MIAMI (Oct. 2, 2014)—After nearly a two hour weather delay at half time, the FIU football team (3-3, 2-0 C-USA) handed the Florida Atlantic Owls a convincing, 38-10, loss, putting the Shula Bowl Trophy back in the Panthers' possession for the first time since 2012. Redshirt junior Richard Leonard and Florida Atlantic's Lucky Whitehead were named the MVP's of the game.
 
Leonard had a career game, finishing with a 100-yard run-back and an interception in the end zone, along with four pass break-ups. The defensive unit ended the game with four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception), totaling 21 which currently leads the nation heading into Saturday's match-ups.
 
Freshman quarterback Alex McGough finished the night 18-of-29 for 160 yards. Freshman running back Alex Gardner rushed for 100 yards, with a long of 24 yards in the first quarter. Redshirt junior Anthon Samuel had two scores in the game.
 
The Owls converted a 26-yard field goal with 10:28 to play in the first quarter for the night's first score. On third and seven from the Panthers' nine-yard line, pressure from sophomore Treyvon Williams on the Owls' quarterback, Jaquez Johnson, forced a bad throw that Leonard nearly picked off in the end zone.
 
McGough responded with a seven play, 70-yard drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Rolling to his right on first and 10, he connected with sophomore Jonnu Smith for 13 yards. Gardner found a hole on the following play and broke loose for a 24-yard rush. It's the first rushing touchdown of his career.
 
On the first drive of the second quarter, junior Denzell Perine sacked Johnson for a loss of five yards. Junior Lars Koht recovered the fumble, as FIU took over on the Owls' 18-yard line. A 12-yard pass from McGough to Gardner on third and six placed the Panthers at Florida Atlantic's two-yard line. On fourth and goal from the one-yard line, redshirt junior Anthon Samuel punched it in, as FIU took a 14-3 lead.
 
After the Owls made it 14-10, junior Michael Wakefield forced a fumble in the red zone, marking the 12^th fumble the Panthers' defense has forced this season.
Following a one hour and fifty minute weather delay, sophomore Austin Taylor converted a 37-yard field goal. A 23-yard rush from Gardner took the Panthers to the Owls' 26. McGough then completed a six-yard pass to junior Fred Porter to set up Taylor.
 
The Panthers followed with their second red zone stop of the game on Florida Atlantic's ensuing drive. With the Owls driving at the Panthers' 14-yard line, Leonard had a 100-yard run-back on a fumble forced by sophomore Jordan Davis. It's the second 100-yard return for Leonard versus the Owls in his career.
 
McGough capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard rush in the fourth quarter. Big gains by Gardner (12 yards) and Smith (18 yards) helped set the Panthers up on the Owls' one-yard line for the touchdown. One final score for the Panthers resulted in the 38-10 final. Starting at Florida Atlantic's 41-yard line, a nine-yard rush by Samuel completed a 41-drive, which spanned seven plays. Samuel also had an 11-yard rush during the drive.
 
FIU will face its second road test of the season next week, as the Panthers travel to San Antonio, Texas to take on the UTSA Roadrunners. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
 
For FIU football ticket information, log onto www.FIUSports.com or contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
 
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.