2008 FIU Golden Panthers football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 FIU Golden Panthers football team represents Florida International University
in their 4th season
of NCAA Division I FBS football
and their 7th season overall. The team is coached by Mario Cristobal
and play their homes games at the on-campus FIU Stadium
.
, 40–10. Following that, Iowa
routed FIU, 42–0. FIU then faced its highest-ranked opponent in school history, 12th-ranked South Florida
, for the inaugural game of the new FIU Stadium
. Trailing 17-0 with 2:30 left in the game FIU attained a safety, and subsequently scored a touchdown. FIU lost, 17–9, but played acted as a spoiler for South Florida, with the latter falling three spots in the rankings. The game against Toledo became their first-ever out-of-conference FBS win. Against, Toledo, FIU forced four turnovers and recorded its first road win since 2005.
Game played at Kansas with a record-breaking crowd attendance at Kansas' Memorial Stadium.
Todd Reesing threw three touchdown passes to
Dezmon Briscoe and No. 14 Kansas, coming off the greatest season in its
history, opened with a 40-10 victory Saturday over FIU before a recordbreaking
home crowd.
Reesing, who rewrote the Kansas record book last year during a 12-1
season that vaulted the Jayhawks into national contention, was 37-for-52
for 256 yards. Briscoe, a sophomore and Reesing's third-leading receiver
in 2007, had touchdown catches of 3, 4 and 3 yards against a Sun Belt
team the Jayhawks smacked 55-3 a year ago.
Briscoe's third TD, on fourth-and-goal from the 3, was a leaping grab in
the corner of the end zone after Reesing appeared to have overthrown his
wide-open target.
The game was played before a school-record crowd of 52,112, breaking
the mark of 51,910 which watched the resurgent Jayhawks beat longtime
nemesis Nebraska 76-39 last year. It also broke by 4,000 the Memorial
Stadium record for a non-conference game.
Kansas took a commanding lead with a 23-point second quarter that
made it 30-10 at the half.
Reesing also threw an interception which Jeremiah Weatherspoon returned
20 yards to the Kansas 27 in the fourth quarter. A year ago, he had
only seven interceptions. But a few minutes after the interception, Phillip
Strozier made his second interception for the Jayhawks. His fi rst was returned
30 yards and set up Briscoe's third touchdown.
The Golden Panthers, 1-11 last season, were playing the highestranked
team they have seen since becoming a major college program in
2006. They got their only touchdown in two games against Kansas when
T.Y. Hilton took a punt and sped 74 yards into the end zone in the second
quarter. Dustin Rivest had a 43-yard fi eld goal for FIU at the end of the
half.
The Jayhawks lost a
fumble on their fi rst possession.
But Jake Laptad
sacked FIU's Paul McCall
for a 5-yard loss on fourth
down midway through the
fi rst quarter and Jocques
Crawford, last season's junior
college offensive player
of the year, scored on a
7-yard run for Kansas.
Briscoe capped a 56-
yard scoring drive with his
fi rst TD catch on the fi rst
play of the second quarter.
A few minutes later, Daymond
Patterson, a freshman,
broke loose for a 75-
yard punt return, jumping
over one would-be tackler
near the 20 who had been
blocked to the ground.
Alonso Rojas, replacing
departed Scott Webb,
kicked a 47-yard fi eld goal
in the second quarter for
a 17-0 lead and added a
37-yarder in the third as
the Jayhawks won for the
16th time in their last 18
games overall.
McCall was 10-for-28
for 73 yards, with two interceptions.
Ricky Stanzi threw three touchdowns passes in his
fi rst start, Shonn Greene ran for 130 yards and Iowa pounded FIU 42-0 for
its second straight blowout win.
The Hawkeyes, who routed Maine 46-3 last week, looked even better
against the Golden Panthers. Stanzi, who got the start over Jake Christensen,
was 8-of-10 for 162 yards in less than a half as the Hawkeyes (2-0)
racked up 512 yards and led 35-0 at halftime.
Christensen cam on and was 8-of-12 for 99 yards and one touchdown.
But it was clear Stanzi has taken the lead in the competition to be
Iowa’s starter the rest of the season.
FIU (0-2) had no answer for Iowa’s defensive front, which stopped
the Golden Panthers all day. The Hawkeyes had six sacks, and when they
weren’t slamming quarterbacks Paul McCall and Wayne Younger to the turf
they were stuffi ng running lanes and forcing both to hurry throws.
Younger came off the bench and was 11-of-20 for 107 yards to lead
FIU, which lost for the 25th time in 26 games dating back to 2006. The
Golden Panthers have now been outscored 82-10 this season.
The Hawkeyes rolled up 209 yards of total offense and a 21-0 lead in
the fi rst quarter.
Iowa scored on its opening drive for the second straight week, after
failing to get any points on opening possessions last season. Greene
capped that drive with a bruising 11-yard TD run, bouncing off a number of
defenders before stretching the ball over the goal line.
Stanzi made it 14-0 with a 59-yard touchdown pass to Derrell Johnson-
Koulianos. Stanzi hit Johnson-Koulianos in stride about 40 yards
downfi eld, and Johnson-Koulianos used some nifty footwork to sidestep
defenders near the out-of-bounds line and reach the end zone.
Christensen came in for Stanzi and threw a third-down pass into the
turf on his fi rst attempt, drawing a chorus of boos from the Kinnick Stadium
faithful. That was quickly
forgotten, as Paki O’Meara
pushed Iowa’s lead to 21-0
with a 17-yard TD run late
in the fi rst quarter.
Iowa made it 28-0 on
a screen pass by Stanzi
that Brandon Myers took
23 yards for a touchdown.
Stanzi then hit Colin Sandeman
for an 8-yard TD
pass with 2:49 left in the
fi rst half.
Christensen, who played
just two series in the
fi rst half, got the nod to
start the second half. He
pushed the lead to 42-0 on
a 23-yard TD pass to Sandeman
early in the fourth
quarter.
Greene, who spent last
season at a junior college
because of academic
trouble, passed the 100-
yard mark for the second
straight game. Sandeman’s
touchdown grabs
were the first two of his career.
Mike Ford ran for two short touchdowns and South Florida
spoiled FIU’s debut in its new on-campus stadium.
Matt Grothe completed 14 of 22 passes for 137 yards for South Florida
(4-0), but was held without a passing or rushing touchdown for just the
second time in his 30-game career.
