Football kicks off the Pitbull Stadium era against Central Michigan

Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer

The FIU football team is going up against the Central Michigan Chippewas in its home opener on Saturday, Sep. 7, 2024 at Pitbull Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The contest will be the first game played at the Panthers home field since the groundbreaking naming rights partnership with Pitbull was announced on Aug. 6.

In its opening game of the season, FIU took a 31-7 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers. As was expected against a Power 4 opponent, the Hoosiers took the momentum early and never looked back.

Vs. Indiana

After each team’s first drive ended in a punt, Indiana capitalized on good starting field position and took the lead. 

Senior tight end Zach Horton topped off the Hoosiers’s drive, setting them up inside the 10 with a 14-yard catch before recording a 9-yard touchdown strike.

Another FIU punt led to Indiana carving up the defense, most notably a coverage bust leading to a wide-open 26-yard gain from sophomore wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.

Eventually, senior running back Ty Son Lawton scored a 13-yard touchdown to double the Hoosier lead.

The second quarter brought more of the same, a stymied Panthers offense juxtaposed by yet another touchdown from Indiana. The Hoosiers produced an eight-minute long, 93-yard drive which included the defense giving up a 3rd and 21.

Eventually, Lawton got his second touchdown of the day to make the score 21-0 to Indiana.

Finally, the Panthers got a drive going in their next series. Junior running back Kejon Owens sprang a 23-yard run to set up a 1st and goal. A subsequent 9-yard strike to junior tight end Rocky Beers gave the Panthers their first touchdown of the season. 

Despite the positive end to the first half, the Panthers’ offensive momentum would not continue. They failed to score any points for the rest of the game.

An uneventful third quarter saw the Hoosiers kick a field goal to make the score 24-7.

On the opening drive of the fourth and final frame, a pass from FIU sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins was deflected and picked off. The turnover punctuated an uninspiring day for the offense.

Indiana added an exclamation point to their performance with a 51-yard touchdown by junior running back Elijah Green. This was after a 12-yard loss on the previous play. The game ended soon after with a final score of 31-7.

Simply put, both sides of the ball were lackluster throughout the game. Besides their one touchdown, the offense couldn’t string a drive together. The Panthers were outgained 414 to 182 with only 53 rushing yards and 1.8 yards per carry.

One notable statistic is that Jenkins was sacked four times in the contest. In the 2023 season, the Panthers had the 9th highest quarterback sacked percentage among FBS teams. (10.86%) If this game is any indication, this problem hasn’t been fixed.

In contrast to FIU’s rushing performance, Indiana recorded 234 yards on the ground and 5.9 yards per carry. Indiana had three separate 50-yard rushers and three rushing touchdowns on the day. 

FIU’s offense and run defense were neutralized, and the pass defense gave up too many big gains. All these factors combined resulted in a blowout loss for the Panthers. Returning home, they’ll look to bounce back against Central Michigan.

Vs. Central Michigan

The Central Michigan Chippewas are 1-0 on the season. They played their opening game against FCS Central Connecticut State and recorded a 66-10 win.

Central Michigan performed well in all facets, even on special teams, where they returned a kick and a punt for touchdowns. Junior quarterback Joe Labas recorded 342 passing yards and three touchdowns in the contest. 

Other notable performances came from senior wideout Solomon Davis who logged 109 yards and two touchdowns. Senior defensive back Aakeem Snell had a 46-yard pick-six.

Both the Panthers and Chippewas only have one game under their belts this season, against significantly stronger and weaker opponents. As such, this will be the first true opportunity to gauge expectations for either team this season.

Despite this, one thing is clear: The Panthers need a strong step up from their first performance if they want to win. Some progression is expected, but there needs to be a concerted effort on both sides of the ball if the Panthers want to come out on top.

Looking to bounce back in its home opener, the FIU football team plays the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday, Sep. 7, 2024.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Pitbull Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Follow Adrian Benitez on X: @ab305FIU