Panthers fall to Raiders late in home opener
Asher O’Hara is in FIU’s nightmares.
O’Hara threw a 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to Jarrin Pierce with 1:20 left in the game, leading the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders to a 31-28 win over the FIU Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
O’Hara, a junior, passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 106 yards and two scores. Last year, he ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 50-17 win over FIU.
FIU (0-2, 0-1 Conference USA), playing its home opener, used three quarterbacks but passed for just 58 yards.
Middle Tennessee
(1-4, 1-2) trailed 28-24 before mounting an eight-play, 59-yard TD drive that culminated with the pass that sailed over the head of FIU defensive back Rishard Dames.
Kaylan Wiggins, who started at quarterback for
Middle Tennessee QB Asher O’Hara threw a 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to Jarrin Pierce with 1:20 left in the game, leading the Blue Raiders over FIU.
just the second time in his collegiate career, was intercepted on FIU’s final drive. The pass was picked off by safety Gregory Grate, a former Miami Carol City star.
Wiggins completed just 5-of-15 passes for 37 yards. He played all but four series.
Redshirt freshman Stone Norton, who nearly rallied FIU to victory in his collegiate debut against Liberty, got just two series and completed 3-of-5 passes for 21 yards.
Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager also played two series and failed to complete the only pass he threw.
Most of FIU’s offensive success came in the running game as the Panthers rushed for 270 yards. It was FIU’s most prolific rushing performance since the Panthers ran for 350 in a win over Charlotte on Oct. 12, 2019.
D’vonte Price, who ran for a career-best 148 yards in FIU’s opener at Liberty and entered Saturday leading Conference USA in rushing on a per-contest basis, had an odd day. He did not touch the ball in the first quarter but still managed to rush for 112 yards and an 8.6 average. His highlight was a 65yard score.
Shaun Peterson, normally a backup, started for
FIU and rushed for a team-high 117 yards, two touchdowns and a 7.8 average. Prior to Saturday, he had played 16 college games and had rushed for a total of only 107 yards.
FIU’s defense made some plays, including interceptions by Josh Turner and Rishard
Dames. Richard Dames — Rishard’s twin —dropped a potential interception that could’ve gone for a score.
Middle Tennessee, thanks mostly to O’Hara, won the first half, 17-14.
FIU scored on its first possession, getting a oneyard touchdown run by Peterson. The score was set up by Turner’s interception and 22-yard return to the Middle Tennessee 23. A 17-yard scramble by Wiggins on third-and-5 kept the drive alive.
Middle Tennessee threatened with a 10-play drive that reached FIU’s 21. But Rishard Dames extended his hands for a nice interception.
The Raiders came right back and tied the score on a 4-yard run by O’Hara, who dove for the end zone.
On the next possession, FIU reached MT’s 36 and went for it on fourthand-7. However, Norton threw incomplete in the face of a Raiders blitz.
Middle Tennessee took the short field and drove 64 yards for a 14-7 lead as O’Hara again dove for the end zone and appeared to surf on top of a would-be tackler.
On the next play, however, Peterson broke one tackle up the middle and sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown, tying the score 14-14.
With 53 seconds left in the first half, Middle Tennessee took its first lead, 17-14, on Crews Holt’s 44-yard field goal that snuck inside the right goalpost.
There were three thirdquarter TDs.
FIU took a 21-17 lead on Nate Jefferson’s 7-yard run. Jefferson, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, took a jet sweep to his left and bulled his way into the end zone, capping a 36yard drive set up by a short MT punt.
The Raiders grabbed a 24-21 lead on O’Hara’s 6-yard pass into the end zone to CJ Windham.
Then, with 11 seconds left in the third, Price ran 65 yards untouched around right end to give FIU a 28-24 advantage.
That was the game’s last score … until O’Hara leaped into FIU’s nightmares once again.