FIU secures bowl eligibility following victory over Jacksonville State

For the first time since 2019, the FIU Panthers have reached the six-win threshold, making them bowl eligible following a 27-21 win over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

“This is something I know our administration wanted,” FIU coach Willie Simmons said following the game. “I didn’t say it publicly, just because, again, I didn’t want to jinx it, but that was probably the first thing that I heard when I took the job here, was ‘we got to get to a bowl game’, and I kept it close to the vest. I know that’s what Panther Nation wanted, was a chance to get to a bowl game. We’ve accomplished that goal, not done, but it set us a great foundation for the future, because bowl games now should become the norm, and now it’s about championships and building a championship program that this time next year, we need to be in the hunt for a conference championship.”

Running back Kejon Owens, who was one of 21 seniors honored before the game, punched in his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, a four-yard run, as FIU (6-5) took an early 7-0 lead.

Owens finished the game with 135 rushing yards, reaching 1,174 yards on the season, surpassing the record set by Kedrick Rhodes in 2011, who ran for 1,159 yards.

“You can’t take that away from him; he’s in the record books,” Simmons said. “He’s earned every yard of it. Phenomenal young man, works hard, and just his gratitude and appreciation are what stick out the most about Kejon Owens. When he talked to the team, all the seniors got a chance to address the team, he talked about being thankful that we, as a staff, believed in him. In the past, that may not have been the case… I don’t think his football career will end after these last two games. I think he has a future in the National Football League.”

FIU quarterback Joe Pesansky made his third consecutive start and improved to 3-0 as the Panthers’ starter.

The play that put FIU ahead for good at 24-21, was a 64-yard touchdown pass from Pesansky to receiver Alex Perry. The Hawaii transfer now has seven receiving touchdowns for the season, and posted a career-high 109 receiving yards on Saturday. Pesansky completed 14 of 28 passes for 196 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Jacksonville State marched down the field on their first offensive drive of the game. After they were unable to convert on the third and 12, the Gamecocks were forced to kick the field goal, which was no good. FIU responded with an eight-play, 68-yard scoring drive.

The Gamecocks entered Saturday’s game with the worst passing offense in Conference USA, averaging 157.6 passing yards per game. On their second offensive drive, starting quarterback Caden Creel connected with 6’8” redshirt sophomore receiver Deondre Johnson for a 28-yard passing touchdown. It marked Creel’s fifth passing touchdown of the season, tying the game at seven apiece.

FIU had a goal-line stop with 11:22 remaining in the second quarter. Pesansky had a pass tipped, which was caught by Jacksonville State’s Jacob Cruz, marking Pesansky’s fifth interception of the season. The Gamecocks responded with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Cam Cook, the nation’s leading rusher, taking a 14-7 lead with 8:06 remaining in the first half of play.

The Panthers opened the second half of play with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Chad Staley, who was named one of the three game captains, caught a one-yard passing touchdown from Pesansky, tying the game at 14. It marked Staley’s first career touchdown reception, and it was the first time in program history that an offensive lineman caught a touchdown pass. As for Pesansky, it was his eighth passing touchdown of the season.

“You try to come up with these creative names for plays. I have been doing this for 20 years now, and have come up with some type of gimmicky play,” Simmons said. “You give it some name, the team saw you run it, where the kid’s hometown is. You come up with all kinds of crazy names. This place was called Chad touchdown. It was one formation, which we practiced for the last couple of weeks. And of course, got down there and said, ‘let’s run it.’”

After FIU forced a punt, running back Anthony Carrie fumbled the ball, recovered by the Gamecocks, and on their first offensive play of the drive, Creel connected with senior receiver Pearson Baldwin for a 28-yard passing touchdown, retaking the lead, 21-14, following the successful extra point.

Within the past two weeks, FIU has come out and made adjustments at the half. In the first half, Jax State had 257 total yards of offense (150 rush/107 passing). In the second half, the Gamecocks were limited to 192 total yards of offense (101 rush/91 pass). Jacksonville State scored one touchdown in the second half of action. Within that second half, FIU forced fumbles on back-to-back drives.

“Coaches are doing an amazing job at halftime two weeks in a row,” Simmons said. “We’ve kept high-powered teams for the most part out of the end zone in the second half. That’s a testament to Coach (Jovan) Dewitt and his staff, and the job that they’re doing of making adjustments at halftime.”

FIU made it 21-17 with a 35-yard field goal from UAB transfer Noah Grant, who finished the night going 2-2 on field goals and 3-3 on extra points. He went on to seal the game with a 42-yard field goal with 1:54 left in the game.

For the first time since 2021, the Panthers will finish the season on the road as they take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats next Saturday at 1 in Huntsville, Texas.