By Jackson Wolek/ Staff Writer
The bad weather at the start of the at home football game on Sept. 1st did not deter the students from cheering on their Golden Panthers, nor did it affect the FIU offense in the first quarter as they opened up the 2011 season with a historical 41-16 victory.
With the win, the Golden Panthers are 1-0 for the first time in school history in the NCAA FBS level. It was also Wesley Carroll’s first 1-0 start in the collegiate level as well, something Carroll said was a chip off his shoulder.
T.Y. Hilton dictated the tempo right from the first kickoff, as the senior took opening kickoff of the season 62 yards set the Golden Panthers in prime scoring position as Kedrick Rhodes capped of the opening drive with nine-yard scamper for a touchdown to give FIU a 7-0 lead.
But the scoring didn’t stop for the Golden Panthers.
The offense was able to capitalize on their first four possessions of the game– all in the first quarter, a school record for a season opener. The big play of the night was a 60-yard touchdown connection from Wesley Carroll to Hilton.
“I think we can keep it up, we messed up a lot but we have to get back in the film room and we accomplished what we wanted to coming out 1-0,” said Hilton, who finished the game with 283 all-purpose yards. Hilton did eclipse the 100-yard mark in receiving, catching seven passes for 132 yards
Carroll was literally perfect in opening quarter. The redshirt senior went 6-6 for 108 yards. He finished the game with 193 yards passing on 16 of 22 completions, including that first quarter bomb to Hilton for a touchdown. Carroll lead to offense to 31 points in the first half, another school record for a season opener.
“Everything was moving just as we had planned, we were on the same page all night which is great to see game one,” said Carroll.
Scott Satterfield’s offense would tack on 401 total yards for the night, including 208 yards his running backs. Darriet Perry nearly reached the 100-yard mark, rushing for 94 yards on 15 touches for two scores. Kedrick Rhodes rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns.
“The way he continues to develop and evolve and mature is what you want,” Head Coach Mario Cristobal said. “He has such a great feel for the offense, what coach Satterfield wants to call. He did a good job not only managing the game but making big plays.”
Along with the offensive showing, the defense held its ground too.
The defense kept containing the biggest threat for North Texas into the second half, Lance Dunbar. Dunbar, who a Sun Belt preseason all-conference running back, was forced to only 30 yards rushing last year when the two teams played, a game that Cristobal said film tape was useless for because of all the injuries North Texas had at the time. There was no excuse for them this time, as the defense once again contained Dunbar to 43 yards on 18 touches.
Although the final score gave the impression that there would be no need for changes on offense or defense, Cristobal was quick to address the mistakes that lead to the 14 of the points North Texas scored.
“ There is still a lot of things we need to correct as a football team, so we have a lot to work on but certainly were pleased with everyone’s effort,” said Cristobal.
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