With a plethora of injuries this season, especially where nearly one-third of its starters are out for the season, FIU has adopted the title of a Baltimore Ravens book Next Man Up as its motto for the rest of the season.

The Golden Panthers (2-6, 2-3 Sun Belt) won't fret about who is or isn't healthy and instead are just calling on the next player available to step up and make plays.

``We took a page from the Baltimore Ravens book and their story about next man up, because that's our situation right now,'' coach Mario Cristobal said.

The next Panthers up certainly delivered in Saturday's 20-17 overtime win over Louisiana-Lafayette at FIU Stadium.

Freshman receiver Wayne Times played the role of FIU playmaker T.Y. Hilton, who missed all but one play Saturday because of a recurring knee injury.

Times led FIU with five catches for 60 yards and had a key reception in the game-tying drive at the end of the fourth quarter.

Times caught a short pass from quarterback Paul McCall and zig-zagged 16 yards to the ULL 4 with 22 seconds left and FIU trailing 17-10. The Panthers would go on to tie the score and force overtime.

On fourth-and-goal from the ULL 3 and with 10 seconds left in the game, McCall connected with receiver Greg Ellingson coming across the back of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

Receiver Ariel Martinez, who walked on this summer from Miami Coral Park, also contributed with three catches for 39 yards.

However, the biggest contributions might have come from what had been a struggling FIU defense.

Already without starting middle linebacker Toronto Smith (injured knee last week at Arkansas State) -- the eighth FIU starter out for the season -- the Panthers linebackers and defensive line came through in the clutch Saturday.

FIU was up against another mobile quarterback, and unlike most of the season, this time the Panthers defense delivered.

``You watch our defensive line the last couple of weeks, although not spectacular and not very glamorous looking, you do see production starting to go up more and more,'' Cristobal said. ``They made life a lot easier for our linebackers to run around and make plays.''

Those linebackers included new starting sophomore middle linebacker Aaron Davis and senior Tyler Clawson, who both filled in for starters Smith and Winston Fraser (neck), respectively.

Davis, with freshman safety Jonathan Cyprien, led the team in tackles with nine. Davis also had two tackles for loss as did Clawson to lead FIU.

Clawson also had three big tackles on ULL's overtime possession to force a field-goal attempt that was blocked by freshman Tourek Williams to seal the FIU win.

``[This was Aaron Davis's] kind of game,'' Cristobal said. ``They are a physical team up front. . . . All the linebackers played downhill. They played downhill all day.

``In play action our defensive line did a good job of getting their hands up and batting some balls that would have been conversions for them. Overall, a relentless effort the entire time.''

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