MIAMI – Senior running back D'vonte Price became the sixth player in FIU football history to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing plateau as the Panthers dropped a 45-33 decision vs. Charlotte in a Conference USA East Division clash on Friday night.
 
Sophomore wide receiver Tyrese Chambers also enjoyed a historic performance as he nabbed three passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.  His 201 receiving yards marked the highest single-game total in FIU annals – matching former Panther standout T.Y. Hilton, who also tallied 201 receiving yards at Louisville in 2011.
 
Each of Chambers' catches stretched at least 59 yards and 110 of his 201 receiving yards came after the catch.
 
The record pages kept flipping as quarterback Max Bortenschlager posted a program single-game best 466 passing yards while completing 19-of-30 passes along with four touchdowns.  He snapped the previous mark of 400 yards that was tallied by Paul McCall in 2008.
 
Price busted loose for a 25-yard jaunt with just under 12 minutes left in the third quarter in reaching the milestone and moved past Anthony Jones (2,011) into fifth place on the career rushing list with his current total of 2,021 yards.
 
The run by Price set up a score for the Panthers in the third quarter that got them to within 24-13 when Bortenschlager hooked up with freshman Kris Mitchell for a 50-yard touchdown with 11:25 left in the third.
 
Charlotte extended the lead back to 31-13 with 3:46 left in the third on a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chris Reynolds to Jake Clemons that covered just a single yard and marked Clemons first career TD catch.
 
The Panthers battled back to get within 11 points at 31-20 at the 11:10 mark of the fourth quarter on a 59-yard strike from Bortenschlager to Chambers.  The pair connected again at the 5:35 mark of the fourth quarter for a 75-yard touchdown – the fourth play of the game that netted at least 50 yards for the Panthers.
 
Charlotte sealed the victory on a 39-yard interception return for a score by Jon Alexander that pushed the margin to 38-20 with 5:45 left in regulation.
 
The Panthers slip to 1-5 following the loss and 0-2 in Conference USA action.  The 49ers move to 4-2 and 2-0 in league play.
 
The contest, which marked FIU's first home contest since Sept. 11 – a span of 27 days, saw the Panthers grab an early 3-0 edge before Charlotte scored 24 of the next 27 points to take control.
 
The Panthers put together a solid drive on their opening possession that spanned 66 yards on 12 plays and culminated in a successful 26-yard field goal by freshman Chase Gabriel just over six minutes into the contest.  Price was instrumental on the drive with 29 rushing yards on seven carries.
 
Charlotte's special teams answered back with a 60-yard kickoff return by Shadrick Byrd that set up the 49ers at the FIU 38 to open their initial drive.  Calvin Champ capitalized eight plays later with a two-yard touchdown jaunt to put Charlotte ahead 7-3 at the 5:15 mark of the first.
 
FIU's Bortenschlager hit Chambers with a 67-yard completion on its second drive of the game to get the ball down to the Charlotte eight-yard line.  The Panthers unfortunately did not come away with points as they were stymied on a fourth and goal attempt from the three-yard line.
 
Charlotte extended its lead to 14-3 with 9:21 left in the second quarter when Reynolds capped off an 11-play, 86-yard march with a five-yard TD toss to Taylor Thompson.
 
Gabriel split the uprights on a career-long 43-yard field goal attempt to trim the deficit to 14-6 with just under five minutes before half and cap a 10-play drive that saw the Panthers earn each of their 47 yards on the ground.
 
Charlotte tacked on three more points just prior to halftime on a 42-yard field goal from senior Jonathan Cruz with three ticks left in the second quarter.
 
Reynolds directed a six-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half that increased the Charlotte lead to 24-6 when he connected with Victor Tucker for a 22-yard scoring strike 3:02 into the third quarter.
 
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will have a bye next weekend before returning to their home turf for a showdown against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 23 in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.  The game will be televised on the ESPN Family of Networks and will also air on the FIU Radio Network   
 
Tickets for the FIU-Western Kentucky game can be purchased via the FIU Online Ticket Office - HERE
 
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