Offensive Woes for FIU Football Continue, Fall to NM State

LAS CRUCES, NM – After suffering an ugly loss against the Liberty Flames the week prior, the FIU Panthers looked to introduce themselves to Wednesday night football with a potential road win over the New Mexico State Aggies.

However, a lot of what FIU struggled to do against the Flames reared its ugly head against the Aggies, with their biggest problem being the inability to score in the second half – a trend that’s now affected the Panthers in five of their six games so far this season.

While the first half of football was as even a game as you could have, the second half was dominated by NM State on offense and defense, leading to a 34-17 loss for the 3-3 Panthers.

What Looked Like A Battle For The Ages

The first half of football was deadlocked between FIU and the Aggies. Quarterback Keyone Jenkins had success in his second drive of the game with a 14-yard run and an eventual 40-yard bomb to Kris Mitchell, ultimately running into the end zone for their first points.

Unfortunately, FIU’s second drive was gambled away from a decision to go for it on fourth down in the red zone instead of kicking a field goal, which they didn’t convert.

But don’t kid yourself, the game was defined by defense, as both teams were forced to punt six times in total with two additional turnovers as well.

Down 14-7, defensive back CJ Christian picked off Aggies quarterback Diego Pavia to give some momentum to the offense.

While Jenkins happened to be sacked on third down on their ensuing drive, a penalty call on an excessive celebration from the defender kept the drive alive.

The rest of that offensive possession was smooth sailing for FIU as running back Kejon Owens took control with a 36-yard sprint, ultimately setting up Jenkins for his second rushing touchdown of the game, tying up the game at 14-14 heading into halftime.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This Before

FIU’s offense struggled in the second half.

To be fair, their first drive out of halftime did include a nice 21-yard snag by wide receiver Dean Patterson and was capped off with a 41-yard field goal by kicker Chase Gabriel to tie it up at 17-17.

The Aggies got on a roll, however, scoring 14 unanswered points following a Panthers punt to extend their lead to 31-17. Both drives combined only took seven plays and less than three minutes, as Pavia began to throw dimes along with running all over the field like the dual-threat QB he is.

In the fourth quarter, Jenkins looked to have his best drive as a Panthers with three straight double-digit completions to tight end Jackson McDonald, Mitchell, and wide receiver Eric Rivers.

On what was a must-score possession to keep the game in reach, the first pass in the end zone was tipped and intercepted, allocating zero points for FIU and earning the Aggies their first interception of the season.

The Panthers’ offense never recovered, as the offensive line was subpar and gave up four sacks on Jenkins. He didn’t have much time in the pocket to scan the field and was either forced to throw quick passes for minimal gain or keep the ball and run for it – also for minimal gain.

One more field goal by the Aggies produced the final score of the game – 34-17. On FIU’s final drive, Jenkins suffered a late hit to the helmet by a New Mexico State defender as he was sliding, leaving him on the ground with a potential concussion and out of the game.

What was initially called targeting, the penalty was reversed after it was deemed that the defender aimed with his shoulder instead of the crown of the helmet. Nonetheless, it was an unnecessary hit late in the game that the FIU team did not appreciate.

Final Thoughts From Las Cruces

What we’re seeing from this FIU squad in the second half specifically is just not good enough.

The offense had no rhythm, could not find the correct playcalling for the situation, and had their quarterback (Who finished with 258 yards, 25 completions, 2 interceptions, and no touchdown passes) sacked the most times in a single game.

As a result of three-and-outs, the defense had to spend the majority of the second half on the field, adding fatigue and negating the prior success they had in the first half and the Aggies ran all over them and threw into wide-open spaces.

It’s the same story against LA Tech, UConn, and Liberty.

Regardless, the Panthers are 3-3 with six games to go. They have to win at least three more games to be considered bowl-eligible.

Put on your shades, as it’s Vice Week for FIU as they’ll head back home and host the 1-5 UTEP Miners on Wednesday, October 11th at 7:30pm, with the introduction of their all-black vice uniforms.