FIU (0-3), which came in ranked last among all FBS schools in total
offense (178.5 yards per game) and scoring (5.0), got a 61-yard catch-andrun
from Wayne Younger to T.Y. Hilton with 2:03 remaining, setting up Julian
Reams’ 1-yard TD run - the Golden Panthers’ fi rst offensive touchdown
this season.
USF linebacker Brouce Mompremier was injured after colliding with
teammate Carlton Williams while attempting a tackle with 6:43 left in the
third quarter.USF offi cials said Mompremier - a Miami native who had family
at the game - was moving his arms and legs and was expected to remain
hospitalized overnight for tests and observation.
The Bulls fumbled the ball away on their fi rst possession, started their
second series on the USF 1, and needed 13 plays before Ford rushed in
from 2 yards out for fi rst points ever recorded at the stadium. FIU safety
Jeremiah Weatherspoon forced the turnover on the opening drive and
knocked the ball loose twice on the next drive as well, but USF kept possession
and took the early lead.
From there, though, FIU’s defense held tough, keeping the upset
hope alive.
“We played with a lot of passion, a lot of energy that helped us out,’’
Weatherspoon said. ``We just made a few mistakes that cost us.’’
The stadium is on the same site as FIU’s previous football home, a
7,000-seat facility that was more suited for high school games than bigtime
college football. The current structure - which still lacks a scoreboard
on one end, isn’t yet enclosed on the visitors’ side and will eventually have
a massive fi eld house attached
to it - was built in
16 months.
Building FIU into a winner
is taking a bit longer.
The Golden Panthers
have lost 26 of 27 games
since the start of the 2006
season, but have long
pointed to the opening of
the stadium as the fi rst
signifi cant step toward a
turnaround. And recruits
in talent-rich South Florida
are quickly taking notice;
a slew of players from the
Miami area have already
committed to enroll at FIU
next fall, and plenty more
attended the stadium’s
debut.
Hanging close to a
nationally ranked team
wasn’t a consolation prize,
Cristobal said.
“Our guys are as down
as they can possibly be,’’
Cristobal said. “But it does
say something. It does say
that we can do some things
that can make us have a
successful season.’’
Julian Reams rushed for three touchdowns to lead
FIU to a 35-16 win over Toledo Saturday night.
Reams’ fi rst TD put the Golden Panthers (1-3) in front 14-13 in the
second quarter. T.Y. Hilton returned the second half kickoff 55 yards, and
on the next play, Reams ran 27 yards for his second score to put FIU ahead
to stay, 21-16.
Reams fi nished with 75 yards on 19 carries. Hilton caught a 37-yard
touchdown pass in the second quarter.
‘’Every day, this coaching staff and this team works its tails off to be
a better program because they believe in what’s going to happen here at
FIU,’’ Cristobal said after the school’s fi rst road victory against a non-conference
Football Bowl Subdivision team. ``Last week, we got closer, fi ghting
toe-to-toe with USF. It was time to punch through on the road against a
non-conference opponent.
“`We realize we’re miles away, but we came out on an emotional high,
executed well and won the football game.’’
After scoring only one touchdown in its fi rst three games combined,
FIU generated 239 yards of offense and fi ve scores. With the defense limiting
Toledo to just 146 yards after the fi rst quarter and the special teams
making numerous big plays, FIU had more than enough fi repower for Toledo.
The Rockets (1-3) jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led 16-14 at the half,
but couldn’t score after the break. They gained FIU 302 yards of total offense,
but committed four turnovers, three of which led to Golden Panther
touchdowns.
‘’I was a little bit alarmed [when they led 13-0] because we had such a
great performance against South Florida,’’ Cristobal said. ``We felt we had
a good week of practice on defense, and we were so sharp -- we felt we
had a bead on what they were doing.”
Toledo’s Morgan Williams
gained 98 yards on
25 attempts, while Nick
Moore caught nine passes
for 65 yards.
“Our offensive line played
well, and our backs were
stepping up and making
plays,’’ quarterback Paul
McCall said. “That’s what
carried us tonight.’’
FIU opens its Sun Belt
Conference schedule next
Saturday, October 4, when
the Golden Panthers travel
to Denton, Texas, and take
on the North Texas Mean
Green. The game will be
televised live on ESPN+
as part of the SBC television
package and can be
seen in the South Florida
area on Comcast Sports-Southeast.
Paul McCall threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns
to lead FIU to a 42-10 victory over North Texas in the Sun Belt
Conference opener for both schools.
T.Y. Hilton caught two touchdowns and had 145 yards receiving for
FlU (2-3), which had entered the game ranked last in the nation in total offense.
But facing the fourth-worst defense in the country, McCall went 11-of-
19 to notch career highs in both yardage and TDs. His four TD throws tied
a school record that had stood since 2002, the program’s opening season.
In his fi rst four games combined this season, McCall had thrown one touchdown
and 272 yards passing.
McCall’s 65-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton was the freshman’s third
touchdown of the season giving FIU a 7-0 lead and marked the fi rst time
the Golden Panthers had led in the fi rst quarter of a game since last Nov.
17 against Louisiana-Lafayette (6-0), seven games ago.
And his second TD reception, for 74 yards was the second-longest
touchdown pass in the history of the program (89 yards vs. Maryland,
9/23/06). His two TD receptions tied the mark for most in a game, accomplished
fi ve other times in the history of the program.
Giovanni Vizza passed for 274 yards and threw three interceptions for
North Texas (0-5), which has yet to lead in a game this season.
FIU running back A’mod Ned broke through for a 26-yard touchdown
run, and O’Darius D’Haiti blocked a punt, that was picked up by Alonzo
Phillips who returned it 11 yards for a TD, marked the fi rst time FIU had
returned a blocked punt in nearly two years.
“We’re young and we still have a long way to go, but we’re building,”
summed up head coach Mario Cristobal. “We could have scored more tonight
and we didn’t. We could have shut them out and we didn’t. But we’re
getting better, one game at a time.”
Casey Fitzgerald
caught 10 passes for 120 yards for North Texas. Micah
Mosely scored on a
1-yard run with 1:03 left for
North Texas’ only touchdown.
First home win at the expanded FIU Stadium
.
