MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama held Florida International scoreless over the final two quarters and outgained the Golden Panthers by more than 100 yards on Saturday, but a 28-7 halftime deficit proved too much as FIU won 28-20 in a Sun Belt Conference game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
FIU entered the game 1-8 overall and 0-5 in league play despite being picked in the preseason to win the Sun Belt championship. South Alabama head coach Joey Jones had said throughout the week that the Golden Panthers were better than their record showed.
The Jaguars, in their first season as a transitional Football Bowl Subdivision program, finished with 458 yards of total offense to FIU’s 334. The South Alabama defense allowed just 31 yards in the second half — 18 rushing and 13 passing — but the offense managed only two field goals after Corey Besteda’s record-setting touchdown catch to open the third quarter.
Jones: “We Dug Too Big a Hole”
“Obviously we dug too big a hole in the game and got behind 28-7 at the half,” Jones said. “We made a good comeback but we didn’t score down there in the red zone in the second half. That was the tale-tale sign of the game right there. We dug too big a hole early.”
Jones credited the FIU defensive front. “They’re very athletic on the defensive front and they just get after you,” he said. “They held Western Kentucky to 14 points and we knew they were good on defense.”
Fast Start, Then 28 Straight FIU Points
South Alabama scored on its first possession. After Pat Moore recovered an FIU fumble, the Jaguars drove 53 yards in nine plays, and T.J. Glover ran 15 yards around the left side for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 7:36 left in the first quarter. It was Glover’s first rushing touchdown since November 2010.
FIU answered with an eight-play, 76-yard drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jake Medlock to Willis Wright. The Golden Panthers added a 27-yard touchdown pass before the end of the first quarter to go ahead 14-7.
Medlock ran 19 yards for a touchdown with 7:45 left in the second quarter to make it 21-7, and Kendrick Rhodes scored on a 2-yard run with 1:07 left in the half to give FIU a 28-7 lead at the break.
Record 75-Yard Strike Opens Second Half
South Alabama started the second half at its own 25 after a touchback. On the first snap, quarterback Ross Metheny found Corey Besteda open over the middle, and Besteda went the distance for a 75-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 28-14. The play was the longest pass play in school history.
The defense forced a three-and-out on FIU’s first possession of the half, and Glover returned the ensuing punt to the FIU 19. The Jaguars could not reach the end zone, and Michel Chapuseaux kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 28-17.
FIU then drove from its own 32 to the South Alabama 42 before punting. Glover fair-caught the punt at the Jaguar 9. On third-and-7 from the South Alabama 30, Demetre Baker ran for four yards but fumbled, and FIU recovered at the Jaguar 33. The South Alabama defense responded with another three-and-out, and the FIU punt went into the end zone for a touchback.
Red Zone Trouble
Starting from their own 20, the Jaguars put together a long drive. Metheny ran for 13 yards, Terrance Timmons added five, and Metheny connected with Wes Saxton for 24 yards to the FIU 38. A completion to Besteda for 11 yards moved the ball to the FIU 27, and a five-yard pass to Saxton and a two-yard Metheny run set up third-and-3 at the FIU 20 late in the third quarter.
Metheny hit Bryant Lavender for 13 yards to the FIU 7 as the third quarter ended. Trey Fetner came in to run the wildcat formation and gained three yards to the 4, and South Alabama used a timeout as the play clock ran down. Metheny then completed a pass to Lavender to inside the 1-yard line. With Fetner back under center, a false start moved the ball back to the 5, and Metheny’s third-down pass to Lavender fell incomplete. Chapuseaux’s field goal made it 28-20 with 13:05 to play.
The South Alabama defense forced another three-and-out, and after a 36-yard punt the Jaguars took over at their own 25. Metheny was sacked for a five-yard loss, then ran for 20 yards to the South Alabama 40. From the FIU 47, he found Saxton for 25 yards to the FIU 22. Timmons ran three straight times for 2, 8 and 4 yards to the FIU 8, and a two-yard run set up third-and-4 at the 6. Metheny’s pass for Saxton in the end zone was tipped away, and Chapuseaux’s field goal attempt bounced off the left upright with 5:17 left.
Final Chances Slip Away
The defense got the ball back again with a three-and-out, and South Alabama took over with 4:15 remaining. The Jaguars drove from their own 33 to the FIU 43, but three straight incompletions brought up fourth-and-10. Baker took a pitch and gained seven yards, and FIU took over on downs with 3:00 left.
South Alabama forced one more three-and-out and got the ball at its own 31 with 35 seconds remaining. Metheny was flushed from the pocket and gained one yard before spiking the ball. His third-down pass fell incomplete, and his fourth-down throw was intercepted at the South Alabama 32. FIU knelt once to run out the clock.
By the Numbers
South Alabama led in nearly every statistical category. The Jaguars rushed for 188 yards to FIU’s 181 and passed for 270 yards to FIU’s 153. South Alabama had 22 first downs to FIU’s 20 and held the ball for 30:07 to FIU’s 29:53. The Jaguars were penalized four times for 33 yards; FIU was flagged five times for 49 yards.
- Rushing: Baker led South Alabama with 74 yards on 15 carries. Metheny ran eight times for 56 yards, Glover four times for 30 yards and Timmons eight times for 27 yards.
- Passing: Metheny completed 19 of 37 passes for 270 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and was sacked twice.
- Receiving: Saxton caught six passes for 92 yards. Besteda had a team-high 96 receiving yards on three catches. Lavender caught four passes for 26 yards, and Jereme Jones had three receptions for 34 yards.
- Defense: Jake Johnson led all players with 15 tackles, seven solo, along with a sack and a quarterback hurry. Alex Page, Enrique Williams and B.J. Scott each made six tackles, and Williams added a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. Montavious Williams and Will Thompson each recorded a sack.
For FIU, Rhodes ran 27 times for 149 yards to lead all rushers, and Medlock completed 9 of 19 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Up Next
South Alabama travels to Denton, Texas, next week to face North Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., according to the North Texas athletics schedule.
