Panthers Inconsistent on Offense Despite Win Over Sharks

MIAMI, FL – The FIU Panthers finished their non-conference slate at 2-2 and extended their home winning streak to four games. Defensively, they were dominant in a game that was closer than expected. Despite the 20-3 win over the LIU Sharks, the Panthers had inconsistent plays on offense, which need to be cleaned up.

“I won’t apologize for a win, but once again, we didn’t play our best football, particularly on offense,” said Willie Simmons. “Too many self-inflicted negatives and a string of penalties and missed executions that kept us from having the type of offensive day that we probably needed moving forward, to give ourselves some confidence.”

FIU Keeps it Close

On its opening drive, the Panthers were firing on all cylinders until JJ Kohl’s pass was intercepted at LIU’s 21-yard line. Kohl redeemed himself with 5:30 left in the first quarter. He dropped back and connected with Tyson Carter downfield for 48 yards. For Carter, this was his first collegiate touchdown.

On the following drive, FIU was poised to make another trip to the end zone after being given great field position. Instead, Kohl took a sack for a loss on 3rd & 5 and then, Robert Czeremcha missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. After the Sharks missed their own field goal, FIU surprisingly took a slim 11-point lead at halftime.

Full highlights from last night’s W fresh off the press 🗞️ pic.twitter.com/qGx1SIJBi8

— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) September 27, 2026

Defense Proves Their Case

Kenton Simmons finished with four tackles (3 TFLs) and two sacks. Wesley Miller had five tackles (3 solo) and a pass deflection. Percy Courtney Jr. had five tackles. Deejay Holmes Jr. recorded a tackle, sack, and pass deflection. Ryan Gadson blocked a punt on special teams in the third quarter.

DeeJay has a sack in EVERY game this season 🔥@fiveblock_ https://t.co/zoyMl8aXKD pic.twitter.com/3CABlyxiQF

— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) September 27, 2026

“Defensively, it was another stellar performance by those guys,” said Simmons. “A couple of busts there, but all in all, those guys did a really good job.”

Offense Still Not There

Kohl threw for just 135 yards on six completions with a touchdown and an interception. Marker made his first game appearance since August 28, 2025, and he went 6-for-10 for 92 yards. “My goal going in was just providing a little bit of a spark for the offense,” said Marker. I tried not to do too much, play within the game plan…just did my job. That’s really what I did out there; I didn’t do anything special. I got the guys involved; they made plays for me. I didn’t do anything more than I wasn’t capable of.”

The Panthers looked better on the ground, racking up a season-high of 167 yards. Carrie had 71 yards on 14 carries, Devonte Lyons rushed for 36 yards on 10 carries, and Sterling Joseph ran for 25 yards on five attempts. Meanwhile, both Nate Henry (2 carries, 15 yards) and Jayden Ford (1 carry, 11 yards) made their debuts in the final quarter.

FIU wins 20-3

The Panthers were efficient on 3rd down (9/14) and averaged 6.6 yards per play but they did not win by as many points as most expected. Penalties were still an issue. FIU’s running game did start to find more of a rhythm in the second half, totaling 167 yards. pic.twitter.com/kExK5JvQO7

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) September 27, 2026

Next Up

FIU has a much-needed bye week to get back to the drawing board and fix its mistakes before they host New Mexico State for Vice Night on Wednesday, October 7.

“With the bye week coming up, I got to get back to the basics, said Simmons. “It’s a great time to really look at us, what we’ve done the first four weeks; what we’re good at, what we need to improve upon. Personnel: make sure we got the right guys on the field, and we got to fix some things obviously because next time we take the field, the Conference USA championship is at stake. We need to make sure we clean those things up. Continue to play well on defense, be sound on special teams, and offensively, we have to consistently put drives together and do the right thing.”

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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