NORFOLK, Va. (Nov. 8, 2014) – A 28-yard field goal by Old Dominion's Satchel Ziffer as time expired handed the FIU football team (3-7, 2-4 C-USA) a 38-35 loss on Saturday evening at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Va.

ODU (4-6, 2-4 C-USA) trailed 35-28 late in the fourth quarter, but scored 10 points in the final five minutes to come away with the three-point victory.

Redshirt junior Anthon Samuel notched his first 100-yard game as a Panther, rushing for 137 yards on 25 carries, including one touchdown. Freshman Napoleon Maxwell accounted for 70 yards on 14 carries, while freshman quarterback Alex McGough rushed for 49 yards on 16 carries, including one touchdown. On the ground, FIU rushed 55 times for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

Through the air, McGough completed 8-of-13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The Tampa, Fla., native connected on touchdowns with Maxwell for 57 yards and sophomore Jonnu Smith for seven.

Defensively, the Panthers were led by sophomore Jordan Davis, who tallied 11 tackles (10 solo). The FIU defense recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss paced by junior Michael Wakefield, who registered two sacks on the night.  

FIU took a 7-0 lead with 4:10 left in the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown run by McGough. The score capped off a 16-play, 80-yard which ate up 8:19. The rushing touchdown was the fourth of the season for the first-year quarterback.

ODU tied it up with a one-yard touchdown run by Taylor Heinicke with 24 seconds left in the first. The Monarchs drove 78 yards on 11 plays on a drive that lasted 3:40.  The Monarchs took a 14-7 lead with 11:23 left in the first half, following a 34-yard touchdown run by Ray Lawry. Old Dominion extended its lead to 21-7, driving 99 yards on five plays. Heinicke connected with Antonio Vaughn for 74 yards to give ODU a 14-point cushion with 1:44 left in the half.

FIU responded with a scoring drive of its own going 53 yards on eight plays resulting in a 38-yard field goal by Austin Taylor. The field goal cut the deficit to 21-10 as the Panthers headed into halftime.

FIU struck quickly at the start of the second half, as McGough found Maxwell for 57 yards and a Panther touchdown. The score completed a four-play, 69-yard drive that lasted 2:07, to make the score 21-17 in favor of the Monarchs with 12:47 left in the third quarter. The touchdown reception was the first of Maxwell's career.
 
The Panthers regained the lead 24-21 with a seven-yard touchdown pass from McGough to Smith with 5:35 left in the third. On the ensuing drive, redshirt junior Richard Leonard recorded the team's nation-leading 17^th fumble recovery, setting up a 41-yard field goal by Taylor to give FIU a 27-21 lead with 3:00 left in the third.  

ODU took a 28-27 lead following a one-yard touchdown pass by Heinicke to Zach Pascal with 58 seconds left in the third.

Samuel notched his fourth rushing touchdown of the season with a 26-yard scamper with 13:17 left in the game. The TD tied Samuel with McGough for the team lead in rushing touchdowns. Following a successful two-point conversion attempt, the Panthers took a 35-28 lead.

Following a two-yard touchdown run with 1:05 left in the game by Lawry that tied the game at 35-35, ODU forced its first turnover of the game, intercepting a tipped pass. The interception set up what would be the go-ahead field goal.

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FIU returns home to face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the American Sports Network.
 
The game will be broadcast live on 1210AM with Mike Levine (play-by-play) and Pete Pelegrin (color analyst) calling all of the action.
 
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/.