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Photo by Geoff Anderson FIU's Joe Struyf celebrates while kicker Adam Moss and holder David Tabor watch the game-winning field goal in FIU's 38-35 football victory over Western Kentucky, Saturday night.

Adam Moss' 36-yard field goal as time expired propelled FIU (3-6) to a 38-35 football victory over I-AA No. 23 Western Kentucky (6-5) Saturday night in Miami. It was the first FIU victory over the Hilltoppers in three tries.

After a four-yard Western Kentucky touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Haddix to Ross Cassity tied the game at 35 with 1:20 to play, FIU took over at its own 30. Consecutive pass completions from Josh Padrick to Chandler Williams for 28 and 21 yards put the Golden Panthers at the WKU 18 with 2.9 seconds to play.

Moss, who had converted nine of 10 field goal attempts on the season, nailed his fourth straight FG on the year and the Golden Panthers won for the second time in their last three games.

“This is a big difference from our first year (WKU defeated FIU, 56-7, on 10/12/02 in Bowling Green). You can see the progress that we've made,” said FIU head coach Don Strock. “Obviously, it's a huge win for us. After the North Texas game, I spoke with Adam Moss, he was feeling a little down because he missed a field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. And I said, ?You know, we're going to call on you again somewhere along the line.' And he certainly came through today. We have confidence in him.”

On the night, Padrick completed 22-of-36 pass attempts for 324 yards and a touchdown. It was the first 300-yard passing game for an FIU quarterback in two seasons since Padrick threw for 324 yards in a 22-19 overtime loss at Gardner-Webb on Nov. 15, 2003. He also ran for 25 yards on three carries, two of those for touchdowns.

Williams, with eight catches, had 129 yards in receptions, while A'mod Ned netted 79 yards on 20 carries and Ben West had 58 yards on nine rushes.

Photo by Sam Lewis Freshman A'mond Ned led the Golden Panthers with 79 yards rushing on 20 carries.

Western Kentucky, who saw its promising 2005 season end with four straight losses, was led by running back Lerron Moore's 181 yards on 27 carries. Haddix completed 11-of-14 passes with three touchdowns.

“I'm proud of the way the kids played,” Strock said. “We were patchwork all the way. I hope we'll be a little healthier next week. There are some guys playing out of position and we still hung in there and played with a lot of heart. One thing: The guys played hard for 60 minutes and that's what paid off in the end.”

In a see-saw battle, FIU grabbed a quick 7-0 lead on its first possession on a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Padrick completed four passes and used the running of Ned to set up a third-and-goal situation. Padrick put the first points on the scoreboard when he called his own number on a quarterback draw from three yards out.

Taking advantage of an FIU makeshift defense, the Hilltoppers drove down the field looking for a tie but failed on a fourth-and-one at the FIU two. The Golden Panthers gave it right back, however, when Ned fumbled the ball at the eight. It took Moore just two rushes, of three and five yards to go in for a touchdown and tie the game.

FIU jumped back out on top, 14-7, on its first possession of the second quarter on a Ned two-yard run, but back came the Hilltoppers on their next possession to tie it when Curtis Hamilton got behind the FIU defense and hauled in a 48-yard TD pass from Haddix.

Western Kentucky took a 21-14 lead into the intermission on a five-yard Haddix to Rannen Roberson pass.

FIU tied the game midway in the third quarter on its longest drive of the year, 88 yards, culminating in a one-yard Padrick run, but the lead was short-lived as the Hilltoppers recorded an 89-yard drive of their own, ending with a Moore five-yard TD run for a 28-21 advantage.

But the Golden Panthers tied it again just before the end of the third quarter on a West three-yard burst set up on a 27-yard hookup from Padrick to Williams.

FIU took the lead, 35-28 when Padrick found tight end Moses Hinton with an eight-yard scoring pass in the far corner of the end zone. Hinton, who replaced the injured Samuel Smith who left the game in the first quarter, finished with five receptions for 62 yards.

The Golden Panthers looked to have the game in hand in the waning minutes but for a 55-yard punt return by the Hilltoppers Dennis Mitchell that set WKU up at the FIU four-yard line with 2:51 left.

Two straight rushes into the line by Moore produced no gain, but on a third-and-goal, Haddix found Cassity for the tying touchdown.

“It doesn't get much more frustrating than this,” said a dejected Western Kentucky head coach David Elson. “We've analyzed it every which way. The main thing is our guys poured their hearts out. Their buckets are empty and they gave us everything they had tonight.”

The Golden Panthers now ready themselves for next Saturday's third annual Shula Bowl against Florida Atlantic at FIU Stadium. For tickets and information, call toll-free (866) FIU-GAME or (305) 348-4263 in Miami-Dade County.