Jamil Ferrer | Oct 22, 2025
VICE Night at Pitbull Stadium Tuesday Oct, 21st didn’t go in the Panthers’ favor as they came up short to Kennesaw State in a 45-26 deficit.
Despite the tough loss, FIU’s offense had a strong showing in front of the 12,133 fans in attendance, putting their tenacity on display against the Kennesaw St. Defense.
The Owls opened up the game with two 2-yard ground touchdowns by both QB Amari Odom, and RB Alexander Diggs.
Desperately looking for an opportunity to respond before the first quarter ended, Panthers’ RB Anthony Carrie found an opening for a 15 yard touchdown, making the game 14-7.
Even with the much needed play at the end of the quarter, the momentum shifted as Kennesaw State WR Coleman Bennett caught a crowd silencing 76 yard touchdown pass.
Adding onto that, Kennesaw kicked a 40-yard field goal making the game 24-7.
FIU chose to continue with their run game, resulting in a 43-yard run by RB Kejon Owens for a score, closing the half at 24–14.
FIU Running Back Kejon Owens at Pitbull Stadium, Tuesday Oct, 22 2025. Photo Credit via SAM NAVARRO Special for the Miami Herald
Early in the 3rd quarter, FIU kicked a 43-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 24–17.
Kennesaw QB Amari Odom left the game for an undisclosed reason, yet, it wasn’t enough to throw the Owls off their tracks as backup QB Dexter Williams II connected with WR Christian Moss on a 70-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-17.
In the fourth, FIU again scored a 28-yard field goal to make it 31–20.
As Kennesaw looked to make the final daggers, eventually it occurred, with Backup QB Dexter Williams II making a 2-yard rushing touchdown and RB Chase Belcher with a 6 yard touchdown.
FIU WR Eric Nelson found the end zone with 15 seconds to go in the fourth, by then it was far too late; the game ended in a 45-26 Kennesaw win.
“We had too many missed opportunities,” FIU coach Willie Simmons stated about the loss. “We had the most dropped passes we’ve had all season. We left about 150 yards of offense on the field.”
Despite the deficit, both FIU QB Keyone Jenkins and RB Kejon Owens had an excellent night. Jenkins’ with 22-of-37 passing for 296 yards and 1 TD; and Owens with 20 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Due to the fast start by Kennesaw, it allowed them to jump to an early lead which gave them cushion and control.
Explosive plays like the 76-yard Bennett TD and 70-yard Moss TD showed Kennesaw’s capability to hit home runs that were undefendable for FIU’s defense.
Although the Panthers’ rushing attack and Jenkins’ passing numbers were solid, they couldn’t limit the big plays or consistently stop Kennesaw’s drives.
With Odom leaving, Williams II stepped in smoothly — Kennesaw didn’t take their foot off the gas. KSU’s ability to chew up time and put the game away in the final quarter.
Home field disappointment for FIU as the Panthers‘ couldn’t deliver the home win for fans dressed in neon blue and pink.
Kennesaw improves to 5-2, while FIU drops to 3-4 with this setback, looking to even up their record next week on the road against Missouri State.
