Jasmine Casimir // Asst. Sports Director
The Panthers put up a great fight against Middle Tennessee, starting with junior quarterback Alex McGough.
The Tampa native showed his athleticism on Oct. 29, as he ended the night with three touchdowns, 307 passing yards and 46 rushing yards including a 7-yard run into the endzone.
“I thought he was good,” said interim Head Coach Ron Cooper. “He competed, made plays and ran when he needed to run.”
McGough played through half of the game with an injury after being knocked out of bounds. He was evaluated immediately after, but did not say exactly what the injury was after the game.
When returning back to the game, McGough kept the ball on the ground and made an attempt to jump over a defender after being one-yard short of a first down.
“He’s a tough guy, and there’s no doubt about that,” said Cooper. “What happened to his wrist and for him to come back from that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in my life.”
On a drive late in the fourth quarter where the Panthers were in a position to take the lead, McGough and his offense made a decision to pass the ball and use a high-percentage route that one of Middle Tennessee’s linebackers were able to read instantly, resulting in a pick six for 48 yards costing the game for the Panthers.
“It was a zone coverage and he faked me out,” McGough said in the post-game conference. “I’m very upset at myself.”
The Panthers will get on the road and prepare for another high-powered team, the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers. The team will have to come out on top in order to remain bowl eligible. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 and will be televised on beIN SPORTS network.
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