Box Score
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Photo by Geoff Anderson
Rashod Smith rumbles
for a 27-yard gain, and then the Golden
Panthers are awarded half the distance
to the goal on a face mask penalty.
Three playes later, Smith would score
on a three-yard run--FIU's only touchdown--during
a 21-10 loss at Troy State.
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Playing up to the level of their opponent,
the FIU Football team hung tough against I-A
Troy State, Saturday afternoon. But in the
end, it was the Trojans who pleased their
Homecoming crowd of 19,417 fans, with a 21-10
victory in Troy, Ala.
The loss dropped the Golden Panthers to 0-7
on the season. Troy State improved to 4-3
and pushed its all-time Homecoming record
to 40-20-2. The win also pushed the Trojans
record to 10-0 against I-AA opponents since
moving to Division I-A in 2001.
Quarterback Josh Padrick
completed 17 of 31 passes for 212 yards and
running Rashod Smith came
off the bench, accounting for 107 yards of
total offense on 54 rushing yards and 53 more
on four catches.
Down 14-3 at the half, FIU got to within
14-10 on a three-yard Smith run. Troy State
took the second half kickoff but on a third-and-three
from their own 30, Trojans’ quarterback
Aaron Leak’s pass was
picked off by Gerrod Bodie,
starting FIU’s scoring drive.
At the TSU 40, Padrick found Smith on a swing
pass that the running back took for 27 yards
to the 13. A facemask penalty moved the ball
to the seven, for a first and goal. Three
plays later, Smith ran it in for the score.
But the momentum didn’t last long as
Troy State took the ensuing kickoff and in
nine plays, went 80 yards for a touchdown
and the final margin of victory, culminating
with a one-yard dive over the top by DeWhitt
Betterson, who finished with a career
high 154 yards rushing on 34 carries.
FIU put itself in position to close the deficit,
twice, but came away both times without any
points.
Photo by Geoff Anderson
Quarterback Josh
Padrick takes off for the goal line
on a third-and-goal situation from the
nine-yard line. Padrick tumbled into
the end zone but referees said he was
stopped short.
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After Betterson’s touchdown, Padrick
marched the Golden Panthers from their own
23 down to the Troy State nine. On a third-and-goal
play, the redshirt freshman quarterback eluded
tacklers and raced toward the goal line. He
was hit at the one and rolled into the end
zone, but was ruled down at the one.
“I think I got in. What the referee
told me was my feet got in but ball didn’t,”
said Padrick.
Shaken up, David Tabor called
signals for a fourth-and-goal from the one
play, but a TSU defender deflected his play
action pass and the drive died.
Deep in their own territory, the Trojans
went three and out, giving FIU excellent field
position again, this time at the TSU 49. Padrick
found Cory McKinney for a
16-yard pickup down to the 32, but that’s
all FIU could muster. On a fourth-and-five
from the 27, kicker Adam Moss’
44-yard field goal attempt went just wide
left.
As has been the case throughout the entire
season, FIU dug itself an early hole when
Troy State went 60 yards on its opening drive
on nine plays, capped off by a six-yard touchdown
run by Betterson.
The two teams traded fumbles on their next
series. First, FIU’s Diamos
Demerritt coughed up the ball to
the Trojans at the FIU 46. But three plays
later, TSU Leak returned the favor when the
Golden Panthers Everett Baker
sacked him for a seven-yard loss and Nick
Carreño recovered the loose
ball.
Troy State made it 14-0, on the first play
into the second quarter when Leak found tight
end Adrian Moore alone in
the end zone on a 25-yard toss. But FIU came
right back.
After a short kick started the drive at its
own 30, Smith broke free for a 29-yard run,
followed by a 20-yard completion from Padrick
to McKinney. The drive stalled at the Troy
State 16, but Moss booted his sixth field
goal of the year, from 34 yards out, putting
the Golden Panthers on the scoreboard.
TSU led at the half, 14-3.
FIU allowed 424 yards of total offense to
Troy State as the Trojans gained 221 yards
rushing and 220 yards in the air. Linebacker
Lance Preston led the defense
with 15 tackles while John Haritan
recorded 14 stops. The Golden Panthers forced
six TSU fumbles, a season high, but only one
of the fumbles resulted in a turnover.
“We had opportunities but we didn’t
make the plays,” said FIU head coach
Don Strock. “Offensively,
we had guys open but we couldn’t block
them when we went into our spread offense.
We couldn’t block their defensive ends
so we had to go to a two tight end set and
throw the ball from that. We’re just
too soft at the offensive line right now.
“We did some good things, but we didn’t
take advantage of opportunities. You have
to convert opportunities on the road,”
he said.
FIU’s Tim Dierks missed the second
half of the game after suffering a left medial
collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and McKinney
sprained his left shoulder late in the second
half. Both injuries will be re-evaluated,
Sunday.
The Golden Panthers return to the field next
Saturday, Oct. 25 for its Homecoming game
against Holy Cross at FIU Stadium. The game
will be televised live by WTVJ, NBC 6 in Miami
and will kickoff at 10:00 a.m. For tickets,
call the FIU Athletics Ticket Office at (305)
FIU-GAME in Miami-Dade, toll free at (866)
348-4263 or on-line at www.fiusports.com.
