Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer
No one thought this game would make it to overtime.
The FIU football team was going on the road to a very hostile environment, facing one of the best teams in the entire Group of Six.
Despite this, here the Panthers were with the ball in overtime, looking to extend this matchup even longer after going down by seven.
This overtime period came after the already hectic four quarters of football that were played at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, when the Panthers took on the Liberty Flames.
After the teams traded punts, Liberty’s second drive saw junior wide receiver Reese Smith take the top off the defense with a 44-yard completion. After that, the Flame’s offense stalled and was kept to a successful field goal, opening the scoring.
FIU’s offense responded with their first productive drive, quickly going into the red zone. Of note was one play where junior wide receiver Eric Rivers was wide open in the endzone, but sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins overthrew him.
Eventually, the offense would kick their own field goal to tie the game 3-3.
The Panthers went back on offense and once again got into the red zone. The drive had a bizarre end when senior running back Lexington Joseph sprung a 17-yard run, but fumbled it right at the goal line.
Thankfully, junior wide receiver Dean Patterson fell on it in the endzone. The touchdown gave the Panthers a 10-3 lead.
Liberty responded quickly on the next series by employing senior running back Quinton Cooley. The Panther’s defense had no answers for Cooley as he gained 52 yards on the drive, eventually culminating in him scoring a touchdown to tie the game back up.
In their final drive of the half, Liberty began driving down the field. This was not helped by a pass interference call on junior defensive back Brian Blades II.
Eventually, junior quarterback Kaidon Salter banged his way through defenders to get in the endzone and take the lead back.
The second half opened with disaster for the Panthers when Rivers tipped a pass that fell into the hands of junior cornerback Amarian Williams.
Liberty quickly gave the ball back to Cooley and let him work his magic. He did that all the way to the goal line, where he fumbled.
The Panthers fell on the ball, recovering the second of two fumbles on the goal line in this game. Backed up to start, the ensuing drive stalled out. They made it to the red zone on their next drive but came away empty after a failed fourth down attempt.
Salter made quick work of the Panther’s defense, passing for 51 yards on the ensuing drive. Eventually, Cooley finished the drive off with a second touchdown from nine yards out. The score was 24-10.
Now down 14 with only 10 minutes left, the Panthers needed to score on this crucial drive. The Panthers moved quickly, highlighted by Rivers bringing in a 40-yard completion with coverage right on his back.
Junior running back Kejon Owens punched it in on the next play to put the score at 24-17. With the clock at 6:23, it was up to the defense to make a stop and give the Panthers a chance.
And the unit, as they have many times this year, came through. A quick three-and-out gave the Panther’s offense the ball back. The Panthers began their charge, eventually getting to a 4th and 6. The crucial play was converted with a 17-yard catch by Rivers.
On the next play, Jenkins fooled the Liberty defense on a keeper, running 13 yards and going down inside the five. Owens drove it three yards to get it to the one. Then, Jenkins rammed it into the endzone. The extra point tied it at 24 with 1:42 to go.
Now, the pressure was on the Panther defense once again.
And once again, they came through. Stopping Cooley on a crucial 3rd and 3, the Flames punted and FIU knelt. It was off to overtime.
The Flames would get the ball to begin the period. They stuck to what worked, giving Cooley the ball for three plays totaling 13 yards. Then, Salter faked a handoff and fooled the Panthers D, running into the endzone and making it 31-24.
The offense needed to get it done. After two runs by Owens, they got it to a 3rd and 3. Jenkins took the snap, and then freshman safety Christian Bodnar came crashing down onto Jenkins.
Jenkins went down, and then the ball came out.
Senior linebacker Jerome Jolly Jr. fell on it, sealing a heartbreaking loss for the Panthers. Even with the loss, the effort from FIU’s players was commendable in a matchup that wasn’t projected to be this close.
The key factor in the loss was a porous run defense. The Panthers gave up 281 yards on the ground, with 174 coming from Cooley alone.
Some will think that head coach Mike MacIntyre electing not to go for two on the last touchdown in regulation was a bad decision, bad enough to lose the game.
While that may be true, perhaps an even worse decision was to forgo what would have been a chip-shot field goal for an unsuccessful 4th down attempt on their last drive of the third quarter. If they made that kick, that last touchdown would’ve won the game.
With the Panthers’ record at 2-4, bowl eligibility is becoming harder and harder to fathom. Though the Flames were likely the toughest opponent left on FIU’s schedule, a serious effort will need to be made if the Panthers want a postseason.
Despite their record, following up the Monmouth loss with a win against Louisiana Tech and this effort against the best team in the conference inspires some confidence moving forward.
With the Panthers continuing their road trip, they’ll look to bounce back from this close loss in their next game against the UTEP Miners. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Follow Adrian Benitez on X: @ab305FIU
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