Panthers Extend Losing Streak Against Liberty

Liberty Takes Control Early

From the opening kickoff, the Flames took control and scored the first 42 points. After forcing FIU to punt, they capitalized on short field position. Liberty scored their first touchdown on three plays. Jaylon Coleman ran for a 14-yard touchdown, giving his team a 7-0 lead.

On its next possession, the Panthers moved the ball downfield.  JJ Kohl connected with Kyle McNeal on a 33-yard pass. However, despite being in scoring position, the drive went nowhere after Robert Czeremcha’s 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

FIU’s defense provided momentum when Shamir Sterlin recorded his first interception of the season in the opening quarter. The Panthers held possession at their own 40-yard line. Despite the opportunity to tie the game, they couldn’t capitalize. FIU appeared to break through when Kohl connected with Tyson Carter for a touchdown, but offsetting penalties wiped it away.

The Flames took advantage in the second quarter, scoring 21 points. Kam Davis rushed a three-yard touchdown, finishing an 81-yard drive. Ethan Vasko then rushed in a one-yard touchdown. Davis found the end zone later in the quarter again with a two-yard score with 41 seconds left. It capped off a six-play, 39-yard drive, sending the Flames into halftime with a commanding 28-0 lead.

They put together a 14-play, 54-yard drive and it ended with Czeremcha making a 38-yard field goal. The Flames followed up with a touchdown, as Kanye Udoh scored on a one-yard play, making it 49-3. The Panthers later scored their only touchdown. Kohl led a six-play, 72-yard drive, finishing with a 14-yard pass to Jojo Stone, bringing the final score to 49-10.

Final Stats

Kohl completed 21 of 34 passes for 164 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. McNeal led the wide receiving unit with six catches for 56 yards. Maguire Anderson had five receptions for 28 yards. Devonte Lyons led the ground game with 52 yards.

Despite playing its worst game of the season, FIU’s defense had a few great numbers. DeAndre Boykins, Demetrius Hill, and Da’Vontae Floyd each had eight tackles. Sterlin had seven tackles and a pick.

The statistics clearly showed Liberty with the advantage all afternoon. They outgained FIU 391-210 in total offense, including a 145-34 advantage on the ground. The Flames had 24 first downs compared to the Panthers’ 15 and converted on five of their eight third-down situations. Meanwhile, FIU went just two-for-10 on third down.

The Panthers failed to deliver a complete performance yet again and only showed that both sides of the ball need improvement. This was FIU’s third straight loss in CUSA play, dropping them to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Meanwhile, Liberty is on a seven-game winning streak, improving to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in Conference USA.

Up Next

FIU returns home to play against the Missouri State Bears on Saturday, November 7 at 4 pm. The Panthers find themselves in familiar territory. After starting 3-3 last season, the Panthers dropped two straight games before winning their last four regular season contests. Now, FIU can only win its next four games to finish 7-5.

“That team last year made a decision to come together, play better football, and commit to playing winning ball in November,” said Willie Simmons. “We had a November for the ages. Got to find a way to duplicate that, but we can’t think about four games until we think about the next one.”

About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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