Paul McCall threw for one touchdown and ran for another to
lead FlU to a 31-21 win against Middle Tennessee on Saturday night.
McCall completed 13 of 29 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown
and one interception, running for another score and 53 yards on nine carries
for the Golden Panthers (3-3, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference).
Phillip Tanner rushed 18 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns for
the Blue Raiders (2-4, 1-3).
FlU reached the .500 mark for the fi rst time since 2002, and tied a
school record with its third consecutive win.
McCall’s 9-yard touchdown run gave FlU a 7-3 lead with 4:12 before
the half, and Dustin Rivest’s 20-yard fi eld goal extended the lead to 10-3 at
halftime.
“[McCall] hurt us more on scrambles than designated runs,” said
Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill. “I thought we got some good
pressure on him, but give him credit. He did a nice job of buying some
time, getting in the seams and making something happen. What he did
is about what we expected him to do. We didn’t think he would do some
predesigned quarterback runs, but we knew he was a scrambler out of the
pocket.”
Anthony Gaitor opened the second half with a 27-yard interception
return for the Golden Panthers, and A’mod Ned’s 1-yard touchdown run
gave FlU a 24-6 lead at the 3:29 mark in the third quarter. Tanner’s 3-yard
touchdown run cut Middle Tennessee’s defi cit to 11 points at the end of the
third.
But McCall hit T.Y. Hilton on a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-
13, and Tanner’s 3-yard run with 4:41 left wouldn’t be enough for the Blue
Raiders.
“We’re getting better,” said FIU head coach Mario Cristobal. “We’re
playing hard and we’re playing physical but we are still making mistakes,
too. I defi nitely think Middle
Tennessee is a good
football team. They beat
Maryland and were about
to beat Kentucky. After last
year ( a 47-6 Middle Tennessee
win in Murfreesboro),
we knew they were
a good team. But we’re
also on a roll right now.”
Levi Brown and Jerrel Jernigan each scored two touchdowns
to help Troy beat FIU 33-23 on Saturday night.
Brown completed 18 of 28 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns
in his fi rst start for the Trojans (4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference), which moved
into a fi rst-place tie with UL-Lafayette in the conference. Jernigan added
131 yards receiving and a touchdown, rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries
and completed his only pass for a 2-yard touchdown.
Paul McCall completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns
and an interception for the Golden Panthers (3-4, 2-1), which saw
its three-game winning streak snapped.
Brown threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Williams on
Troy’s fi rst drive, and an 86-yard touchdown pass to Jernigan on the next
to give Troy a 13-0 lead. McCall’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Junior Mertile
cut the Trojans’ lead to 13-9 at the end of the fi rst and, after Troy’s Sam
Glusman hit fi eld goals of 20 and 44 yards, Daunte Owens’ 1-yard run left
the Golden Panthers trailing 19-16 at halftime.
But Jernigan’s 2-yard pass to Justin Bray in the third and Dan Parker’s
1-yard rush in the fourth put the game out of reach.
“We played against a good football team,” FIU coach Mario Cristobal
said. “And against a good football team you cannot make mistakes. . . . It’s
a tough lesson learned for a bunch of guys who worked their butts off.”
Down 10 midway through the fourth quarter, McCall led an FIU drive
that was capped by a one-handed grab by freshman T.Y. Hilton that would
have given the Golden Panthers a fi rst-and-10 at the Troy 25. But offsetting
penalties nullifi ed the play and the drive ultimately stalled.
Another reason the Golden Panthers could not get closer was the
ferocious Trojans’ pass rush that sacked McCall seven times.
With running back Julian Reams sidelined with a calf injury for the
Golden Panthers, Owens was FIU’s top runner on the game with a careerhigh
69 yards on 14 rushes.
“Mistakes that you’re
going to be sick tomorrow
when you watch fi lm,”
Cristobal said. ‘‘It’s stuff
that is correctable, but this
game isn’t and that’s what hurts."
Tyrell Fenroy scored three touchdowns and broke
1,000 yards rushing for the fourth consecutive season to help Louisiana-
Lafayette beat FlU 49-20 on Saturday.
Fenroy ran for 81 yards on 22 carries, which put him over 1,000 yards on
the year for the fourth straight time - a feat only six other players in Division
I-A history have done. The Louisiana-Lafayette tailback now leads all active
NCAA players with 4,322 career rushing yards.
The Golden Panthers (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) jumped out to a 7-0
lead on T.Y. Hilton’s opening kickoff that went 90 yards for a touchdown.
After Michael Desormeaux, who was 13 of 19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns,
connected with Ladarius Green on a 6-yard score, Julian Reams’
1-yard run put FlU up 14-7 after the fi rst.
‘’We started out fast. We started out like we wanted to. Then the team that
we prepared to be, the team we pride ourselves on being, disappeared
after the fi rst quarter,” said FIU head coach Mario Cristobal.
Fenroy scored from 3 and 4 yards away in the second, and Lalaf Gerren
Blount returned a fumble for a score to help the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-3,
4-0) build a 35-14 lead at halftime. The record-setting tailback would score
again on a 1-yard run to put UL ahead 49-14 after three quarters.
‘’We have got to become more consistent,’’ said FIU quarterback Paul Mc-
Call, who was 9 of 21 for 85 yards and one interception. ``I had some bad
throws. The line was picking up the blitz, I just got to put the ball on the
guys and do a better job than that. Good teams react positively no matter
what gets thrown their way. We need to get back to doing things right. We
can’t let things snowball like they did tonight.’’
FIU Homecoming game.
T.Y. Hilton caught a school record 199 yards and threw the
game-deciding touchdown with 2:04 left to lift FlU to a 22-21 win over Arkansas
State on Saturday night.
Hilton’s pass came off a broken play in which he fumbled on a reverse
call, picked up the ball, scrambled and launched a wobbly pass to Junior
Mertile for a 38-yard touchdown to for the Golden Panthers (4-5, 3-2 Sun
Belt Conference
“Paul pulled out early on the handoff,” Hilton said. “When I recovered the
fumble and saw Junior wide open, all I thought was ‘I’ve got to get him the
ball.’ When Junior caught it and I heard the crowd go crazy, I started going
crazy too.”
Dustin Rivest, who put FlU ahead with the extra point, also set the school’s
single-game record with fi ve fi eld goals of 42, 33, 43, 35, and 37 yards. He
also missed two fi eld goals.
