (Press release). Hometown News. March 26, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ "GSC Announces 2018 Football Game of the Week Schedule". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Florida Tech unveils 2018 football schedule". Florida Today. March 2, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ "GSC Announces 2018 Football All-Conference Awards". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  10. ↑ "GSC Football Players of the Week: October 22, 2018". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  11. ↑ "GSC Football Players of the Week: September 10, 2018". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  12. ↑ "GSC Football Players of the Week: October 1, 2018". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  13. ↑ "GSC Football Players of the Week: October 29, 2018". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "GSC Football Players of the Week: November 5, 2018". Gulf South Conference. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
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