2010 FIU Panthers football team

The 2010 FIU Panthers football team represented Florida International University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mario Cristobal and played their homes games at the on-campus FIU Stadium in Miami.

2010 FIU Panthers football
Sun Belt co-champion Little Caesars Pizza Bowl champion
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, W 34–32 vs. Toledo
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	7–6 (6–2 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Mario Cristobal (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Scott Satterfield (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Geoff Collins (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	FIU Stadium

2010 Sun Belt Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Troy +		6	–	2					8	–	5
FIU +		6	–	2					7	–	6
Middle Tennessee		5	–	3					6	–	7
Louisiana–Monroe		4	–	4					5	–	7
Arkansas State		4	–	4					4	–	8
Florida Atlantic		3	–	5					4	–	8
Louisiana–Lafayette		3	–	5					3	–	9
North Texas		3	–	5					3	–	9
Western Kentucky		2	–	6					2	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions

On November 27, 2010, the FIU Panthers won a share of their first ever Sun Belt Conference championship and became eligible to compete in a post-season bowl game for the first time in school history. The Panthers had the opportunity to win the Sun Belt Conference outright but faltered against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in the final game of regular season, 27–28. At the end of the regular season, FIU accepted an invitation to play in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on December 26, 2010, where they faced Toledo of the Mid-American Conference. FIU defeated Toledo 34–32, and clinched the school's first ever bowl game victory on the final play of the game with a 34-yard field goal by kicker Jack Griffin. FIU finished the 2010 season with a record of 7–6 (6–2 Sun Belt) and first winning season in school history.

The Rutgers University home opener game on September 11, 2010 broke attendance records at FIU Stadium for the season, with a record crowd of 19,872.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 11	8:00 p.m.	Rutgers*	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN+	L 14–19	19,872
September 18	7:00 p.m.	at Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX		L 20–27	79,069
September 25	12:00 p.m.	at Maryland*	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	ESPNU	L 28–42	33,254
October 2	3:30 p.m.	at Pittsburgh*	Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	L 17–44	45,207
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Western Kentucky	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	CST/CSS	W 28–21	14,335
October 16	3:30 p.m.	at North Texas	Fouts Field Denton, TX	CST/CSS	W 34–10	14,718
October 30	4:00 p.m.	at Florida Atlantic	Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, FL (Shula Bowl)		L 9–21	17,543
November 6	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana-Monroe	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	CST/CSS	W 42–35 2OT	17,301
November 13	3:30 p.m.	at Troy	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	CST/CSS	W 52–35	20,243
November 20	7:00 p.m.	at Louisiana-Lafayette	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA		W 38–17	13,041
November 27	3:30 p.m.	Arkansas State	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	CST/CSS	W 31–24	14,588
December 4	6:00 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	FIU Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN3	L 27–28	16,628
December 26	8:30 p.m.	vs. Toledo*	Ford Field Detroit, MI (Little Caesars Pizza Bowl)	ESPN	W 34–32	32,431
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time

Awards and honors

Post-season awards and honors

• Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year: T. Y. Hilton (WR, Jr.)
• Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year: Mario Cristobal

All-Sun Belt honors

• First Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • T. Y. Hilton (WR & Return Specialist, Jr.)
  • Brad Serini (OL, Sr.)
  • Jarvis Wilson (DL, Sr.)
  • Toronto Smith (LB, Sr.)
  • Anthony Gaitor (DB, Sr.)
• Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • Darriet Perry (RB, Jr.)
  • Tourek Williams (DL, So.)
  • Johnathan Cyprien (DB, So.)
  • T. Y. Hilton (All-Purpose, Jr.)
• Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference:
  • Greg Ellingson (WR, Sr.)
  • Winston Fraser (LB, R-So.)

NFL Draft

7th Round, 222nd Overall Pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Sr. CB Anthony Gaitor