Adrian Benitez | Staff Writer
With less than three minutes to go, the FIU football team was engaged in an offensive shootout.
Playing against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks with bowl qualification on the line, the 4th quarter saw three consecutive drives that ended in touchdowns from 30+ yards out. The last of these touchdowns gave the Gamecocks a 34-31 lead.
Not many expected the Panthers to put up such a fight against a Gamecocks team that had won their last six games in a row, but here they stood, with the chance to crack a huge upset victory to keep their postseason hopes alive.
This was the climax of the hectic affair contested between the Panthers and Gamecocks on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Jacksonville, Alabama.
After getting the ball to begin, the Panthers methodically moved downfield through the air. Junior wide receiver Dean Patterson had a would-be touchdown wiped off the board after review, resulting in the offense settling for a field goal to open the scoring.
The Gamecocks responded in kind, producing their own time-consuming drive that resulted in a made-field goal of their own.
FIU’s offense went back to work quickly, continuing to hammer the pass. However, it was freshman running back Devonte Lyons who got into the endzone from 11 yards out, giving the Panthers the lead once again. It was the first touchdown of Lyons’ career.
Continuing the back-and-forth pace of the game, the Gamecocks leaned on their prolific rushing attack to get them across the field. Senior quarterback Tyler Huff scrambled into the endzone from 10 yards out to level the game again.
After some punting, the Panthers had an offensive drive end abruptly after Lyons fumbled the ball. The Gamecocks quickly pounced on the opportunity when senior running back Tre Stewart scored a touchdown to give the Gamecocks their first lead.
However, the Panthers weren’t going to lie down. The offense moved down the field quickly, traversing 75 yards in 7 plays. Junior running back Shomari Lawrence made the score from three yards out, tying the game yet again.
The frantic offensive pace of the game continued when Jacksonville State got into field goal range to end the half. The kick was good, giving the Gamecocks a 20-17 lead at halftime.
The offenses were still humming in the second half. The Panthers burned six minutes on their first drive of the third, with junior wide receiver Eric Rivers catching a 5-yard touchdown to give the Panthers the lead back.
After some more punting, the Gamecocks broke the Panther defense open with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Huff to senior wide receiver Sean Brown. All of a sudden, the lead had changed yet again.
The Panthers responded with an explosive play of their own, with sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins finding freshman tight end Antonio Ferguson for a 39-yard passing touchdown—another sudden change.
The fireworks display continued in the fourth quarter. Stewart broke off a 56-yard touchdown run to make the score 34-31 for Jacksonville State.
With less than three minutes to go in the game, staring bowl elimination in the face, the Panthers needed to respond.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. The Panthers failed to convert a 4th and 5, allowing the Gamecocks to run down the clock and close out a 34-31 win. The loss moves the Panthers to 3-7 and eliminates them from bowl contention.
In terms of stats, there wasn’t much to separate the Panthers and Gamecocks in this one. However, one thing to note is the 234 rushing yards given up by the defense. The unit’s weakness against the run came back to bite them once again.
With the postseason now out of the question, the biggest thing left to determine is how hard we’ll see the Panthers fight in their last two games. The best thing they can do now is show the fans their highest efforts, even with nothing left to play for.
Looking to get back in the win column, the Panthers will travel east to play the Kennesaw State Owls on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Follow Adrian Benitez on X: @ab305FIU
About Post Author
