BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Sept. 12, 2015) – FIU took pride in having the fifth-most takeaways in the nation last season. Indiana flipped the script on the Panthers on a chilly Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
 
The Hoosiers recovered a fumble and snared a late-game interception 96 yards to secure a 36-22 victory over the Panthers (1-1).
 
In the fourth quarter Indiana defensive end Nick Mangieri sacked FIU quarterback Alex McGough to force a fumble that linebacker Marcus Oliver recovered to set up the Hoosiers (2-0) with field position deep in FIU territory. On the next play quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Paige for the decisive touchdown. The score put IU ahead 29-22.
 
FIU nearly evened the score with less than five minutes left in the game. The Panthers drove to the Hoosiers two-yard line to set up a fourth-and-goal. On the ensuing play McGough rolled left but was hit by the IU pass rush as he went to throw the ball. McGough's throw hung in the air and was picked off by Jameel Cook, who returned the interception 96 yards to make it 36-22.
 
It was a night of firsts for FIU receivers.
 
With FIU down 19-14 early in the fourth quarter, Dennis Turner sped past a confused Hoosier defender  to haul in his first career FIU touchdown to put the Panthers ahead. Turner's 28-yard touchdown grab gave FIU a 20-19 lead. Alex Gardner breezed into the end zone on the two-point conversion to make it 22-19.
 
FIU led 14-13 at the half, but Sudfeld orchestrated an IU drive that resulted in the 1-yard touchdown run by the Hoosier quarterback with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
 
FIU opened the scoring near the end of the first quarter when McGough hit Thomas Owens with an out pass. Owens slipped past Indiana defensive back Kiante Walton's grasp and took the reception 21 yards into the end zone. The score was Owens's first in an FIU uniform. Owens finished the game with nine catches for 166 receiving yards – the fourth most in a game in FIU's 14-year history.
 
After a couple of Indiana field goals by Griffin Oakes cut the FIU lead to one point, McGough and Owens struck again.
 
On the first offensive play after Oakes's 27-yard field goal with 9:11 left in the second quarter, McGough found Owens downfield for a 75-yard touchdown. Owens got Hoosier defensive back Andrew Brown to turn the wrong way leaving the FIU sophomore receiver wide open to make the catch. IU safety Tony Fields made a last ditch effort to bring down Owens but to no avail as the receiver sprinted into the end zone.
 
Owens's 75-yard touchdown reception tied Jonnu Smith for the sixth longest reception in FIU history. Former FIU tight end Sam Smith holds the record for the longest FIU touchdown reception in history with an 89-yard catch against Maryland in 2006.
 
The 75-yard touchdown connection between McGough and Owens tied for the fifth longest touchdown pass in FIU history. McGough and Jonnu Smith hooked up for a 75-yard touchdown at UAB last season. Former FIU quarterback Josh Padrick's 89-yard touchdown pass to Sam Smith against Maryland in 2006 is the longest touchdown pass in FIU history.  
 
Indiana narrowed the FIU advantage to one point when quarterback Nate Sudfeld scrambled for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 14-13 Panthers with 4:54 left in the first half.
 
The Panthers will play their home opener next Saturday against North Carolina-Central. Kickoff is 6 p.m. from FIU Stadium.
 
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FIU Football 2015 season ticket packages as well as single game tickets are currently available. Fans can purchase online at FIUSports.com or over the phone by calling (305) FIU-GAME.
 
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 $8.9 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/.