Dalton Tevlin/Sports Director
After PantherNOW said we would no longer cover FIU Football due to lack of access from Athletic Communications, we were granted credentials for the entire season. We will be resuming coverage of FIU Football.
FIU football kept it close for the majority of their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 7, but couldn’t capitalize on key moments and fell to West Kentucky University 20-14.
The Panthers are now 0-2 on the season, the worst start to the season in the Butch Davis era which started in 2017. The loss to WKU puts the Panthers at 0-1 in Conference USA play.
Starting Quarterback James Morgan left the game late in the second quarter and was out for the majority of the second half forcing Head Coach Butch Davis to change up the game plan.
“They run exactly the same thing in practice,” said Coach Davis. “Kaylan right now gets about 15 percent of the snaps and James gets about 85 percent, we do with him what we try to do what we do with everyone else, do what the kid can do.”
With Kaylan Wiggins, the Panthers resorted to the run game. Wiggins carried the ball a team-high 15 times for 59 yards, an inefficient 1.9 yards per carry.
Kaylan Wiggins on a Quarterback run. Photo by Indya Vassell
Wiggins went 2-6 for 41 yards in the air, 40 of those yards came from one big catch by Maurice Alexander in the 3rd quarter. That big play set up the Panthers only touchdown on offense.
With the Panthers down 20 to 14 at the end of the fourth quarter, Morgan came back into the game. He took two shots into the endzone, the first incomplete and the second bouncing off the chest of wide receiver Tony Gaiter IV, resulting in a turnover on downs.
FIU was better on the defensive side of the ball, causing two turnovers, but giving up chunks of yardage on big plays including a 48-yard bomb to Hilltoppers receiver Lucky Jackson.
Cornerback Rishard Dames scored his first career touchdown in what was the most exciting play of the night for Panthers fans. In blown coverage, he stuck one hand up, snatching a pass intended for WKU receiver Jahcour Pearson and returned it 80-yards to give the Panthers their first touchdown.
Rishard Dames returning his one-handed interception for a touchdown. Photo by Indya Vassell
“The quarterback tried to throw it low, and I have been working on my one-handed catches in practice,” said Dames in a postgame press conference.
While FIU didn’t get the result they wanted, Coach Davis said post-game that he feels better about the team than he did after last week’s 42-14 loss to Tulane.
“I don’t think we competed against Tulane,” said Coach Davis. “It was a hard game to win tonight. Losing your starting quarterback– who is obviously one of the better players on the team.”
The Panthers kept the game close down to the last offensive drive, but they were plagued by incompletions throughout.
FIU made mistakes that left them in 3rd and long situations and the Hilltoppers defense didn’t give an inch. FIU failed to convert 13 of their 15 third-down situations, something coach Davis pointed to as one of the biggest reasons they didn’t pull out the win.
“We have got to be better on third down, we were 2-15 and if you’re going to be that bad on third down conversions it’s going to be a long season,” he said.
It was a game of inefficiency and big plays for both teams. Morgan struggled to find a rhythm even before the injury, going 3-9 to start the game.
While the loss of Morgan limited FIU’s offense, third-down conversions, and capitalizing on key moments–like an interception by defensive back Dorian Hall, followed by a three and out–were ultimately their downfall.
While it is expected that Morgan will be ready to go for the Panthers’ next game against New Hampshire Sep. 14th at 7 p.m. at Riccardo Silva Stadium, FIU will have to tighten the screws on offense if they want to avoid going 0-3.
This article originally misspelled Rishard Dames’ name. We regret the typo.
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