Box Score
• Final
Statistics
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Photo by Geoff Anderson
Adam Moss kicks two
field goals, one for a school-record
52 yards, but FIU fails to hold another
lead and falls to McNeese State, 30-27. |
John Marino nailed a 48-yard
field goal with 3:25 seconds remaining, snapping
a 27-27 tie, in propelling McNeese State to
an amazing 30-27 come-from-behind victory
over FIU Saturday night in Miami.
Riding the arm of back-up quarterback Chris
Jones and the legs of running back
Chris Thomas, the Cowboys
erased a 24-0 second-quarter deficit to win
for the third time in seven games this season.
Jones, subbing for McNeese starting quarterback
Scott Pendarvis, completed
17-of-22 pass attempts for 251 yards and a
touchdown while Thomas, who had run for 247
total yards over the first six games of the
year, raced for 172 yards on the night and
one score.
Despite the early lead, FIU was outplayed
in every statistical category. McNeese led
in rushing yards, 224-77, passing yards, 286-204
and time of possession, nearly two-to-one.
FIU quarterback Josh Padrick
completed only 13-of-31 passes for 204 yards
and Rashod Smith was the
leading ground gainer for the Golden Panthers
with 72 yards on 19 carries.
Possibly the only bright spot of the night
came on a school-record 52-yard field goal
by Adam Moss, his eighth
straight of the season, which gave the Golden
Panthers a 27-7 lead with 6:53 to play in
the third quarter.
But the euphoria was short-lived as McNeese
scored 24 unanswered points to hand FIU (2-3)
its second-straight loss as the Golden Panthers
defense was forced to be on the field for
39:54 of the game.
"I thought we had run out of ways to
lose, but we found another one," said
FIU head coach Don Strock.
"We made some plays on defense and then
[McNeese State] decided they weren't going
to throw the ball but they ran the ball down
the field, whenever they felt like it."
FIU dominated play early, jumping out to
a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Golden Panthers cracked the scoreboard
first on a five-play drive, 70-yard drive
that went for 70 yards. Padrick started the
drive with a 27-yard completion to tight end
Samuel Smith and four plays
later, found Harold Leath
with a 10-yard scoring pass.
The FIU defense made the score 14-0 when
free safety Nick Turnbull
intercepted a Pendarvis pass and returned
it 25 yards for a score.
The Golden Panthers kept the pressure on
in the second quarter. A Moss 40-yard field
goal put FIU up 17-0 and then FIU blocked
a punt, which started an FIU drive at the
McNeese State 12. After a one-yard loss, Padrick
hit Chandler Williams for
13 yards, giving FIU a 24-0 advantage.
But as has been the case all too often for
FIU this season, the Golden Panthers could
not put the game away and McNeese State took
every advantage.
"I'm so proud of this group of players
and the coaching staff," said McNeese
State head coach Tommy Tate.
"This is something they we really needed
to have happen and hopefully, it will get
us going. We made a lot of mistakes tonight,
but we kept fighting and in the second half,
we turned things around. It was a great team
effort."
Meanwhile, for the second straight week,
FIU must try to regroup after failing to hold
a big lead. The Golden Panthers are back on
the road next weekend against Division I-A
New Mexico State of the Sun Belt Conference.
FIU returns home on Saturday, November 13
for Homecoming against I-AA No. 2-ranked Georgia
Southern. Call the FIU Ticket Office for information,
toll free at (866) FIU-GAME.
