MIAMI – The FIU Football team fell behind early before coming up on the short end of a 38-6 final against Liberty in a Conference USA game on Saturday night at The Cage in Miami.
 
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Panthers and represented their first loss over the first three home games in 2023.
 
Liberty (4-0, 2-0 CUSA) jumped put to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdowns over the opening 5:56 of the contest.  The Flames posted 340 yards of total offense, including 220 yards on the ground in the initial 30 minutes, while limiting the Panthers to 135 first-half yardage.
 
For the game, Liberty finished with 504 yards of offense and was led by quarterback Kaidon Salter, who completed 11-of-21 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.  He also rushed for 77 yards and added two rushing scores.
 
The Flames posted a total of 364 rushing yards and had a pair of players finish with 100-yard plus efforts as Quinton Cooley and Bill Lucas, as each finished with 102.
 
FIU freshman signal caller Keyone Jenkins suffered the first loss of his collegiate career after throwing for 131 yards while completing 9-of-21 pass attempts.
 
The Panthers' defense forced three turnovers in the loss against a Liberty squad that entered the contest with just two in its previous three games overall.
 
Liberty opened the game's scoring on its first possession on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter to Bentley Hanshaw to put the Flames ahead 7-0, just 3:35 into the contest.
 
The Flames needed just three plays on their next possession to extend the lead to 14-0.  Salter tossed his second scoring pass of the day, this time from 68 yards, on a connection to Treon Sibley with 9:04 left in the first.
 
The Panthers' (3-2, 0-2 CUSA) defense shifted momentum on an interception by junior CJ Christian with 6:30 left in the first, giving FIU the ball at the Liberty six – it also marked the first interception thrown by Liberty's Salter this season.
 
The FIU offense took the gift and went 94 yards in 10 plays – with the big chunk coming on a 48-yard reception by Mitchell - to put the Panthers on the Liberty three-yard line.  Jenkins took it in from one yard out on a QB keeper two plays later to trim the deficit to 14-6, after the extra point attempt failed, with 1:40 left in the opening quarter.
 
Liberty added another touchdown with 2:56 before the break on an 18-yard touchdown run by Billy Lucas, which capped a six-play, 62-yard scoring drive and increased its lead to 21-6.
 
FIU's Jenkins tossed his fourth interception of the season on the first play of the Panthers' next drive – giving the Flames possession at the Panthers' 27.  The miscue led to three more Liberty points to close out the first half as Nick Brown connected on a 41-yard field goal to up the margin at the break to 24-6.
 
Salter accounted for his third touchdown of the game with a two-yard TD rush at 10:09 of the third that extended the Flames' lead to 31-6 – the drive followed an unsuccessful fourth down attempt at the 50-yard  line by FIU.
 
Salter added his second rushing touchdown at 3:48 of the third quarter to push the score to 38-6.  He scored from one-yard out to close out a seven-play, 65-yard push.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will follow Saturday's matchup with Liberty with the first of two bye weeks on the schedule this season.
 
FIU will return to action on Oct. 4 for the first of four consecutive nationally televised Wednesday night contests when it travels to Las Cruces, N.M., for a clash with New Mexico State - slated for a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS Sports Network.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Saturday's game marked the second-ever meeting between FIU and Liberty in the sport of football as well as the first played in Miami and first when both were members of Conference USA.
• Junior CJ Christian recorded his second interception of the season at the 6:30 mark of the first quarter – the two picks represent a career high total.
• Junior wide receiver Kris Mitchell hauled in a 48-yard reception in the first quarter – his fourth straight game with a catch of at least 38 yards.
• Junior Chase Gabriel missed his first extra point attempt of the season after making his first 12 attempts.
• Senior Donovan Manuel forced a fumble in the second quarter – his fourth forced fumble of the season.  He has forced at least one fumble in three of five games this season.
• Sophomore Hezekiah Masses recovered the fumble forced by Manuel at the 7:54 mark of the second quarter – his first this season.
• Liberty's two first-half turnovers matched their season total from its opening three games.
• FIU played the game without a pair of starting offensive linemen as both Jacob Peace and John Bock II both sat out the contest due to injuries.
   

TICKETS
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