The Red Wolves (4-5, 2-2) drove down to the FlU 42-yard line on their fi nal
drive of the game, but Franklin Brown intercepted Arkansas State quarterback
Corey Leonard with 1:13 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Arkansas pulled ahead 21-12 early in the fourth on a 12-yard touchdown
run by Derek Lawson with 13:31 on the clock that capped off a nine-play,
75-yard drive.
Leonard’s only touchdown pass of the game—18 yards to Vernon Catlin
with 8:50 left in the third quarter—gave ASU a 14-9 lead. Leonard scored
the game’s fi rst touchdown on a 1-yard run just before halftime.
Reggie Arnold rushed for
113 yards on 22 carries
for Arkansas State. Leonard
was 13-of-26 for 149 yards.
Paul McCall completed 15
of 33 passes for 321 yards for FIU.
another as Louisiana-Monroe defeated FIU 31-27 on Saturday night.
Lancaster fi nished with 156 yards through the air and 71 yards on the
ground for the Warhawks (4-8, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference).
The Golden Panthers (4-6, 3-3) had a chance to take the lead in the fi nal
3:14 in the game, but the Warhawks stymied FlU with three sacks and
defl ected a pass on its fi nal drive. The Warhawks’ Troy Evans and Cardia
Jackson sacked Paul McCall on fourth-and-14 with 1:53 left.
Lancaster scored on a 16-yard run with 12:23 left in the second quarter for
a 7-3 lead. He also threw touchdown passes of 7 and 19 yards.
Frank Goodin ran for 93 yards on 23 carries and scored on a 2-yard run
to give Louisiana-Monroe a 14-3 lead with 9:28 left in the fi rst half. Zeek
Zacharie caught Lancaster’s 19-yard strike with 32 seconds left before halftime
as the Warhawks took a 21-3 lead.
FIU controlled the second half, though, as it outscored Louisiana-Monroe
24-10 to pull within four points late in the fourth.
McCall led FIU by going 18-for-31 for 239 yards with two touchdowns.
T.Y Hilton had eight receptions for 93 yards, and he caught a 55-yard touchdown
pass with 6:57 in the third quarter to cut the defi cit to 28-17.
Julian Reams ran for 122 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries for the
Golden Panthers. His 2-yard run cut the Warhawks’ lead to 31-24 with 12:13
in the fourth quarter.
Dustin Rivest kicked
fi eld goals of 41 and 23 yards for FIU, and Radi
Jabour kicked a 25-yard
fi eld goal for the Warhawks
Rusty Smith threw fi ve touchdown passes, including the
game-winner in overtime, to lead Florida Atlantic to a 57-50 victory over
Florida International on Saturday.
After the teams scored a combined 56 points in the fourth quarter, Florida
International (4-7, 3-4 Sun Belt) won the coin toss in overtime but elected to
play defense fi rst. Florida Atlantic (6-6, 4-3) scored on Smith’s 9-yard pass
to Cortez Gent on its fi rst possession.
The Golden Panthers followed that by throwing three incomplete passes
during their possession, and a sack of Paul McCall by the Owls’ Daniel
Joseph on fourth down sealed the win for Florida Atlantic.
Smith fi nished 25-for-50 for 389 yards with one interception for the Owls.
Gent caught seven passes for 108 yards with three touchdowns, and Jamari
Grant had seven receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
McCall was 27-for-47 for a school-record 400 yards with four touchdowns
and one interception for Florida International.
T.Y. Hilton had 99 yards on four receptions, scoring three touchdowns for
the Golden Panthers—two of them through the air. Greg Ellingson had 138 yards and a score on seven receptions, and Darriet Perry carried the ball
16 times for a game-high 115 yards and two scores.
Trailing 36-22 in the fourth, Florida Atlantic scored two touchdowns in a
span of 56 seconds.The fi rst came on a fourth-and-10 from the Florida International
20-yard line when Smith threw a pass that was tipped by several
players and then caught in
the back of the end zone
by Gent with 6:49 to go.
On Florida International’s
ensuing possession,
Corey Small intercepted
McCall and returned it 25 yards to tie the score at 36
with 5:53 left.
The Golden Panthers answered
on McCall’s fourth
touchdown pass, a 29-
yard toss to Ellingson that
made it 43-36 with 3:49
left. Following an interception
by Florida International,
Perry’s second touchdown
of the game made
the score 50-36 at 3:09.
Florida Atlantic scored its
next two touchdowns in
less than three minutes to
send the game into overtime.
Smith threw an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Gent
with 2:08 left. After a
successful onside kick,
Smith’s 11-yard touchdown
pass to Grant tied it
at 50 with 18 seconds left.
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
in their 4th season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
of NCAA Division I FBS football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and their 7th season overall. The team is coached by Mario Cristobal
Mario Cristobal
-External links:*...
and play their homes games at the on-campus FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
.
Regular season
The 2008 season started off with a loss at 13th-ranked Kansas2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009. It was the school's 119th year of intercollegiate football...
, 40–10. Following that, Iowa
2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes football program in the 2008 college football season. Coached by Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played their seven home games in Kinnick Stadium.-Previous season:...
routed FIU, 42–0. FIU then faced its highest-ranked opponent in school history, 12th-ranked South Florida
2008 South Florida Bulls football team
The 2008 South Florida Bulls football team will represent the University of South Florida in the 2008 college football season. Their head coach is Jim Leavitt, and the USF Bulls will play all of their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The 2008 college football season is only the...
, for the inaugural game of the new FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
. Trailing 17-0 with 2:30 left in the game FIU attained a safety, and subsequently scored a touchdown. FIU lost, 17–9, but played acted as a spoiler for South Florida, with the latter falling three spots in the rankings. The game against Toledo became their first-ever out-of-conference FBS win. Against, Toledo, FIU forced four turnovers and recorded its first road win since 2005.
