FIU Football Survives as Maine Comeback Falls Short for First Win in 2023

MIAMI, FL – It wasn’t the prettiest win, but according to FIU head coach Mike MacIntyre, a win is a win.

The Maine Black Bears, an FCS school looking to spoil the Panthers’ night, gave them all they could handle. Then again, looking back at last year’s overtime thriller against the Bryant Bulldogs, this should come as no surprise.

But FIU’s defense in the second half combined with some tight connections between freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins and wide receiver Kris Mitchell was just enough as FIU survived with a 14-12 win.

After a tough loss the week before LA Tech, it felt like a win against the Black Bears was almost a necessity considering how the strength of schedule will only ramp up from here on out.

Entering the Cage Fresh

The biggest surprise to many was the late announcement that the freshman from Miami Central, Keyone Jenkins, was confirmed to start the game.

“We felt Keyone did some good things in practice,” said MacIntyre. “He’s been practicing well. We just felt it would be the best thing for our team in this game to make that change at the time.”

So Keyone gets the start, and is the first freshman quarterback for FIU to do so since 2014, but is a bit slow in his first drive as the Panthers go three and out and are forced to punt.

Maine, which features an almost completely different offense from last season, got the ball rolling on offense with the assistance of some defensive penalties on FIU.

But on a handoff in Panther territory, Maine running back Tristen Kinnen fumbled the ball, and defensive back Brian Blades fell on it for an immediate turnover.

Keyone made the most out of his second chance with the ball with a solid run and a couple of big passes to move FIU along the field.

Jenkins thought he had his first touchdown off a scramble in the red zone, but thanks to a holding call on FIU, it was taken off the scoreboard.

“So it was a pass fake… the pocket broke down,” said Jenkins. “I stepped up and wanted to throw it and kept my eyes down the field and saw an open lane. “

Still, Jenkins threw a pass off a pump fake right into the arms of wide receiver Kris Mitchell in the end zone for the first score of the day.

The Panthers’ defense clamped up Maine for an immediate punt, and FIU drove the ball back into Black Bear territory but failed to convert a fourth-down attempt to keep the drive alive.

Maine took advantage and did just enough on offense to kick a 48-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.

A repeat of the previous possession occurred for FIU as, on another fourth-down attempt, the offense elected to go for it instead of attempting a field goal. On the attempt, Keyone threw the ball right to the Maine secondary in the end zone for his first career interception.

Into the second quarter, Maine was forced to attempt a 50-yard field goal they couldn’t convert, keeping the score at 7-3 with 8 minutes to go.

After a pair of punts by both teams, Panthers wide receiver Dean Patterson was set to return a kick but was hit instantly and fumbled the ball. Maine recovered and kicked another field goal to cut the lead to 7-6.

Keyone and the Panthers looked for an answer and got some magic late in the first half as he and Mitchell connected once again on a deep ball that went 62-yard for FIU’s second touchdown of the day.

“I knew it was a touchdown,” said Mitchell when asked about that play. “I was so happy for him to see me and trust me to make a play for us.”

Bear Hugs for the Defense

In the first half, FIU recorded 176 passing yards compared to only 40 rushing yards – a complete game plan from their run-based attack against the Bulldogs last week.

Maine wasted no time in the second half and relied on a fresh run game to do their work. A handoff into the end zone signaled their first touchdown of the day, cut into the lead once again, but failed a 2-point conversion that kept the Panthers in front by a score of 14-12.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, their offense in the second half once again regressed thanks in part to a stout Maine defense. Meanwhile, FIU’s deadly secondary kept the Black bears at bay as well.

As a result, this game turned into a defensive stalemate up until the fourth quarter when Jenkins drove 80 yards down the field for the Panthers, who were looking to secure a two-possession lead.

Inside the red zone, FIU was held to a 4th and five. Instead of kicking for three, they decided to go for it once again. A combination of confusion and a bad snap resulted in a Keyone sack, and the third turnover on downs for the night.

Main’s ensuing offensive possession was their last of the game. The Panthers did themselves no favors with two defensive pass interference penalties, but still forced a fourth down attempt for the Black Bears which they did not convert.

The ball was in FIU’s hands with less than a minute to go, and they secured a hard-fought 14-12 win.

“We finally got a big stop to the point where we knew it was a fourth-and-long,” said safety D’Verik Daniel. “We knew it was going to be a pass, and we just had to play situational. On three third downs before that, we kept hurting ourselves with penalties.”

Bear Trapped with the Statistics

Multiple records were set on the field for the FIU offense. In total, Keyone Jenkins threw for 292 passing yards off 15 completions, the most by a freshman in Panthers history.

In addition, his favorite target on the night, Kris Mitchell, racked up 201 receiving yards, which ties him for the most in a single game along with Tyrese Chambers and TY Hilton.

Overall, however, most of the stats lean towards Maine. They earned 378 total yards (Including 165 rushing yards), 27 first downs, and held the time of possession for over 37 minutes.

FIU also played sloppy at times, committing three turnovers off of two fumbles and an interception, along with two failed fourth down attempts. In addition, they were flagged for eight penalties totaling 79 yards for Maine.

The Panthers will need to right these wrongs and fast as a familiar opponent comes to town – the North Texas Mean Green. That game will be on Saturday, September 9th at 6:30pm.