MIAMI, FL – The Panthers bounced back from their season-opening loss in a huge way. JJ Kohl had an impressive performance in front of his home crowd. The FIU Panthers totaled 540 offensive yards in a 33-20 Saturday night rampage win against the Buffalo Bulls.
#FIU wins 33-20
They finish with 540 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per play.
JJ Kohl led the way with 21 completions, 367 yards, and 3 touchdowns
Maguire Anderson had five receptions for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns
Jojo Stone had four catches for 98 yards and a touchdown pic.twitter.com/H0ncIK4hgK
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) September 13, 2026
Panthers Dominate First Half
Beating the Bulls was a much-needed confidence boost for FIU. From the first drive, FIU controlled the game after scoring on that possession. Kohl led the drive with a 15-yard pass to Kyle McNeal and capped it off with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Maguire Anderson.
Following a Buffalo field goal, the Panthers went back to work on their second drive. Kohl kept getting big gains, and FIU ended their drive with a Sports Center Top 10 type of play. Devonte Lyons pitched the ball to Jojo Stone, who threw a deep 19-yard pass to Kohl in the end zone for a score, giving FIU a 14-3 lead in the opening quarter. “We’ve been working on it this week and everyday it’s been kind of open and today it just kind of wasn’t as open,” said Stone. “I threw it the same way I’ve been throwing it, like a little lob. I was just glad JJ was able to go up and show the receivers how to high-point the ball.”
After trading punts in the second quarter, FIU found its groove again with a nine-play, 60-yard touchdown drive. The drive was a balanced pass-rush attack, with Kohl throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Anderson. This gave FIU a sizeable 21-3 lead, and they entered the half in control, up 21-6.
FIU’s Showdown
Following a costly fumble by FIU at the start of the third quarter, the Bulls responded. Jason Wright gave Buffalo a nice drive, highlighted by a 57-yard completion to Chance Morrow. Wright made another pass to Morrow for a score and then rushed in for the two-point conversion. They made this contest an interesting one-score game for a moment.
The Panthers, however, wasted no time. Kohl threw a 68-yard pass to Stone for a touchdown, making it 27-14 FIU. Later in the quarter, Robert Czeremcha made a 36-yard field goal. Leading 30-14, Czeremcha kicked another field goal in the fourth quarter. The Wright/Morrow combo scored another touchdown, but it was too little too late.
JJ Kohl completed 21 passes for a career-high of 367 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson made five catches for a career-high 99 yards and multiple touchdowns. Stone caught four passes for a career-high of 98 yards and a touchdown. “Whatever it takes to win,” said Kohl. “The last two games we’ve been throwing a lot, but if we have to run the ball, we’ll be good with that as well. I think with how good our receiver group is, we’re just trying to get the ball in their hand. We got a good group of receivers and an o-line up front.”
On defense, Shamir Sterlin collected seven tackles while Elisha Baldridge had six tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Percy Courtney Jr. collected five tackles, and Deejay Holmes Jr. added a sack and forced fumble. Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine gave the Panthers their first interception of the season late in the fourth quarter.
Full highlights from yesterday’s win to start your mornin’ ☕️@GuerraFinancial pic.twitter.com/OOMR2JXpEm
— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) September 13, 2026
Final Thoughts
FIU’s offense made a statement win against the Bulls and had a different identity. After two games, it’s clear that when Kohl is clicking on the field, this offense can truly become dangerous. This was a completely different unit from a week before when they struggled to convert yardage into points. Kohl also protected the football more, leaving the game with zero interceptions.
FIU added to their rushing yards by doubling last week’s effort with 160. Anthony Carrie and Lyons split the yardage evenly for 100 yards. However, it’s clear the Panthers haven’t established a steady running game. Their longest rushes were for 15 yards, and they averaged just 3.9 yards per carry.
The defense proved that they could get off the field and give the Panthers time to score. Buffalo was limited to just 11 first downs while the Panthers had 22. FIU also won the third-down battle 8/17 compared to 4/17 for the Bulls. Despite allowing 11 catches, 173 yards, and a pair of touchdowns to Morrow, the unit delivered a more complete performance this time around.
The Panthers responded to every push Buffalo made. Despite their late attempt to make some noise, FIU silenced their efforts. FIU showed they can generate explosive plays in a hurry. With an upcoming trip to Boca Raton next week, the Panthers must defend their Shula Bowl title and prove how a performance like this is the standard, not an exception. “I never apologize for a win, that’s the goal, to win a game,” said Coach Willie Simmons. “We were successful today, but we were not excellent. When we get back tomorrow, we need to get back to work. There are a lot of things we have to improve upon if we want to achieve all the goals that we set for ourselves.”
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