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Miami, Fla. | The FIU Panthers (3-3, 0-3 C-USA) hosted the UTEP Miners (1-5, 0-2 C-USA) in a Wednesday night conference matchup. UTEP beat FIU 40-6 in last year’s game, so the Panthers are looking for revenge tonight. To add more hype to this game, FIU debuted their nationally acclaimed “Vice U” Miami Vice-themed uniforms and field design tonight, sporting the iconic neon blue and pink colorway popularized in more recent years by the Miami Heat’s “City Edition” uniforms.
With injuries at QB, UTEP’s Cade McConnell (R-So.), who was the 4th-string QB at one point this season, made his first career start. McConnell started off FIRING, connecting on quick passes to WRs Jeremiah Ballard and Kelly Akharaiyi. RB Deion Hankins was a BOWLING BALL through the FIU defense on this opening drive, taking 7 carries for 37 yards and a TD.
On UTEP’s second drive, McConnell went DEEP on the first play to Akharaiyi for an 80-yard TD to stretch the Miners’ lead to 14-0.
FIU QB Keyone “Lyghtz Out” Jenkins (Fr.) and the Panthers offense struggled initially but seemed to bounce back on their next drive. RB Shomari Lawrence skirted through for a 25-yard gain and Jenkins hit WR Rocky Beers (can Coors Light get him an NIL deal?) for 16 yards. Lawrence rushed for 7 to set up a manageable 3rd & 3, but UTEP S Tyler Williams stuffed him the next time to force 4th down, and on 4th & 2, Jenkins was SACKED by S Kobe Hylton.
McConnell went right back to work, taking a DEEP SHOT to Ballard for a 50-yard gain! And on a sprint-out to his right, McConnell found Akharaiyi in the back corner of the endzone for his 2nd TD of the game. UTEP led FIU 21-0 with 3:28 remaining in the 1st quarter. McConnell started off 5-5 for 175 yards and 2 TDs. Big kudos to UTEP’s Offensive Coordinator Scotty Ohara, who caught FIU completely off-guard with his aggressiveness (especially considering the QB situation).
Things didn’t look much better for FIU on their next drive either… RB Kejon Owens rushed up the middle for 11 yards to pick up a much-needed first down but UTEP DE Kanious Vaughn sacked Jenkins on 3rd & 8 to force another punt. Jenkins finished the 1st quarter of action at a measly 2-6 for 33 yards.
When faced with the chance to go up by 4 TDs, UTEP’s McConnell scrambled and had his helmet knocked off on a sack by DB Jamal Potts and DL Jack Daly. On 3rd & 11, with McConnell having to come off for a play, backup QB Kevin Hurley stepped in and launched a 40-yard BOMB to Akharaiyi that made it seem like the Miners could dig themselves out of every hole tonight.
The FIU defense finally made a stop, with DB Adrian Cole making a big TFL on Akharaiyi in the flats to force 4th down. Note that UTEP STILL had 100% completion through the air at this point. The Panthers forced a UTEP three-and-out on their next drive, and Owens sparked the FIU offense with rushes for 9 and 8 yards, respectively. Jenkins followed with an impressive scramble to his right, slinging it to WR Dean Patterson for a 34-yard gain. Jenkins then hit WR Jalen Bracey on a quick smoke, who broke a tackle to pick up 7 yards and the first down. Owens picked up 14 and 8 yards on tough runs through the teeth of the Miners’ front, and Owens finally put FIU on the board with a feisty 11-yard off-tackle run, stiff-arming a UTEP defender before reaching the endzone. A must-needed score to cut the deficit to 21-7.
