Slow start too much to overcome for FIU in 33-20 loss

(Andres Bedoya/ The Beacon)

Mario Busto/ Contributing Writer

While the Panthers went to Orlando feeling like they were going to leave with the matchup in their favor 2-0, they were sent back home with their tail between their legs in a 33-20 loss to the Knights.

(Andres Bedoya/ The Beacon)

FIU had trouble moving the ball early in the first quarter, starting the game with two straight three and outs.

While the Panthers struggled on offense in the first, UCF took an early 9-0 lead that came after a 4 yard touchdown catch by fullback Billy Giovanetti, and a safety that resulted from a bad snap that sailed over punter Jack Griffin’s head into the end zone.

In the second quarter, UCF quarterback Blake Bortles connected with Rannell Hall for a 16 yard scoring strike to extend the lead to 16-0.

On their next possession, the Knights pushed through another score this time a 4- yard rushing touchdown by running back Brynn Harvey.

The Knights found great success in the passing game, throwing for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts in the first half. As for rushing, UCF ran the ball 20 times for 82 yards and a touchdown.

The Panthers barely touched the ball in the first half, only having possession for eight and a half minutes due in part to going 0-6 on third down conversions in the first half.

“We just have to have a faster start,” senior defensive end Tourek Williams said. “We let them come out and pretty much do what they wanted to do for the first half. We had a few times where we missed assignments and they capitalized on our missed plays.”

Despite ending the first half with only 26 yards of total offense, FIU came out of the locker room looking for a comeback.

“You’re never out of the game in football. Football is played in four quarters,” senior running back Darian Mallary said. “We knew we had two more to go. We could either lie down or we could step up and be men. That’s what we said in the locker room; we can’t lay down, FIU football cannot lay down. We have to win this game…”

They were successful in their first possession of the second half with a drive that consisted of 8 plays for 85 yards and a 5 yard touchdown pass to Kedrick Rhodes. Rhodes would later come out of the game with what is being called a high ankle sprain.

However,  UCF bounced right back with a score of their own. With wide receiver/quarterback Ryan Calabrese lined up under center in the wild cat formation, Jeff Godfrey motioned across. Calabrese handed it off to Godfrey who looked to run 10 yards into the end zone, but pulled back, stood tall and delivered a strike to J.J. Worton for the Knight touchdown.

FIU responded to UCF’s touchdown with a scoring drive of their own that ended with a 28 yard rushing touchdown by Darian Mallary.

Following a UCF punt, FIU made it a two possession game after a 96 yard drive was capped off with a Mallary 4-yard touchdown run.

In three games this season Mallary has 35 carries for 164 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The Knights would go on to put the final dagger in FIU’s comeback effort with a scoring drive that resulted in a 23 yard field goal. The drive took away 6:50 off the game clock and with it FIU’s chance of winning the game.

FIU’s slow start would prove to be too much to recover from despite scoring 20 points in the second half and limiting UCF to only 10. Compared to the 26 yards of offense in total the Panthers gained in the first half, they would go on to end the game with 306 yards (280 in the second half alone).

“We started running the ball successfully in the second half so the play-action started working better; some of the screens were good for us as well,” Cristobal said. “I think Jake settled in a little bit, also the offensive line started holding up. Things started clicking. We went to a couple different things to help him out and get the ball out of his hands and he made the most of it. We would like to play like that in the first half. We played a real good second half against a good football team. We have to put a whole game together.”

sports@fiusm.com

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