MIAMI (Nov. 7, 2015) -- Heavy favorites going into Saturday's game against FBS rookie Charlotte and with Conference USA stalwarts on deck, FIU took care of business with a 48-31 win over the 49ers.

The victory moved FIU (5-5, 3-3 Conference USA) one win away from becoming bowl-eligible. The Panthers need to either defeat Marshall in West Virginia next week or Western Kentucky at FIU Stadium on Nov. 21 to close the regular season to get to the necessary six wins. The 49ers are now 2-7 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
 
FIU wasted no time taking control of the game racing out to a 21-7 lead. Kenyatta Anderson opened the scoring for the Panthers, blocking Arthur Hart's punt at the Charlotte 23. The ball rolled into the end zone where Anderson fell on top of it for the touchdown.
 
Charlotte quarterback Lee McNeill connected with Austin Duke on a 29-yard touchdown to tie the score with 9:49 left in the first quarter.
 
FIU receiver Clinton Taylor, who had a career day with nine catches for 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns, put the Panthers back on top with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Alex McGough. Alex Gardner followed up with a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.
 
FIU answered the 49ers' first touchdown with 27 unanswered points to essentially end the game right before halftime.
 
Taylor caught his second touchdown pass of the game from McGough – a 24-yard strike – with 56 seconds left in the second quarter. On the very next play, the 49ers didn't pick up the FIU kickoff so Panthers safety Deonte Wilson scooped up the free football at the Charlotte 9 with 49 seconds left in the first half.
 
Gardner found an open lane on the first play after the kickoff and scored from 9 yards out to make it 34-7, FIU.
 
The 49ers got a bit of a lift as time expired in the first half. Kicker Blake Brewer nailed a 56-yard field goal – the longest in FIU Stadium history. Brewer broke the FIU Stadium field goal record of 52 yards shared by current FIU kicker Austin Taylor and former FIU kicker Adam Moss.
 
FIU safety Niko Gonzalez added to the Panthers scoring with a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter. It was Gonzalez' second interception of the season.
 
Receiver Thomas Owens caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season in the fourth quarter. The 2-yard touchdown reception tied Owens with tight end Jonnu Smith for the FIU single-season receiving touchdown record. Smith broke the record last season. It was previously held by former FIU receivers T.Y. Hilton and Cory McKinney.
 
FIU defensive end Michael Wakefield tied a single-game FIU program record with four sacks Saturday. Wakefield tied Antwan Barnes and Audric Adger. Barnes had four sacks against Middle Tennessee in 2006 and Adger recorded four sacks against North Texas in the final game played in the Orange Bowl in 2007.
 
The Panthers had seven sacks against the 49ers, which tied the second most sacks in a game for an FIU team. The seven sacks tied the mark held by the 2010 FIU defense that had seven sacks against Louisiana. The FIU program single-game team sacks record is eight set by the 2002 inaugural FIU squad against Butler.