Anthony Jones Scores Four Times In Panthers’ Homecoming Win

Gerard Albert III/Editor in Chief

Anthony Jones’ four touchdowns led the Panthers to their first conference win Saturday, October 12 against Charlotte.

The Panthers evened out their record on Homecoming night and now sit at 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in Conference USA. 

The ground game led the offense for the Panthers but their first score was largely due to the defense. With the 49ers up 3-0, FIU defensive lineman Alexy Jean-Baptiste forced a fumble giving the Panthers good field position. A 6-yard pass from James Morgan to Shemar Thornton put the Panthers on the board.

Charlotte’s offense was also led by the run game, running back Benny Lemay had 145 yards on the ground and Quarterback Chris Reynolds finished with 52, most coming in the first half. The Panthers defense was thrown off by some of the options and misdirections ran by LeMay and Reynolds. A 35-yard pass to LeMay put the 49ers in scoring range and an 8-yard run by Aaron McAllister put them up 10-7.

The Panthers’ defense made some adjustments after the first quarter and only allowed two more Charlotte touchdowns, one coming off an unexpected screen pass to LeMay in the second quarter.

The defense focused on not giving up the edges and perimeter and forcing the 49ers run game to go up the middle according to head coach Butch Davis.

Napoleon Maxwell had a breakout second quarter, running it six times for 48 yards and a touchdown. He would go on to rush for 114 yards, just behind his teammate and roommate, Jones who finished with 117 yards.

Jones’ biggest play of the night was a 41-yard break-out touchdown run down the middle. He finished with four touchdowns, tied for most by a non-quarterback with T.Y. Hilton and Rashod Smith.

Just before halftime Morgan was rocked in the pocket and fumbled, but a heads up play by D’Vonte Price turned it into a 33-yard gain. A pass to Tony Gaiter put the Panthers in the red zone again. Another pass to Jones put the panthers up 28-17. Jones was initially recruited as a wide receiver and is a valuable tool when he lines up in the slot.  

Morgan was an efficient 13-16 with 160 yards and two touchdown passes. Kaylan Wiggins, also saw some snaps and scored a touchdown on the ground.

The other storyline of the night was Sage Lewis, who finished with nine tackles and a forced fumble. He wasn’t playing at 100% according to Davis and it showed when he limped off the field after a 49ers touchdown in the third quarter. He would not return during the game.

The defense stayed strong into the fourth quarter, playing without Lewis and only gave up four yards in the quarter, allowing the Panthers to ride out their lead to a 48-23 victory.

Lewis’ return against the UTEP Miners on October 19 is uncertain as of publication time.

Additional reporting by contributing writer Christopher Rodriguez.