HOUSTON — FIU's football program won its fourth-straight game in Conference USA (CUSA) play on Saturday, racing past Sam Houston 56-16 on the road. 
 
The Panthers (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) made a statement from the opening snap in a one-sided victory over the Bearkats (2-10, 1-7 CUSA) at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The win marks FIU's first four-game win streak since 2018 and first-ever four-game win streak in Conference USA play. The victory also guarantees a winning season for Willie Simmons and the Panthers for the first time since 2018. 
 
Keyone Jenkins started for FIU and passed for three touchdowns and 291 yards, adding a rushing score, to account for four total touchdowns the lead the Panther offense. Alex Perry connected with Jenkins for several big plays, ending his day with seven catches for a career-high 140 yards and two touchdowns to pace the receiving effort. Dallas Payne also had a career-high with 100 yards and a touchdown, which including a long of 42 yards in the second quarter. On the ground, Kejon Owens added 124 rushing yards on just 15 attempts, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Sterling Joseph, a true freshman, got the call in the fourth quarter and delivered with two long TDs as he racked up 112 rushing yards on four carries. 
 
On defense, Dante Anderson forced two fumbles on both of his sacks and finished the afternoon with five tackles. Percy Courtney Jr. led the defensive effort with seven stops, three of which were tackles for loss. Steven Shannon and Kenton Simmons each had a sack for the Panthers as well. Victor Evans III had his first interception of the season and Shamir Sterlin also added an interception, his second of the year. 
 
As a team, FIU gained 591 yards of total offense, averaging 9.3 yards per play. The Panthers had 303 of those yards of the ground, a season-high for the Panther rushing attack. 
 
UP NEXT 
The Panthers await their matchup and further information for their upcoming bowl game. Please see the below info for more information. 
 
BOWL BOUND
Led by first-year head coach Willie Simmons and our talented student-athletes, coaches and staff, the Panthers are set to represent FIU on a national stage. Bowl specifics will be announced in the coming weeks, and we will share ticket, travel and celebration information as it becomes finalized.
 
In the meantime, please complete the short interest form so you do not miss any communication regarding bowl information, game tickets, travel packages, alumni tailgate and more events. Additionally, bookmark FIUSports.com/Bowl for all your postseason information.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.