Schedule
Coaching staff
| Name | Current Title | Years at FIU | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Cristobal Mario Cristobal -External links:*... |
Head Coach Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches... |
2006 - | Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
| Bill Legg | Offensive Coordinator Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... s |
2008 - | West Virginia West Virginia University West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;... |
| Phil Galiano | Defensive Coordinator Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... s |
2007 - | Shippensburg |
| Apollo Wright | Special Teams Coordinator | 2001 - | Wagner College Wagner College Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island... |
| Mike Cassano | Assistant Head Coach Running Backs Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... /Recruiting |
2006 - | New Hampshire University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is... |
| Bernard Clark Bernard Clark Bernard "Tiger" Clark, a 1985 graduate of A.P. Leto Comprehensive High School in Tampa, Fla., played middle linebacker while at the University of Miami from 1985-1989. He caught his big break in the 1987 National Championship Game when he replaced a suspended George Mira, Jr., where he had an... |
Assistant Head Coach Defensive Line |
| 2004–2005, 2007 - | Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
| Greg Laffere | Assistant Head Coach Offensive Line |
| 2005 - | Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
| Alex Mirabal | Assistant Head Coach Tight Ends Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... |
2006 - | FIU Florida International University Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park... |
| Frank Ponce | Assistant Head Coach Wide Receivers Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
2005 - | FIU Florida International University Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park... |
| Jeff Popovich | Assistant Head Coach Secondary Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... |
| 2006 - | Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
| Roderick Moore | Strength & Conditioning Coach |
| - | - |
| Chris Siegle | Graduate Assistant Coach | | 2005 - | - |
| Dennis Smith | Graduate Assistant Coach | | 2006 - | Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
See also
- FIU Golden Panthers footballFIU Golden Panthers footballThe FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
- FIU Golden PanthersFIU Golden PanthersThe FIU Panthers are the athletic teams of Florida International University , a public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers compete in NCAA Division I athletics, and are currently members of the Sun Belt Conference...
- FIU StadiumFIU StadiumFIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
- FIU
Kansas
Overall: (0-1), Conference: (0-2)Game played at Kansas with a record-breaking crowd attendance at Kansas' Memorial Stadium.
Todd Reesing threw three touchdown passes to
Dezmon Briscoe and No. 14 Kansas, coming off the greatest season in its
history, opened with a 40-10 victory Saturday over FIU before a recordbreaking
home crowd.
Reesing, who rewrote the Kansas record book last year during a 12-1
season that vaulted the Jayhawks into national contention, was 37-for-52
for 256 yards. Briscoe, a sophomore and Reesing's third-leading receiver
in 2007, had touchdown catches of 3, 4 and 3 yards against a Sun Belt
team the Jayhawks smacked 55-3 a year ago.
Briscoe's third TD, on fourth-and-goal from the 3, was a leaping grab in
the corner of the end zone after Reesing appeared to have overthrown his
wide-open target.
The game was played before a school-record crowd of 52,112, breaking
the mark of 51,910 which watched the resurgent Jayhawks beat longtime
nemesis Nebraska 76-39 last year. It also broke by 4,000 the Memorial
Stadium record for a non-conference game.
Kansas took a commanding lead with a 23-point second quarter that
made it 30-10 at the half.
Reesing also threw an interception which Jeremiah Weatherspoon returned
20 yards to the Kansas 27 in the fourth quarter. A year ago, he had
only seven interceptions. But a few minutes after the interception, Phillip
Strozier made his second interception for the Jayhawks. His fi rst was returned
30 yards and set up Briscoe's third touchdown.
The Golden Panthers, 1-11 last season, were playing the highestranked
team they have seen since becoming a major college program in
2006. They got their only touchdown in two games against Kansas when
T.Y. Hilton took a punt and sped 74 yards into the end zone in the second
quarter. Dustin Rivest had a 43-yard fi eld goal for FIU at the end of the
half.
The Jayhawks lost a
fumble on their fi rst possession.
But Jake Laptad
sacked FIU's Paul McCall
for a 5-yard loss on fourth
down midway through the
fi rst quarter and Jocques
Crawford, last season's junior
college offensive player
of the year, scored on a
7-yard run for Kansas.
Briscoe capped a 56-
yard scoring drive with his
fi rst TD catch on the fi rst
play of the second quarter.
A few minutes later, Daymond
Patterson, a freshman,
broke loose for a 75-
yard punt return, jumping
over one would-be tackler
near the 20 who had been
blocked to the ground.
Alonso Rojas, replacing
departed Scott Webb,
kicked a 47-yard fi eld goal
in the second quarter for
a 17-0 lead and added a
37-yarder in the third as
the Jayhawks won for the
16th time in their last 18
games overall.
McCall was 10-for-28
for 73 yards, with two interceptions.
Iowa
Overall: (0-2), Conference: (0-0)Ricky Stanzi threw three touchdowns passes in his
fi rst start, Shonn Greene ran for 130 yards and Iowa pounded FIU 42-0 for
its second straight blowout win.
The Hawkeyes, who routed Maine 46-3 last week, looked even better
against the Golden Panthers. Stanzi, who got the start over Jake Christensen,
was 8-of-10 for 162 yards in less than a half as the Hawkeyes (2-0)
racked up 512 yards and led 35-0 at halftime.
Christensen cam on and was 8-of-12 for 99 yards and one touchdown.
But it was clear Stanzi has taken the lead in the competition to be
Iowa’s starter the rest of the season.
FIU (0-2) had no answer for Iowa’s defensive front, which stopped
the Golden Panthers all day. The Hawkeyes had six sacks, and when they
weren’t slamming quarterbacks Paul McCall and Wayne Younger to the turf
they were stuffi ng running lanes and forcing both to hurry throws.
Younger came off the bench and was 11-of-20 for 107 yards to lead
FIU, which lost for the 25th time in 26 games dating back to 2006. The
Golden Panthers have now been outscored 82-10 this season.
The Hawkeyes rolled up 209 yards of total offense and a 21-0 lead in
the fi rst quarter.
Iowa scored on its opening drive for the second straight week, after
failing to get any points on opening possessions last season. Greene
capped that drive with a bruising 11-yard TD run, bouncing off a number of
defenders before stretching the ball over the goal line.
Stanzi made it 14-0 with a 59-yard touchdown pass to Derrell Johnson-
Koulianos. Stanzi hit Johnson-Koulianos in stride about 40 yards
downfi eld, and Johnson-Koulianos used some nifty footwork to sidestep
defenders near the out-of-bounds line and reach the end zone.
Christensen came in for Stanzi and threw a third-down pass into the
turf on his fi rst attempt, drawing a chorus of boos from the Kinnick Stadium
faithful. That was quickly
forgotten, as Paki O’Meara
pushed Iowa’s lead to 21-0
with a 17-yard TD run late
in the fi rst quarter.
