RUSTON, La. (Sept. 26, 2015) -- Louisiana Tech showed Saturday afternoon in Ruston, La., why it was the preseason favorite in Conference USA's West Division. The Bulldogs put together a strong defensive showing  and got a 169-yard rushing performance and three touchdowns from Kenneth Dixon to defeat FIU, 27-17.

The Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1 CUSA) didn't need much time to get going, scoring on the first drive of the game. On the fifth play of the game Dixon found a hole on the left side and sprinted 63 yards in for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

FIU got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a 44-yard field goal by Austin Taylor. The drive was highlighted by a 25-yard pass from Alex McGough to Jonnu Smith, in which Smith extended his consecutive games streak with at least one catch to 28 games.

The Bulldogs answered with their second touchdown in the middle of the second quarter. Jeff Driskel had the big play to set up the touchdown when the Bulldogs quarterback scrambled for 32 yards to the FIU 43. Three plays later Driskel found Dixon in the corner of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. It was the seventh time in Dixon's career that he scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving in the same game.

FIU came out fast in the second half marching 75 yards for a touchdown to cut the LA Tech lead to 17-10. Tight end Ya'Keem Griner, who had a career-high seven catches for 64 yards, had some clutch catches on the drive before punctuating the series with a 10-yard touchdown catch in the left corner of the end zone. Griner had receptions of 11 and 12 yards on the drive.

But down 17-10 was the closest the Panthers would get as Dixon struck again early in the fourth quarter. Dixon broke three tackles on a 14-yard touchdown run that extended
the Bulldogs lead to 24-10 with 12:52 left in the game.

Louisiana Tech added a field goal in the fourth quarter to up its advantage to 27-10 before FIU scored its final touchdown of the game. McGough connected with Thomas Owens on a 7-yard slant for the touchdown with 3:50 left in the game.

FIU will travel north to take on the UMass Minutemen on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN3.

#####

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/.