MIAMI (Sept. 29, 2018) - FIU's bye week is next Saturday, Oct. 6, but the Panthers started it early by blasting Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 55-9, Saturday night at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
For notes from tonight's game, click
here.
The Panthers built a 38-3 halftime lead and cruised from there as several reserves saw action.
After the Golden Lions kicked a 37-yard field goal on the game's first possession, the Panthers scored 38 unanswered points.
On its third offensive play of the game, FIU quarterback
James Morgan connected with
Maurice Alexander on a short pass before Alexander sprinted 76 yards for a touchdown.
CJ Worton delivered a key block to help Alexander on the score.
Alexander finished with a career-high and game-high 144 yards.
After a 23-yard field goal by
Jose Borregales, Morgan found a wide-open Worton for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 17-3 Panthers.
Morgan was 9 of 14 for 341 yards and four touchdowns. The four passing touchdowns equals the FIU single-game record held by Jamie Burke and Paul McCall, who did it most recently in 2008 against Florida Atlantic.
The third passing touchdown for Morgan was a wild one.
Morgan completed the pass to Alexander at the FIU 37 before Alexander fumbled the ball at the UAPB 37 where
Austin Maloney scooped the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown.
Touchdown runs by
Napoleon Maxwell (44 yards) and
D'Vonte Price (10 yards) capped off the first half scoring for FIU.
Price added a 70-yard touchdown run on a sweep in the second half. The sophomore tallied a career-high 110 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
On the first play of the second half, Morgan hit
Cadarius Gaskin in stride for a 75-yard touchdown. It was Gaskin's first career touchdown.
Sage Lewis led the FIU defense with 16 tackles. It was Lewis's third double-digit tackles game of the season. Lewis's season-high was 18 tackles against Indiana in the season opener.
FIU has next Saturday off before returning to Conference USA play. The Panthers host Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
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