Iowa made it 28-0 on
a screen pass by Stanzi
that Brandon Myers took
23 yards for a touchdown.
Stanzi then hit Colin Sandeman
for an 8-yard TD
pass with 2:49 left in the
fi rst half.
Christensen, who played
just two series in the
fi rst half, got the nod to
start the second half. He
pushed the lead to 42-0 on
a 23-yard TD pass to Sandeman
early in the fourth
quarter.
Greene, who spent last
season at a junior college
because of academic
trouble, passed the 100-
yard mark for the second
straight game. Sandeman’s
touchdown grabs
were the first two of his career.
South Florida
Overall: (0-3), Conference: (0-0)Mike Ford ran for two short touchdowns and South Florida
spoiled FIU’s debut in its new on-campus stadium.
Matt Grothe completed 14 of 22 passes for 137 yards for South Florida
(4-0), but was held without a passing or rushing touchdown for just the
second time in his 30-game career.
FIU (0-3), which came in ranked last among all FBS schools in total
offense (178.5 yards per game) and scoring (5.0), got a 61-yard catch-andrun
from Wayne Younger to T.Y. Hilton with 2:03 remaining, setting up Julian
Reams’ 1-yard TD run - the Golden Panthers’ fi rst offensive touchdown
this season.
USF linebacker Brouce Mompremier was injured after colliding with
teammate Carlton Williams while attempting a tackle with 6:43 left in the
third quarter.USF offi cials said Mompremier - a Miami native who had family
at the game - was moving his arms and legs and was expected to remain
hospitalized overnight for tests and observation.
The Bulls fumbled the ball away on their fi rst possession, started their
second series on the USF 1, and needed 13 plays before Ford rushed in
from 2 yards out for fi rst points ever recorded at the stadium. FIU safety
Jeremiah Weatherspoon forced the turnover on the opening drive and
knocked the ball loose twice on the next drive as well, but USF kept possession
and took the early lead.
From there, though, FIU’s defense held tough, keeping the upset
hope alive.
“We played with a lot of passion, a lot of energy that helped us out,’’
Weatherspoon said. ``We just made a few mistakes that cost us.’’
The stadium is on the same site as FIU’s previous football home, a
7,000-seat facility that was more suited for high school games than bigtime
college football. The current structure - which still lacks a scoreboard
on one end, isn’t yet enclosed on the visitors’ side and will eventually have
a massive fi eld house attached
to it - was built in
16 months.
Building FIU into a winner
is taking a bit longer.
The Golden Panthers
have lost 26 of 27 games
since the start of the 2006
season, but have long
pointed to the opening of
the stadium as the fi rst
signifi cant step toward a
turnaround. And recruits
in talent-rich South Florida
are quickly taking notice;
a slew of players from the
Miami area have already
committed to enroll at FIU
next fall, and plenty more
attended the stadium’s
debut.
Hanging close to a
nationally ranked team
wasn’t a consolation prize,
Cristobal said.
“Our guys are as down
as they can possibly be,’’
Cristobal said. “But it does
say something. It does say
that we can do some things
that can make us have a
successful season.’’
Toledo
Overall: (1-3), Conference: (0-0)Julian Reams rushed for three touchdowns to lead
FIU to a 35-16 win over Toledo Saturday night.
Reams’ fi rst TD put the Golden Panthers (1-3) in front 14-13 in the
second quarter. T.Y. Hilton returned the second half kickoff 55 yards, and
on the next play, Reams ran 27 yards for his second score to put FIU ahead
to stay, 21-16.
Reams fi nished with 75 yards on 19 carries. Hilton caught a 37-yard
touchdown pass in the second quarter.
‘’Every day, this coaching staff and this team works its tails off to be
a better program because they believe in what’s going to happen here at
FIU,’’ Cristobal said after the school’s fi rst road victory against a non-conference
Football Bowl Subdivision team. ``Last week, we got closer, fi ghting
toe-to-toe with USF. It was time to punch through on the road against a
non-conference opponent.
“`We realize we’re miles away, but we came out on an emotional high,
executed well and won the football game.’’
After scoring only one touchdown in its fi rst three games combined,
FIU generated 239 yards of offense and fi ve scores. With the defense limiting
Toledo to just 146 yards after the fi rst quarter and the special teams
making numerous big plays, FIU had more than enough fi repower for Toledo.
The Rockets (1-3) jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led 16-14 at the half,
but couldn’t score after the break. They gained FIU 302 yards of total offense,
but committed four turnovers, three of which led to Golden Panther
touchdowns.
‘’I was a little bit alarmed [when they led 13-0] because we had such a
great performance against South Florida,’’ Cristobal said. ``We felt we had
a good week of practice on defense, and we were so sharp -- we felt we
had a bead on what they were doing.”
Toledo’s Morgan Williams
gained 98 yards on
25 attempts, while Nick
Moore caught nine passes
for 65 yards.
“Our offensive line played
well, and our backs were
stepping up and making
plays,’’ quarterback Paul
McCall said. “That’s what
carried us tonight.’’
FIU opens its Sun Belt
Conference schedule next
Saturday, October 4, when
the Golden Panthers travel
to Denton, Texas, and take
on the North Texas Mean
Green. The game will be
televised live on ESPN+
as part of the SBC television
package and can be
seen in the South Florida
area on Comcast Sports-Southeast.
North Texas
Overall: (2-3), Conference: (1-0)Paul McCall threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns
to lead FIU to a 42-10 victory over North Texas in the Sun Belt
Conference opener for both schools.
T.Y. Hilton caught two touchdowns and had 145 yards receiving for
FlU (2-3), which had entered the game ranked last in the nation in total offense.
But facing the fourth-worst defense in the country, McCall went 11-of-
19 to notch career highs in both yardage and TDs. His four TD throws tied
a school record that had stood since 2002, the program’s opening season.
In his fi rst four games combined this season, McCall had thrown one touchdown
and 272 yards passing.
McCall’s 65-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton was the freshman’s third
touchdown of the season giving FIU a 7-0 lead and marked the fi rst time
the Golden Panthers had led in the fi rst quarter of a game since last Nov.
17 against Louisiana-Lafayette (6-0), seven games ago.
