Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Florida International Panthers Match Player Stats On Nov 15, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 15, 2014

Florida International 38, Middle Tennessee 28: Jonnu Smith hauled in three touchdown passes from Alex McGough and the host Golden Panthers rallied past their East rivals in Conference USA.

Florida International (4-7, 3-4 C-USA) forced five turnovers, the last coming when Jeremiah McKinnon intercepted Austin Grammer with 4:06 left in the fourth quarter to fend off a late rally. McGough passed for 231 yards, Smith totaled 140 on eight catches and Anthon Samuel rushed for 120 and a touchdown.

Grammer threw three TDs in the first half, but his second-half efforts were spoiled by three interceptions - including one that was returned by Davison Colimon for a 79-yard score. Ed'Marques Batties snagged eight passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns while Jeremiah Bryson added a score on the ground for Middle Tennessee (5-5, 4-2), which squandered an 18-point lead in the second quarter.

Grammer connected on scoring strikes of 18 and 28 yards in the first quarter and added a 37-yarder to Batties early in the second for a 21-3 lead. McGough responded for FIU with a pair of TD passes to Smith, including a 40-yard toss just before intermission to trim the deficit to four, and the Golden Panthers carried that momentum into the third quarter by scoring twice to cap a run of 28 unanswered points.

Bryson brought the Blue Raiders within three with a 10-yard TD run, but Samuel matched it with a short-yardage score of his own to restore FIU's 10-point cushion heading into the final period. Grammer was picked off twice in the fourth quarter, with McKinnon's thwarting any chance of a comeback as the Golden Panthers ran out the clock to snap their four-game skid.