The Miners responded with DOMINANT RB Torrance Burgess Jr. runs for 14 and 29 yards, the latter of which saw Burgess Jr. stumbling and placing his hand on the ground to keep his balance. The UTEP offense was not letting up easily, especially after their defense had surrendered their first score of the game. After Burgess Jr. runs of 5 and 4 yards, UTEP went to power back Hankins on 3rd & Short to convert another first down. With UTEP knocking on the door in the redzone, FIU LB Donovan Manuel came up with a huge TFL to stuff Burgess Jr. in the backfield for a loss of 3. On 3rd & 9 from the 17, a botched exchange led to a Daly TFL. Freshman K/P Buzz Flabiano chipped in a 37-yard FG to extend the lead to 24-7. Buzz was flagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after drilling the kick… What a name. What energy coming from a freshman kicker. Have to wonder what kind of trash talk spewed out of Buzz’s mouth that caused the flag…
With 0:59 remaining in the half, Lyghtz Out looked to pass but was sacked by DE Maurice Westmoreland for a loss of 12 yards, effectively ending the two-minute drill attempt. But fear not, FIU gets the ball to start the 2nd half… Bracey returns the kickoff to the FIU 16-yard line, and Jenkins and Lawrence fumble on the handoff exchange for a loss of 5 to set up 3rd & 15. Jenkins bounced back with a DART down the seam to TE Josiah Miamen for a HUGE 38-yard gain. Next play, Jenkins fired it deep to the left, connecting with WR Kris Mitchell for 29 yards. Creeping into the redzone, Jenkins found WR Eric Rivers on a back shoulder fade for 19 yards to set up FIU on the UTEP 1-yard line. Jenkins punched it in on the QB sneak, scoring his 4th rushing TD in 4 consecutive games. FIU now trailed 24-14.
On a gutsy call from Coach MacIntyre, FIU hit UTEP with a surprise onside kick that was recovered by LB Avery Huff! Lyghtz Out was back in action again, but a holding penalty put the Panthers at a 1st & 20. Jenkins and Lawrence gained enough back to set up 4th & 6, but turned it over on downs after a LB Tyrice Knight tackle, short of the marker, on a QB draw call.
On the following drive, LB Reggie Peterson sacked McConnell to force a 3rd & 12, and Cole almost picked off a floating hole shot but collided with another Panther to force a punt. Owens gashed through the Miners defense again with gains of 7 and 9, but Jenkins was sacked by DE Praise Amaewhule. This sack officially earned Amaewhule the UTEP all-time sacks record!
At the start of the 4th quarter, UTEP was in the redzone once again, but on 4th & 1, Flabiano pushed a 33-yard FG attempt wide right to keep FIU within 10.
After trading a few punts, Jenkins connected with Kris Mitchell for 13 yards, but followed with a costly interception on a deep pass to CB Torey Richardson. Richardson and his teammates proceeded to celebrate beside the “Vice U” Lamborghini on the sideline. Hard to hate on such a cool team celebration.
Burgess Jr. continued his dominance on the ground with a 17-yard gain, and McConnell hit Akharaiyi over the middle for 44 yards. Akharaiyi finished the game with a career-high 8 catches for 223 yards and 2 TDs. Absolutely dominant performance. FIU held strong in the redzone, holding UTEP to a 20-yard Flabiano FG to make it 27-14.
FINAL SCORE: UTEP beats FIU 27-14
GAME TAKEAWAYS:
FIU: The Panthers have some soul-searching to do. The run game was effective, making us wonder why they didn’t rely on it more. Owens finished with 10 carries for 82 yards and Lawrence had 12 carries for 65 yards; 8.2 and 5.4 YPC respectively. Jenkins struggled to find his rhythm, finishing 12-24 with 216 yards and an INT. FIU went 2-10 on 3rd down conversions, lost 47 yards on 6 sacks, and fumbled 4 times (albeit only losing possession on 1). FIU needs to work their quick passing game more, as the young Jenkins was contained by the defensive line when attempting to scramble and often held the ball too long, taking unnecessary sacks. Lyghtz Out is a playmaker, though, and there’s no doubt he’ll bounce back. The vibe of this game is simply that FIU completely underestimated this UTEP team without their starting QB. Plain and simple. You cannot take any opponent for granted, especially a conference opponent. FIU is still looking for its first conference win.
UTEP: The Miners earned their first conference win this season and their FIRST WIN EVER in the State of Florida. UTEP showed that they will not lay down when playing against FIU with Akharaiyi and Amaewhule having career days. McConnell and Co. came out and DOMINATED. Burgess Jr. and Hankins started off incredibly on the ground and got out ahead early on, making an FIU comeback seem insurmountable. A lot of credit is due to OC Ohara for remaining aggressive in spite of his QB situation, including the play where Hurley came in for McConnell and chucked it deep. FIU didn’t have an answer on either side of the ball the entire night, and the box score doesn’t adequately reflect the Miners’ performance as they played more conservatively in the 2nd half to preserve their lead.
