FIU football coach Willie Simmons praises ‘special team’ following bowl loss

There were red eyes in FIU’s locker room.

Tears, too.

“This is one of the closest teams I’ve ever been around,” FIU coach Willie Simmons said late Friday night after his Panthers lost 57-20 to Texas-San Antonio in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.

Simmons said “close teams win”, and his Panthers did their share of that this season, finishing with a 7-6 record, the program’s first winning ledger since 2018. The Panthers also played in their first bowl game since 2019, and they ended a seven-game losing streak to its biggest rival, Florida Atlantic.

Here are five takeaways from Simmons’ post-game press conference late Friday night:

1. WHO’S THE QB?

Perhaps the most intriguing thing Simmons said to the media following the loss was that Keyone Jenkins – who has been FIU’s starting quarterback for most of the past three seasons – “will have some decisions to make.”

Translation: Jenkins may or may not opt to leave FIU via the transfer portal.

And, with Joe Pesansky out of eligibility, that would leave the Panthers with just three inexperienced QB options on its current roster: Clayton Dees; Christian Langford; and DJ Alexander. It’s almost a lock that FIU will sign at least one QB from the transfer portal.

As for Friday’s game, Pesansky, coming off a severe turf-toe injury, completed just 11-for-31 passes for 102 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jenkins, coming off an ACL sprain, completed 7-of-14 passes for 49 yards, no TDs and one pick.

Both QBs missed most of FIU’s practices prior to the game due to their injuries.

“Their internal clocks were off,” Simmons said. “Joe took some shots and kept coming back. We’re going to miss Joe. (Jenkins) has some decisions to make.”

2. TO THE HOUSE

Perhaps the happiest play of the game for FIU was Maguire Anderson’s 97-yard punt return for a touchdown. It is the longest punt return in the history of bowl games, and it ties T.Y. Hilton for the longest punt return in FIU history.

Simmons admits he was nervous at first.

“When he kept backing up, I was saying, ‘No, No, No!’” Simmons said of Anderson deciding to field a punt inside his five-yard line. “But when he caught it and made the first man miss, I was saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’

“Being a walk-on and earning a scholarship … In spring, we were like, ‘There’s No. 84 (Anderson) making plays again!’ I’m really excited for Maguire’s future with us.”

3. THE MEMORIES

Simmons was asked what he will remember most about FIU’s 2025 season.

“Looking back,” Simmons said, “(it was) the shirt-off moments; playing games in the hotels; the fun Fridays; eating ice cream; watching highlight films; the ‘Rattle the cage’ drills … Those are the things I will remember the most about this year.

“The wins – they fade from your memory at times. The losses quickly fade from your memory. But the moments you share with these guys … To see the cries in the locker room, the red eyes … This was a special season, and that’s what I will remember.”

4. THE FOURTH DIMENSION

A big issue for FIU on Friday was the Panthers going 1-for-10 on fourth-down conversions.

Simmons said FIU was one of the best fourth-down teams in Conference USA this season.

“We just didn’t execute (on Friday),” Simmons said. “We had a dropped ball, a busted protection, a wrong route depth …

“It had been a month (27 days actually) since we had played, and it looked like it at times.”

Simmons said FIU was hurt by players hitting the transfer portal before the bowl game. Due to that, FIU was without four of its five starters in the secondary as well as the right side of its offensive line.

“Bowl games are tricky because you have opt-outs, and, as a play-caller, you’re trying to figure out what will work with your new starters.

“But part of being a good program is being able to perform in bowl games.”

5. THE FUTURE

Simmons said FIU’s “foundation has been set” as the Panthers now have “an expectation of excellence” going forward.

“When I took this job on Dec. 7 (2024), and I saw all the players who were walking out the door, I said, ‘Uh oh, this might be a long season,’” Simmons said.

Things turned out well, of course, and Simmons is hoping that the next step for FIU is not losing players to the transfer portal just before a bowl game.

“The goal,” Simmons said, “is to create a program where guys want to finish what they started with their brothers.”