MONTGOMERY (Dec. 21, 2019) – FIU rallied back but couldn't overcome Arkansas State, as the Panthers fell to the Red Wolves in the Camellia Bowl on a wet and cold night in Montgomery.
 
FIU rallied back from a 27-13 hole to make it 27-26 late in the fourth quarter, but ASU scored a touchdown with just over a minute left in regulation to keep the game out of reach at 34-26.
 
James Morgan had a great night as he threw for 312 yards and a score. Most of Morgan's damage came from Austin Maloney as the Panther set career-best and bowl records with his 10-catch, 178-yard performance receiving.
 
On defense, Sage Lewis earned 13 tackles to push his career total to 306 and finish his FIU career ranked in the Top 3 all-time for tackles by a Panther. Jose Borregales nailed four field goals, including a Camellia Bowl-record 52-yard field goal, to lead the Panthers on special teams.
 
ASU scored the first two touchdowns of the game, before Napoleon Maxwell broke the goal line for a three-yard score to make it a one-score contest early in the second quarter. The Panthers and Red Wolves traded four field goals to close out the first half, as Jose Borregales booted through a pair of 25-yard field goals to trim the deficit to 20-13 at the break.
 
The Red Wolves jumped out to a 27-13 lead out of the break after Layne Hatcher tossed his third touchdown of the game. Sage Lewis sparked a 13-point rally for the Panthers however, after scooping up a fumble to set up a 19-yard strike from Morgan to Maloney and a pair of field goals from Borregales to trim the deficit to just a point.
 
After a missed field goal, the Red Wolves took over and raced down the field to score on a 13-yard pass from Hatcher to Jonathan Adams to put the final score at 34-26.
 
GAME NOTES
- James Morgan passed for a FIU bowl-record 312 yards.
- Austin Maloney set FIU's bowl record for most receiving yards in a game with 178.
- Maloney's 178 yards receiving was a career high for the senior.
- The 10 catches for Maloney was a Camellia Bowl record.
- Anthony Jones broke FIU's bowl record for most rush attempts with 21.
- Jose Borregales' 52-yard field goal broke FIU's bowl record and set a new long for the Camellia Bowl.
- Borregales' four made field goals broke FIU's bowl record and set a new high for the Camellia Bowl.
- With his 306 tackles for his career, Sage Lewis ranks as the third-most in school history.

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