Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer
Junior wide receiver Eric Rivers had no idea he would be mentioned in the same breath as FIU football legend T.Y Hilton on this night.
Hilton was the man who set the bar for the most single-game receiving yards by a Panther, putting up 201 yards back in 2011. Tyrese Chambers and Kris Mitchell would come to match that mark over the years, but no one had been able to eclipse it.
Until Tuesday.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Rivers caught an 18-yard pass that officially put him at 206 yards, securing his undisputed spot in the record books. At the end of a decisive win, Rivers would be carried off the field by his teammates.
However, this performance from the Panthers was more than Rivers’ amazing performance. Here’s what happened when the FIU football team returned to Pitbull Stadium to face the New Mexico State Aggies on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Miami.
The Aggies got the ball first and quickly established the run, as was expected. They went for it on 4th and 2 in FIU territory, but senior safety CJ Christian made a crucial tackle to give the Panthers the ball.
After a few drives ending in punts, New Mexico State drove down the field and eventually found themselves with a 57-yard field goal attempt, which was good. The kick tied an Aggies program record.
The Panthers responded quickly, with Rivers catching a 52-yard touchdown pass on the second play of their next drive. The Panthers had the lead back.
Late in the second quarter, the Aggies went down the field and went for it on 4th down from the six-yard line, but the Panthers’ defense made a crucial stop. Christian made another vital tackle to send the offense back out.
After another punt, the Aggies got the ball in opposing territory due to an unlucky bounce. The Aggies capitalized by getting another field goal to make the score 7-6.
The Panthers started the third quarter off with a bang when Rivers got open again and secured a 45-yard catch. The offense parlayed that into another successful field goal attempt, increasing their lead to four points.
After another Aggie punt, Rivers showed out yet again when he recorded his second touchdown of the game, a 51-yard pass that moved the lead to 17-6.
Matters only improved when junior cornerback Hezekiah Masses picked off the Aggies, returning the ball 42 yards down to the 23. The pick was Masses’ first of the season.
The Panthers capitalized on this with another successful field goal to make the lead 14 points. Despite the Panthers’ momentum, the Aggies weren’t going to give up that easily.
The Aggies had another short field, starting at the 43-yard line. Junior running back Mike Washington picked up all 43 of those yards, finishing off by scoring a 27-yard touchdown. The score was 20-13.
On the next drive, Rivers would enshrine himself in FIU football history when he broke the program record for receiving yards in a single game, which was previously at 201 yards and held by three different players.
On that same drive, the Panthers got back in the endzone after a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Dean Patterson.
After that, Rivers made yet another big play, scoring his third touchdown of the day from 62 yards out. The catch moved his yardage total to 295.
The defense finished strong when junior safety JoJo Evans secured a pick, the second of the game for the defense. The offense quickly drained the remaining time on the clock and made official a 34-13 win that put a three-game losing streak to bed.
Besides Rivers’ amazing night, the biggest thing to note in this game is the performance on defense. Only 30 passing yards were allowed in the contest, an astounding number.
Not to be lost in the shuffle is sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins’ amazing performance. He went 18-27 on his passes, putting up 338 yards. He also threw four touchdowns, a career-high.
All in all, this win is a vital one for a Panthers team right up against the wall in regards to bowl eligibility. Needing to win out to secure qualification, this victory bodes well for their chances at completing the improbable feat.
Head coach Mike MacIntyre spoke on the offense’s performance:
“I was really, really pleased with how the offense broke out tonight. That’s what we expect to see. We were connecting on the deep shot, running the ball well and the quarterback ran the ball well. Our second half was probably the best half complementary football we played since I’ve been here. I thought it was excellent to see everybody do that, see the kids keep fighting.”
He also spoke on the effort by the defense:
“We felt like they would come in and try to run the football with the big quarterback, and they made some runs on us, but we were able to corral it. Our secondary is really good. They’re really good, and they make a lot of good adjustments and understanding. They know how to play back there. They see splits. They see where the running back is. They do a great job of understanding all that, and they competed really well.”
Rivers spoke about his record-breaking night.
“It feels kind of surreal in the moment. It didn’t feel real, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I just know, like, that wasn’t me. I felt like it was God playing through me, and I give all the glory to him. Because without him, what am I?”
Wide receiver Eric Rivers
With the Panthers’ season given a shot in the arm, they’ll have a week off before traveling to Alabama to face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.
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