FIU Football Stuns SHSU in Double OT Thanks To Late Game Theatrics

HUNTSVILLE, TX – As mentioned in our pregame show, FIU’s contest against the winless Sam Houston State Bearkats was essentially a must-win game for the Panthers if they had any shot at a bowl game. True enough, FIU began as the aggressor, but self-made miscues and a hungry SHSU squad meant that they clawed their way back, with them and the Panthers ultimately settling for overtime in a low-scoring, defense-based affair. The same mistakes we’ve seen every now and them from the Panthers – from the secondary giving up chunk plays, to the offense struggling in the second half of action – reared its ugly head. But we saw another side of FIU at the end of the fourth quarter – the ability to perform in the clutch. Indeed, Keyone Jenkins and the Panthers offense had the drive of the season with less than two minutes to go to send this game into overtime. As a result, the fireworks of double overtime turned this game into an instant classic with the Panthers coming out on top by a score of 33-27 that left the Bearkats faithful stunned. What Started As Any Other Football Game …Turned out to be a masterpiece. But before it got there, the Panthers and Bearkats were contested in a back and forth game that was tied 10-10 at halftime. For FIU, their passing game was defined by failed screen passes and a bunch of incompletions, but their running game led by Kejon Owens and Shomari Lawrence led the way, with the latter earning the first touchdown on the night. Shomari pushin’ the 🅿️ile to get us into the end zone before halftime 💥 pic.twitter.com/RCkpD33nfy — FIU Football (@FIUFootball) October 19, 2023 Sam Houston State, on the other hand, turned to midfield chunk plays that the FIU secondary struggled to maintain at first. Granted, a Reggie Peterson early on was a nice sighting, even if it led to a fake field goal attempt that kept the game scoreless. Still, the Bearkats found success with Elijah Sohn, and as the broadcasters mentioned, a former swimmer was finding open grass all night, including in the back of the end zone for their first touchdown of the day. A Wild Ending Close To H-Town As both teams battled it out in the second half, it looked like we were due for a shootout after a back-to-back scores by both teams, featuring a 13-yard scramble by Owens to the end zone and a 17-17 score. But after that? Four straight punts, leading to a drive by FIU looking for an answer, but instead, a very unfortunate fumble by Jenkins as he was getting ready to pass, which was recovered by the Bearkats setting them up with phenomenal field positioning. Give credit to FIU’s defense in the second as they adjusted and shut down Sam Houston State, making them settle for a field goal, but still giving them a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes to go. The Panthers final offensive drive in regulation was nothing short of magical, with big time place for FIU and big time mistakes by the Bearkats. What began with two sacks and an incompletion resulted in a 4th and 18. As Jenkins fell back to throw, Sam Houston sent their whole secondary back to cover a deep pass. With nothing but open grass in front of him, Jenkins took off on his own and ran 22-yard for a remarkable first down. The drive continued, and ultimately Chase Gabriel nailed a 36-yard field goal to tie the game and send it to regulation. It Only Gets Crazier From Here Into overtime we go. The Panthers defense didn’t quite get the memo, however, as one play turned into a TD for SHSU. FIU took a while to get going on their turn with the ball, but a couple of Brotherly Shoves near the goal line secured a TD of their own, forcing double overtime. The Panthers must have taken a page from Sam Houston’s playbook, as it only took them one play to score as well. They did fail the mandatory two-point conversion, but it was up to the defense to close this game out. And indeed they did. A pair of sacks by Jack Daly and the FIU defense sealed the game with 33-27 victory for the road team. A crazy ending to a crazy game, as FIU wins their second road game of the season and snaps a three-game skid. Jenkins finishes up with 190 yards off of 26 completions, with a single passing touchdown and no interceptions. Kris Mitchell had another solid game with 75 receiving yards and a touchdown in double overtime. On defense, Peterson led the charge with 10 total tackles and the only interception of the game. FIU now stands with a 4-4 record, having already matched their win total from last season. They’re also two win away from playing in a bowl game, but they have tough competition ahead of them. They’ll head home to take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Wednesday, October 25th at 7pm.