DALLAS (Dec. 10, 2019) – After a successful season on the gridiron, Conference USA announced its yearly postseason awards with nine Panthers earning honors.
For the full C-USA release, click here.
Sage Lewis and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III headline the list for FIU, as the duo was named to the C-USA Second Team for their respective positions. James Morgan, Anthony Jones, D’Antne Demery, Devontay Taylor, Tony Gaiter IV and Tommy Heatherly were all named to the C-USA Honorable Mention Team. Sione Finau rounded out the list, as the Panther was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team as well.
After battling through injuries, C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and senior linebacker Lewis earned 80 total tackles to rank second on the team. Lewis’ best performance came last time out against Marshall as he earned 17 stops, which was just one tackle shy of his career-high set against Indiana last season. Lewis was also impressive in coverage, as he earned three interceptions, which were tied for the team lead.
Teams were cautious when throwing to Thomas-Oliver’s side of the field this season, but despite that the senior collected All-CUSA honors. The corner posted a team-high seven pass breakups, while earning one interception on the year. Thomas-Oliver was also active outside of providing lockdown coverage, as he earned 47 tackles, with three being for loss, and a sack.
The league’s individual awards will be released Wednesday, December 11. Conference USA will conclude the 2019 season by sending eight teams to bowl games, the second-most in league history.
As a reminder, FIU will be bowling once again, as the Panthers are set to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN. Tickets for the Camellia Bowl are on sale now via FIUSports.com.
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