And his second TD reception, for 74 yards was the second-longest
touchdown pass in the history of the program (89 yards vs. Maryland,
9/23/06). His two TD receptions tied the mark for most in a game, accomplished
fi ve other times in the history of the program.
Giovanni Vizza passed for 274 yards and threw three interceptions for
North Texas (0-5), which has yet to lead in a game this season.
FIU running back A’mod Ned broke through for a 26-yard touchdown
run, and O’Darius D’Haiti blocked a punt, that was picked up by Alonzo
Phillips who returned it 11 yards for a TD, marked the fi rst time FIU had
returned a blocked punt in nearly two years.
“We’re young and we still have a long way to go, but we’re building,”
summed up head coach Mario Cristobal. “We could have scored more tonight
and we didn’t. We could have shut them out and we didn’t. But we’re
getting better, one game at a time.”
Casey Fitzgerald
caught 10 passes for 120 yards for North Texas. Micah
Mosely scored on a
1-yard run with 1:03 left for
North Texas’ only touchdown.
Middle Tennessee
Overall: (3-3), Conference: (2-0)First home win at the expanded FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
.
Paul McCall threw for one touchdown and ran for another to
lead FlU to a 31-21 win against Middle Tennessee on Saturday night.
McCall completed 13 of 29 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown
and one interception, running for another score and 53 yards on nine carries
for the Golden Panthers (3-3, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference).
Phillip Tanner rushed 18 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns for
the Blue Raiders (2-4, 1-3).
FlU reached the .500 mark for the fi rst time since 2002, and tied a
school record with its third consecutive win.
McCall’s 9-yard touchdown run gave FlU a 7-3 lead with 4:12 before
the half, and Dustin Rivest’s 20-yard fi eld goal extended the lead to 10-3 at
halftime.
“[McCall] hurt us more on scrambles than designated runs,” said
Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill. “I thought we got some good
pressure on him, but give him credit. He did a nice job of buying some
time, getting in the seams and making something happen. What he did
is about what we expected him to do. We didn’t think he would do some
predesigned quarterback runs, but we knew he was a scrambler out of the
pocket.”
Anthony Gaitor opened the second half with a 27-yard interception
return for the Golden Panthers, and A’mod Ned’s 1-yard touchdown run
gave FlU a 24-6 lead at the 3:29 mark in the third quarter. Tanner’s 3-yard
touchdown run cut Middle Tennessee’s defi cit to 11 points at the end of the
third.
But McCall hit T.Y. Hilton on a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-
13, and Tanner’s 3-yard run with 4:41 left wouldn’t be enough for the Blue
Raiders.
“We’re getting better,” said FIU head coach Mario Cristobal. “We’re
playing hard and we’re playing physical but we are still making mistakes,
too. I defi nitely think Middle
Tennessee is a good
football team. They beat
Maryland and were about
to beat Kentucky. After last
year ( a 47-6 Middle Tennessee
win in Murfreesboro),
we knew they were
a good team. But we’re
also on a roll right now.”
Troy
Overall: (3-4), Conference: (2-1)Levi Brown and Jerrel Jernigan each scored two touchdowns
to help Troy beat FIU 33-23 on Saturday night.
Brown completed 18 of 28 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns
in his fi rst start for the Trojans (4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference), which moved
into a fi rst-place tie with UL-Lafayette in the conference. Jernigan added
131 yards receiving and a touchdown, rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries
and completed his only pass for a 2-yard touchdown.
Paul McCall completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns
and an interception for the Golden Panthers (3-4, 2-1), which saw
its three-game winning streak snapped.
Brown threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Williams on
Troy’s fi rst drive, and an 86-yard touchdown pass to Jernigan on the next
to give Troy a 13-0 lead. McCall’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Junior Mertile
cut the Trojans’ lead to 13-9 at the end of the fi rst and, after Troy’s Sam
Glusman hit fi eld goals of 20 and 44 yards, Daunte Owens’ 1-yard run left
the Golden Panthers trailing 19-16 at halftime.
But Jernigan’s 2-yard pass to Justin Bray in the third and Dan Parker’s
1-yard rush in the fourth put the game out of reach.
“We played against a good football team,” FIU coach Mario Cristobal
said. “And against a good football team you cannot make mistakes. . . . It’s
a tough lesson learned for a bunch of guys who worked their butts off.”
Down 10 midway through the fourth quarter, McCall led an FIU drive
that was capped by a one-handed grab by freshman T.Y. Hilton that would
have given the Golden Panthers a fi rst-and-10 at the Troy 25. But offsetting
penalties nullifi ed the play and the drive ultimately stalled.
Another reason the Golden Panthers could not get closer was the
ferocious Trojans’ pass rush that sacked McCall seven times.
With running back Julian Reams sidelined with a calf injury for the
Golden Panthers, Owens was FIU’s top runner on the game with a careerhigh
69 yards on 14 rushes.
“Mistakes that you’re
going to be sick tomorrow
when you watch fi lm,”
Cristobal said. ‘‘It’s stuff
that is correctable, but this
game isn’t and that’s what hurts."
Louisiana-Lafayette
Overall: (3-5), Conference: (2-2)Tyrell Fenroy scored three touchdowns and broke
1,000 yards rushing for the fourth consecutive season to help Louisiana-
Lafayette beat FlU 49-20 on Saturday.
Fenroy ran for 81 yards on 22 carries, which put him over 1,000 yards on
the year for the fourth straight time - a feat only six other players in Division
I-A history have done. The Louisiana-Lafayette tailback now leads all active
NCAA players with 4,322 career rushing yards.
The Golden Panthers (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) jumped out to a 7-0
lead on T.Y. Hilton’s opening kickoff that went 90 yards for a touchdown.
After Michael Desormeaux, who was 13 of 19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns,
connected with Ladarius Green on a 6-yard score, Julian Reams’
1-yard run put FlU up 14-7 after the fi rst.
‘’We started out fast. We started out like we wanted to. Then the team that
we prepared to be, the team we pride ourselves on being, disappeared
after the fi rst quarter,” said FIU head coach Mario Cristobal.
Fenroy scored from 3 and 4 yards away in the second, and Lalaf Gerren
Blount returned a fumble for a score to help the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-3,
4-0) build a 35-14 lead at halftime. The record-setting tailback would score
again on a 1-yard run to put UL ahead 49-14 after three quarters.
