FIU Football Spills Vices, Spoiled by UTEP Miners

MIAMI, FL – Under the lights and Goodyear blimp, the FIU Panthers debuted their highly regarded Vice uniforms on national TV.

Unfortunately for FIU, the pregame activities were when the fun ended as the UTEP Miners immediately spoiled the party with 21 unanswered points to begin the game – a massive lead that they never gave up, ultimately winning by a score of 27-14.

Injuries? Never Heard Of Them

With the loss of both their first and second-string quarterbacks, the Miners turned to Cade McConnell who turned out to be the next Brock Purdy, dishing out 262 yards and two touchdowns.

FIU’s secondary was left in the dust as McConnell found wide-open receivers for an 80-yard score and a 50-yard pickup which led to another. Despite being a mainly run-oriented team, it was the passing game that the Panthers had to face and were not ready for.

It’s worth noting that CB CJ Christian went down with an injury early on, and head coach Mike MacIntyre told us postgame that he was sent to a local hospital, but he’ll be okay.

Even still, the Miners run game still cleaned up, with 139 total yards on the ground, with their first touchdown being a 1-yard shove.

Offense Still Looking For Answers

All the while, the Panthers sputtered on offense with three punts and a turnover on downs, all the while UTEP was pouring it on.

FIU’s running backs couldn’t find open space and the offensive line’s struggles with giving Keyone Jenkins time continued from their loss against NM State.

Their first touchdown was highlighted by solid carries by Kejon Owens, with a 34-yard dart to Dean Patterson along the way.

But by this time, they were already down 21-7 (24-7 on UTEP’s next drive) and that’s a deficit that’s hard to come back from, regardless of high school, college, or professional ball.

Second Half Offensive Woes, As Per Usual

As per usual, the Panthers’ second half did not improve and instead regressed despite the defense clamping up the Miners.

After a pair of 30-yard completions to Josiah Miamen and Kris Mitchell, Jenkins rushed in for the second and final touchdown of the day for FIU.

But after that? A surprise onside kick that, while an excellent decision that UTEP didn’t expect, resulted in another turnover on downs.

After that, two straight punts, an interception, a fumble, and another turnover on downs.

Overall, an abysmal performance capitalized by the Miners’ defense posing in front of the blue FIU Lamborghini following a turnover, the biggest snapshot of the game.

The Panthers now fall to 3-4, and their chances of getting into a bowl game just got a lot more complicated. They’ll travel to Huntsville, TX to take on the winless Sam Houston State Bearkats on Wednesday, October 18th at 7pm.