The much-delayed FIU home opener was worth the wait for the Panthers.

Down 19 points and struggling to solve Charlotte's running game, FIU rallied to stun the 49ers, 30-29, on a humid Saturday night at Riccardo Silva Stadium.

With 10:38 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 29-27, FIU running back Napoleon Maxwell burst through the right side on a 38-yard run to the Charlotte 31. Quarterback Alex McGough found Austin Maloney for 12 yards to the 19. Two rushes later, kicker Jose Borregales knocked home a 27-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead to stay.

The 49ers (0-5, 0-1 Conference USA) had a final drive at victory with 4:52 remaining in the fourth quarter but they started with terrible field position thanks to punter Stone Wilson. The FIU junior pinned Charlotte at its own 2 with a 56-yard punt.

Totaling 349 rushing yards on the night, Charlotte used the run to move to the FIU 31 and eat up a majority of the time remaining. With 37 seconds left in the game, 49ers kicker Nigel Macauley's 48-yard field goal attempt went wide right and the Panthers celebrated.

The Panthers allowed just three points in the second half and scored 16 points in the final 30 minutes to move to 3-1 for just the second time in FIU football's 16-year history. The 2011 FIU team also started 3-1, ended with the best record (8-5) in FIU history and played in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

FIU is off to a 2-0 start in conference play. It's the fifth time the Panthers have done that – twice as a member of the Sun Belt Conference and this is the third time in Conference USA.

The most noticeable reason FIU was able to rally was the play of its run defense. Charlotte rushed for 272 yards in the first half. The 49ers could only muster 72 yards in the second half. 49ers running back Benny Lemay and quarterback Hasaan Klugh combined for 213 rushing yards in the first half. Lemay had just 44 yards in the second half while Klugh had only 28 yards.

With its original home opener against Alcorn scheduled for Sept. 9 at FIU and eventually moved to Birmingham, Alabama because of Hurricane Irma, FIU played at home for the first time Saturday. The delay to the first home game seemed to mirror the Panthers' slow start when Charlotte jumped out to a 26-7 lead with 2:51 left in the second quarter.

However, FIU started its comeback right before halftime. McGough meticulously marched the Panthers downfield completing 7 of 10 passes – the final completion was a 6-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Owens with 43 seconds left in the half. The score cut the 49ers lead to 26-14 going into the locker room.

FIU used a balanced offense to come back. The Panthers rushed for 234 yards and threw for 241 yards.

McGough's 51-yard bomb to Owens set up another score. McGough ran into the end zone from 8 yards out to bring FIU within 29-21 of Charlotte with 5:40 left in the third quarter.

Owens had seven receptions for 101 yards and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Julian Williams off a reverse in the first quarter. It was Owens's first career touchdown pass. Owens played quarterback at Atlantic High.

Near the end of the third quarter, Maloney made a terrific grab on a 55-yard pass from McGough that put the Panthers at the 49ers 35. Shawndarrius Phillips added 19 yards on the ground after that. McGough then leaped a 49er defender on a 14-yard touchdown scramble. McGough's two-point pass was incomplete leaving FIU down 29-27 with 12:43 left in the game.

Maxwell led the Panthers with 76 yards on the ground on five carries, averaging 15.2 yards per carry.

Linebackers Anthony Wint (11 tackles) and Treyvon Williams (10 tackles) led the FIU defense. Williams had a sack. The Panthers tallied six tackles for loss. Linebacker Sage Lewis had two tackles for loss.

FIU goes back on the road next Saturday. The Panthers travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to meet the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. from Floyd Stadium.