Jenkins Injured As FIU Football Stunned By Winless UTEP

If you thought the loss to Monmouth was the lowest point of the season, it just got way lower.

FIU Football looked to dominate with momentum on their side and was met with injuries, ineptitude, and a winless UTEP team that wanted it more, resulting in a 30-21 loss.

Keyone Jenkins was injured in the second quarter, which led to Amari Jones stepping in for most of the second half before he was injured in the fourth quarter, bringing in Haden Carlsson.

Needless to say, the offense was stagnant. While the defense had its moments, it couldn’t score points. All in all, this was a perfect formula for UTEP to win their first game in almost a full year and shatter FIU’s realistic hopes of becoming bowl-eligible.

An Unexpected Disaster

FIU blocked an early UTEP punt to put the Panthers in premium territory, and Jenkins capitalized with a pass to Dean Patterson in the end zone for an early lead.

After Jojo Evans punched the ball out for a fumble not long after, FIU was set to score once again with great field position. But on third down, Jenkins threw an interception that set up UTEP for their first touchdown, taking a 10-7 lead.

On the interception, Jenkins dove and missed a tackle, landing on his throwing shoulder and injuring it. It sidelined him for the rest of the game as Jones had to step in.

In addition to seeing his first major time for the Panthers, Jones had to deal with a bundle of botched snaps by Jaheim Buchanon which destroyed drives.

When It Became Reality

FIU’s offense did not look any better in the second half, as Jones and the running game were both limited and drives were kept short. UTEP began to rack up time of possession and the defense became gassed – a familiar story so far this season.

In the third quarter, Jones threw an interception that looked to spell certain doom. On the next play, Bobby Salla Jr intercepted a pass and set up Kejon Owens for a touchdown, giving FIU a 21-20 lead.

UTEP responded with 10 unanswered points to give them a lead that they would hold on to. Along the way, Jones was sacked and injured his shoulder in the process.

Carlson stepped in and threw two interceptions, essentially sealing the game and giving FIU their worst loss since… the loss to Monmouth earlier this season.

With a 2-5 record, FIU can afford ONE more loss if they want to remain bowl-eligible. Their next contest is in Pitbull Stadium against one of the top teams in CUSA – the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Tuesday, October 22nd at 7:30pm.