Football surrenders 21 point lead in first quarter, loses third game in a row against UTEP

Jaymz Cosme | Staff Writer

The FIU Football team surrendered an early 21-point lead and couldn’t rally a comeback, losing 27-14 to the UTEP Miners on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2023, at FIU Football Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Celebrating vice night, the Panthers unveiled their new vice uniforms for this game and received a national broadcast on ESPN2.

Taking a 34-17 loss to the New Mexico State Aggies in their previous game, the Panthers lost two games in a row prior to this game.

In that matchup, freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins was sacked six times and was constantly pressured by the opposing defense all game long.

Despite a competitive first three quarters of play, the Panthers were shutout in the fourth quarter of the game. 

Jenkins threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter alone, which gave New Mexico ample opportunities to score.

Getting completely dominated, the Aggies offense collected 256 passing yards and 183 rushing yards. FIU couldn’t match their opponent’s production, as they only accumulated 250 passing yards and 87 rushing yards themselves.

Dropping to 3-3 on the season following the loss, the team was looking for some sort of momentum booster heading into their game against UTEP.

Coming into the game, the Miners had a slow start to their season and held a 1-5 record after four consecutive losses. Starting senior quarterback Gavin Hardison missed their previous game against the LA Tech Bulldogs due to injury.

With Hardison still unavailable, redshirt sophomore Cade McConnell earned the starting nod for the game against FIU following a three quarterback rotation in their game prior.

Opening up the game on offense, UTEP ran the ball nine times on the opening drive of the game. Finishing off the 11-play drive, redshirt junior Deion Hankins scored on a 1-yard rush into the endzone.

Jumping out to a 7-0 lead after their first possession, the Miners momentum carried over to their defense, stopping the Panthers’ offense on the 50-yard line in the following drive.

Compounding their positive momentum, UTEP took a shot on offense and scored on the first play of their next drive.

McConnell threw a deep pass and connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi for an 80-yard passing touchdown. 

Establishing their early dominance, they claimed a 14-0 lead after only two offensive drives. FIU needed to respond before the lead became insurmountable.

After starting the drive with two consecutive first downs, the Panthers offense was brought to a halt at the 25-yard line. 

Following a seven yard rush on second down and a minimal gain third down, they opted to play through fourth down. Jenkins attempted to rush the ball up the middle but got stopped for a three yard loss.

Back on offense, the Miners moved the ball downfield with ease, as McConnell found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Ballardide deep right side for 50 yards. 

Ending the drive in the same way as the previous one, McConnell found Akharaiyi in the endzone for another touchdown and gave their team a 21-0 lead.

Surrendering a 21-0 lead in the first quarter alone, FIU needed to rally in order to make a comeback. 

Showing their first offensive signs of life in the second quarter, the Panthers marched down the field and made it into the redzone.

Sophomore running back Kejon Owens capitalized on the opportunity and found the endzone on an 11-yard rush.

Cutting the lead down to 21-7, FIU still had a large task at hand if they wanted to climb back into the game.

Finishing the half with a long drive, redshirt freshman kicker Buzz Flabiano connected on a field goal to extend UTEP’s lead to 24-7.

Exiting halftime, the Panthers quickly proved they weren’t done yet with Jenkins connecting on three throws for 19-yards or more.

Executing the offense for the entire drive, Jenkins capped off the drive with one yard rushing touchdown.

Chipping away at the deficit, the score stood at 24-14 following the FIU touchdown.

Unfortunately for them, that was their final score of the game, as they were shut out in the fourth quarter for the third game in a row.

Scoring the final points of the game, Flabiano made another field goal for the Miners in the fourth quarter, and sealed away the lead at 27-14.

Unable to find consistency on either end of the field, the Panthers took a 27-14 loss and dropped to 3-4 on the season.

Losing their third game in a row, FIU football head coach Mike MacIntyre said: “we got to just keep working at it. We got to just keep coaching it better and keep working at things and keep finding ways to score more points.” 

Hoping to snap their three game losing streak, the FIU football team is taking on the Sam Houston Bearkats on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Huntsville, Texas.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium and the game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.

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