Box Score
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Post-Game Reactions: Head Coach Mario Cristobal | QB Paul McCall | WR T.Y. Hilton | DB Jeremiah Weatherspoon
Final Statistics
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -Julian Reams rushed for three touchdowns to lead FIU to a 35-16 win over Toledo Saturday night.
Reams' first TD put the Golden Panthers (1-3) in front 14-13 in the second quarter. T.Y. Hilton returned the second half kickoff 55 yards, and on the next play, Reams ran 27 yards for his second score to put FlU ahead to stay, 21-16.
Reams finished with 75 yards on 19 carries. Hilton caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Toledo (1-3) jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led 16-14 at the half, but couldn't score after the break. They outgained FIU total offense, 302 yards to 239, but gave up four turnovers, three of which led to Golden Panther touchdowns.
Toledo's Morgan Williams gained 98 yards on 25 attempts, while Nick Moore caught nine passes for 65 yards.
FIU opens its Sun Belt Conference schedule next Saturday, October 4, when the Golden Panthers travel to Denton, Texas, and take on the North Texas Mean Green. The game will be televised live on ESPN+ as part of the SBC television package and can be seen in the South Florida area on Comcast SportsSoutheast. |
Post-Game Notes
Game Captains: Joe Alajajian, Anthony Gaitor, Jeremiah Weatherspoon, John Ellis.
T.Y. Hilton's 37-yard TD reception from Paul McCall was the first passing TD of the season for FIU. It was Hilton's second TD of the season (74-yard punt return at Kansas). The 6-play, 74-yard scoring drive was the team's longest of the campaign thus far.
Jonathan Faucher's second quarter forced and recovered fumble were the first of his intercollegiate career. It was FIU's fifth forced fumble of the season.
Julian Reams' 2-yard TD run was his second of the season and seventh of his career, tied him for third place on FIU's career list for Most Rushing TDs (with A'mod Ned).
FIU's 14-13 lead with 7:14 remaining in the second quarter was its first lead of the season. FIU's last road lead was 9-3 at the half in Jonesboro, Ark., against Arkansas State on November 3, 2007.
Julian Reams' second TD run of the game from 27 yards gave him 1,025 yards on his career and made him the third runner in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career. It is the second time that Reams had two TD runs in one game (vs. Bowling Green in Miami, 9/16/06), which was also the last time an FIU back rushed for two TDs in a single game.
Marshall McDuffie recorded his first career sack vs. QB Aaron Opelt at the Toledo five, setting up Reams' third rushing TD of the game (first time since Ben West vs. Florida Atlantic, 11/26/05).
A'mod Ned's 7-yard TD run was his first of the season and career eighth. This is the first game with four rushing TDs for FIU since November 19, 2005 at home vs. Western Kentucky.
The FIU defense shut out Toledo in the third quarter marking the third straight game that the Golden Panthers have not allowed an opponent to score a point for the first 15 minutes after the half.
Down 13-0 after one quarter, FIU climbed out of its biggest first-quarter deficit to win since trailing Middle Tennessee, 14-0, and winning a vacated 35-31 game on December 3, 2005.
The 35 total points scored were the most since 38 in a 38-19 win over North Texas on December 1, 2007 in the Orange Bowl.
The win was the first I-A road victory since November 5, 2005, a vacated 31-29 decision against Louisiana-Monroe. It was also the first non-conference victory since October 4, 2004, 31-24, at Stephen F. Austin (vacated). Tonight was the first non-conference FBS win in the history of the program.