‘’We have got to become more consistent,’’ said FIU quarterback Paul Mc-
Call, who was 9 of 21 for 85 yards and one interception. ``I had some bad
throws. The line was picking up the blitz, I just got to put the ball on the
guys and do a better job than that. Good teams react positively no matter
what gets thrown their way. We need to get back to doing things right. We
can’t let things snowball like they did tonight.’’
Arkansas State
Overall: (4-5), Conference: (3-2)FIU Homecoming game.
T.Y. Hilton caught a school record 199 yards and threw the
game-deciding touchdown with 2:04 left to lift FlU to a 22-21 win over Arkansas
State on Saturday night.
Hilton’s pass came off a broken play in which he fumbled on a reverse
call, picked up the ball, scrambled and launched a wobbly pass to Junior
Mertile for a 38-yard touchdown to for the Golden Panthers (4-5, 3-2 Sun
Belt Conference
“Paul pulled out early on the handoff,” Hilton said. “When I recovered the
fumble and saw Junior wide open, all I thought was ‘I’ve got to get him the
ball.’ When Junior caught it and I heard the crowd go crazy, I started going
crazy too.”
Dustin Rivest, who put FlU ahead with the extra point, also set the school’s
single-game record with fi ve fi eld goals of 42, 33, 43, 35, and 37 yards. He
also missed two fi eld goals.
The Red Wolves (4-5, 2-2) drove down to the FlU 42-yard line on their fi nal
drive of the game, but Franklin Brown intercepted Arkansas State quarterback
Corey Leonard with 1:13 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Arkansas pulled ahead 21-12 early in the fourth on a 12-yard touchdown
run by Derek Lawson with 13:31 on the clock that capped off a nine-play,
75-yard drive.
Leonard’s only touchdown pass of the game—18 yards to Vernon Catlin
with 8:50 left in the third quarter—gave ASU a 14-9 lead. Leonard scored
the game’s fi rst touchdown on a 1-yard run just before halftime.
Reggie Arnold rushed for
113 yards on 22 carries
for Arkansas State. Leonard
was 13-of-26 for 149 yards.
Paul McCall completed 15
of 33 passes for 321 yards for FIU.
Louisiana-Monroe
Kinsmon Lancaster threw two touchdown passes and ran foranother as Louisiana-Monroe defeated FIU 31-27 on Saturday night.
Lancaster fi nished with 156 yards through the air and 71 yards on the
ground for the Warhawks (4-8, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference).
The Golden Panthers (4-6, 3-3) had a chance to take the lead in the fi nal
3:14 in the game, but the Warhawks stymied FlU with three sacks and
defl ected a pass on its fi nal drive. The Warhawks’ Troy Evans and Cardia
Jackson sacked Paul McCall on fourth-and-14 with 1:53 left.
Lancaster scored on a 16-yard run with 12:23 left in the second quarter for
a 7-3 lead. He also threw touchdown passes of 7 and 19 yards.
Frank Goodin ran for 93 yards on 23 carries and scored on a 2-yard run
to give Louisiana-Monroe a 14-3 lead with 9:28 left in the fi rst half. Zeek
Zacharie caught Lancaster’s 19-yard strike with 32 seconds left before halftime
as the Warhawks took a 21-3 lead.
FIU controlled the second half, though, as it outscored Louisiana-Monroe
24-10 to pull within four points late in the fourth.
McCall led FIU by going 18-for-31 for 239 yards with two touchdowns.
T.Y Hilton had eight receptions for 93 yards, and he caught a 55-yard touchdown
pass with 6:57 in the third quarter to cut the defi cit to 28-17.
Julian Reams ran for 122 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries for the
Golden Panthers. His 2-yard run cut the Warhawks’ lead to 31-24 with 12:13
in the fourth quarter.
Dustin Rivest kicked
fi eld goals of 41 and 23 yards for FIU, and Radi
Jabour kicked a 25-yard
fi eld goal for the Warhawks
Florida Atlantic
Shula BowlShula Bowl
The Shula Bowl is an annual college football rivalry game between the Florida Atlantic University Owls and the Florida International University Golden Panthers. The game's winner receives a traveling trophy, the "Don Shula Award" for one year. The current winner is FIU, winning 41-7 on 12 November...
Rusty Smith threw fi ve touchdown passes, including the
game-winner in overtime, to lead Florida Atlantic to a 57-50 victory over
Florida International on Saturday.
After the teams scored a combined 56 points in the fourth quarter, Florida
International (4-7, 3-4 Sun Belt) won the coin toss in overtime but elected to
play defense fi rst. Florida Atlantic (6-6, 4-3) scored on Smith’s 9-yard pass
to Cortez Gent on its fi rst possession.
The Golden Panthers followed that by throwing three incomplete passes
during their possession, and a sack of Paul McCall by the Owls’ Daniel
Joseph on fourth down sealed the win for Florida Atlantic.
Smith fi nished 25-for-50 for 389 yards with one interception for the Owls.
Gent caught seven passes for 108 yards with three touchdowns, and Jamari
Grant had seven receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
McCall was 27-for-47 for a school-record 400 yards with four touchdowns
and one interception for Florida International.
T.Y. Hilton had 99 yards on four receptions, scoring three touchdowns for
the Golden Panthers—two of them through the air. Greg Ellingson had 138 yards and a score on seven receptions, and Darriet Perry carried the ball
16 times for a game-high 115 yards and two scores.
Trailing 36-22 in the fourth, Florida Atlantic scored two touchdowns in a
span of 56 seconds.The fi rst came on a fourth-and-10 from the Florida International
20-yard line when Smith threw a pass that was tipped by several
players and then caught in
the back of the end zone
by Gent with 6:49 to go.
On Florida International’s
ensuing possession,
Corey Small intercepted
McCall and returned it 25 yards to tie the score at 36
with 5:53 left.
The Golden Panthers answered
on McCall’s fourth
touchdown pass, a 29-
yard toss to Ellingson that
made it 43-36 with 3:49
left. Following an interception
by Florida International,
Perry’s second touchdown
of the game made
the score 50-36 at 3:09.
Florida Atlantic scored its
next two touchdowns in
less than three minutes to
send the game into overtime.
Smith threw an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Gent
with 2:08 left. After a
successful onside kick,
Smith’s 11-yard touchdown
pass to Grant tied it
at 50 with 18 seconds left.