Football Rallies Late Before Getting Edged in Overtime at Liberty

Game Recap: Football | 10/8/2024 10:46:00 PM

Panthers tie game at 24-24 with under two minutes left to force overtime

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins ran for a one-yard touchdown with 1:42 left in regulation to help the FIU football team erase a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and force overtime before coming up just short by a 31-24 margin at Liberty in extra time on Tuesday night.
 
Liberty escaped with the victory after scoring on a nine-yard run by Kaidon Salter on its first overtime possession and then forcing and recovering a fumble on the Panthers’ possession in the extra period.
 
The Panthers drove 61 yards in 3:44 to deadlock the score after opening the critical drive with 5:36 left and trailing 24-17.  The push was keyed by a pair of catches by junior wide receiver Eric Rivers – who snagged a 23-yard catch before hauling in a crucial 17-yard gain to convert a fourth and four and set the Panthers up at the Liberty four-yard line.
 
Jenkins followed two plays later with the one-yard scoring run to force overtime and after the FIU defense held firm on Liberty’s final possession of regulation.
 
The Panthers trailed by a 17-10 margin entering the fourth quarter and had an opportunity to tie the game after driving deep into Liberty territory.  FIU came away empty when the drive was halted on an unsuccessful fourth and four try from the Flames’ 18-yard line.
 
Liberty increased its lead on the following possession on a nine-yard scoring run by Quinton Cooley that made the score 24-10 with 10:43 left in regulation.
 
The Panthers kept coming to get within 24-17 with 6:23 left in regulation on a three-yard rushing touchdown by Kejon Owens.  The drive was sparked by a 40-yard completion from Jenkins to Rivers.
 
The Flames ground game proved to be an issue for the Panthers as Liberty totaled 281 rushing yards.  Cooley paced the attack with 174 yards and two touchdowns.
 
The FIU defense was led by junior linebacker Travion Barnes, who recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including two sacks and three TFLs.  He also recovered a fumble in the loss.  Barnes now has recorded double-figure stops in four of the last five games overall.

Jenkins finished 19-for-29 through the air for 245 yards.  His top receiver was Rivers who hauled in five catches for 95 yards.  Junior Dean Patterson snagged six receptions for a career-high 90 yards.
 
Liberty (5-0, 3-0 CUSA) jumped in front on a 28-yard field goal from Colin Karhu – to make the score 3-0 with 8:34 left in the first.  The score was set up by a 44-yard completion from Salter to Reese Smith to get the Flames down to the FIU 18.  The Panthers’ defense stiffened after that – forcing the Flames to settle for the three points.
 
FIU (2-4, 1-1 CUSA) answered with a 10-play, 48-yard drive on its next possession – resulting in a 31-yard field goal by Alejandro Prado which tied the score at 3-3 at 4:16 of the first.  Jenkins completed three passes for 39 yards on the march, including a 24-yard completion to Patterson and a key 12-yard strike to Eric Rivers to convert a third and 10.
 
The Panthers scored the game’s first touchdown 10 seconds into the second quarter when Lexington Joseph burst through the middle for a gain of 17 yards before he was stripped and fumbled at the Liberty five-yard line.  The miscue was recovered in the end zone for a FIU touchdown by junior wide receiver Dean Patterson to make the score 10-3.
 
The Flames evened the score at 10-10 with 8:15 left in the second on a 11-play, 59-yard push that saw all but four yards coming on the ground.  Cooley capped the drive with a four-yard scoring run.
 
Liberty claimed its first lead of the contest on their final possession of the first half – once again leaning heavily on the ground game.  The Flames posted 55 rushing yards on a 73-yard drive which culminated in a 20-yard TD run by Salters to make the score 17-10 with 20 ticks left before half.
 
The second half saw each team commit a turnover on their opening possessions.  Jenkins hit Rivers with a pass that was dropped and intercepted by Liberty’s Amarian Williams. 
 
FIU forced a critical turnover on the Flames’ ensuing drive as CJ Christian made a hit that forced a fumble deep inside FIU territory that was recovered by the Panthers’ Barnes inside the FIU one-yard line – thwarting  a Liberty scoring opportunity.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers conclude the two-game road swing with a clash at UTEP in El Paso’s Sun Bowl on Wednesday, Oct. 16 beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
 
The game will air to a national audience on CBS Sports Network.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Tuesday’s game marked the first game outside of South Florida for the Panthers since the season opener on August 31 at Indiana.
• Tuesday’s game was the first in a stretch of four consecutive national-televised weeknight contests for the Panthers in the month of October.
• FIU made its second-ever visit to Liberty and its first since 2020.
• FIU and Liberty each lost a turnover on their opening possession of the second half.  Liberty fumbled inside the FIU one-yard line and it was recovered by the Panthers just shy of the goal line.
• The Liberty fumble was forced by CJ Christian and recovered by Travion Barnes.
• Junior linebacker Barnes finished with a career-high 16 tackles – including a career-high two sacks and three TFLs.  He has recorded double-figure stops in four of the last five games overall and has led FIU in tackles in each of the last five games.
• Junior wide receiver Dean Patterson caught six passes for a career-best 90 yards.
• Liberty entered the game with the longest current regular-season winning streak among all FBS teams nationally at 15 games.
• FIU is now 8-7 all-time in overtime games and the loss snapped a three-game win streak in extra time.
  

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