Catastrophe in the cage: football falls to Monmouth

Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer

The fans that packed Pitbull Stadium for homecoming week were probably not expecting the FIU football team to be trailing 45-42 against the FCS Monmouth Hawks with 52 seconds left.

They probably weren’t expecting the Panthers’ defense to have given up over 500 yards in the contest either.

But they expected least of all what happened on FIU’s last offensive play, when junior wide receiver Eric Rivers charged to the goal line from 20 yards out, looking to win the game and be the hero.

All of this and more happened on Saturday, Sep. 21, 2024, when the Panthers took on the Hawks at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

The Hawks quickly advanced down the field on their first drive, including a 32-yard completion on a 4th and 3. They would go for it again on 4th and 5 in the red zone, but junior linebacker Travion Barnes jumped the route and got an 85-yard pick-six.

Later on in the quarter, the Panthers got their own offensive drive going. Sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins got the air game going, with 57 passing yards in the series.

The drive was topped off in spectacular fashion, with junior wide receiver Dean Patterson catching a ricocheted pass for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead.

Monmouth senior quarterback Derek Robertson responded with 48 passing yards of his own on the following drive. However, it was a 30-yard scamper by senior running back Sone Ntoh that got the Hawks on the board, making the score 14-7.

The second quarter saw the Panthers offense continue their momentum. After another methodical drive down the field, junior running back Kejon Owens punched it in from a yard out to increase the Panthers lead to 14.

Monmouth’s offense kept fighting, and Robertson kept making plays through the air. Eventually, Ntoh got his second touchdown of the game to move the score to 21-14.

The offensive back-and-forth continued after Jenkins took advantage of a coverage bust and found sophomore wide receiver JuJu Lewis for a 42-yard touchdown pass. 

The next drive would see Panthers junior safety JoJo Evans ejected for targeting for the second consecutive game. Monmouth would trickle down the field, and Robertson capped it off with a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver TJ Speight. 

Monmouth continued carving the Panthers defense in their first drive of the second half. Junior wide receiver Gavin Nelson caught a touchdown pass to tie the game. The Panthers responded with Patterson getting a second touchdown, on the ground this time.

The offensive firestorm wouldn’t stop. Monmouth tied it up at 35 with a 59-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Rodney Nelson. 

After the Panthers’ offense was finally stopped, Monmouth drove down the field and got their first lead on Ntoh’s third touchdown of the game. FIU would quickly drive and tie it up on a 13-yard dump-off pass to Owens for his second touchdown of the game.

In the fourth quarter, disaster struck when senior tight end Josiah Miamen fumbled in Panthers territory. Monmouth recovered and turned the possession into a successful field goal, giving them the lead once again. The score was 45-42 with 1:52 left.

The Panthers drove down the field with intent to end the game. Jenkins found Rivers and he ran 20 yards downfield. He sprinted for the goal line, eyes locked on the end zone.

And then the ball popped loose.

The Hawks recovered on the 1-yard line and ran out the clock. Monmouth sealed a shocking 45-42 win on the road, their first ever win against an FBS program and FIU’s first loss to an FCS team since 2020. 

The two fumbles in the last few minutes of the game were obviously pivotal, but FIU’s defensive performance was dreadful. The Hawks gained 540 offensive yards on the night, a horrific outing against an FCS team. 

One thing to note about the game was Monmouth’s prevalence on fourth down. The Hawks went for it on fourth down seven times, converting five of them. The inability to stop the Hawks on crucial downs was a definite factor in the loss.

One thing that might be lost in this performance is just how good Jenkins was. His 349 passing yards is a single-game career high. He threw two touchdowns and completed 22 of his 31 passes, for a 71% completion percentage and a 186.8 QB rating.

Despite the offensive numbers, they do nothing to mask one of the worst losses for the Panthers in recent memory. With this loss, the Panthers have fallen to 1-3 and will be searching for momentum heading into conference play.

Head coach Mike MacIntyre spoke about how the team will respond to this defeat.

“I still love these guys. I still believe in them. I think we can beat anybody we play if we play up, and anybody could beat us.”

MacIntyre also spoke on undisciplined penalties given up by the team.

“I’ve got to do a better job of teaching these kids self-discipline, of controlling themselves in those situations. That was a critical, critical play. I’ve got to do a better job of making sure they understand that,” MacIntyre said.

Desperately searching for a win, FIU football’s next game is against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the Panthers’ first game of conference play. The game is on Saturday, Sep. 28, 2024, at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

Follow Adrian Benitez on X: @ab305FIU