BOCA RATON, FL – FIU Football bamboozled all of us by putting together a beautiful drive to start this game then letting FAU walk all over them as the Owls cruised to a 38-20 blowout to win the 22nd Shula Bowl.
Keyone Jenkins commanded the offense on that first drive to the tune of a three-play, three-pass drive that was capped off with a dot to Eric Rivers for an early 7-0 lead.
That Went Downhill Quickly
Then, everything went down the rails. Despite blocking a punt in the end zone, FIU was unable to capitalize on the Owls’ mistake, settling for a field goal that kicker Alejandro Prado missed.
The Panthers, who did not turn over the ball once against CMU, gave up two fumbles and two interceptions in the first half, totaling 17 more points for the Owls who began to pull away with a 24-7 lead.
FIU did not adjust well in the second half. Despite scoring two touchdowns, they also gave up two in the process.
Quarterback Keyone Jenkins had a mixed night. With 281 yards, he was only 11 yards away from breaking his single-game passing record. While three passing touchdowns are nice, three interceptions and a fumble on the ground are abysmal. Games can’t be won when the ball is turned over that much.
Eric Rivers recorded four catches for 101 yards and the first touchdown for FIU, a career-high for him. Dean Patterson and Juju Lewis collected touchdowns in the second half, with the latter being his first collegiate score.
Travion Barnes was the leading defender, with 15 tackles and eight solo. While FIU collected five interceptions last week, FAU’s offense was squeaky clean and did not turn the ball over once.
With only 161 passing yards for the Owls, the Panthers’ secondary was not that bad, but giving up 281 rushing yards also meant the Owls had the ball for 37 total minutes.
It also stings that FIU was only able to record 87 rushing yards, despite the Army running the ball down FAU’s throat last week with over 400.
Regardless, the losing streak in the Shula Bowl continues for the Panthers, who now stand with a 1-2 record. They’ll return to Pitbull Stadium for their Homecoming game against the Monmouth Hawks on Saturday, September 21st at 6pm.
More Stories
FIU Men’s Basketball Blown Out By Flames, Drop Fifth Straight
FIU Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jonathan Garbar To Step Down
Hurricanes Lose 117-74 to SMU, Worst Loss in Program History