FIU hosted UTEP on Wednesday night for the program’s “Vice Night.” The Panthers were stunned early, eventually coming up short to UTEP, 27-14.

FIU went all out for Vice Night. The Panthers were rocking new all black uniforms with blue and pink accents. The field featured Miami’s area code, with a blue 305 Panther logo. The endzones were pink with FIU written in blue. 

The excitement was high for the Panthers’ nationally televised Vice Night; unfortunately, FIU was unable to walk away with the win.

FIU found themselves in a hole early, going down 21-0 in the first quarter. An 11-yard touchdown run from Kejon Owens closed the gap midway through the 2nd quarter and the Panthers would eventually head to halftime down 24-7.

In FIU’s opening second half drive, Keyone Jenkins found the end zone through a QB sneak, his fourth straight game with a rushing touchdown. Following the touchdown, the Panthers successfully executed an onside kick. With FIU now only down 24-14 and effectively stealing a possession, the momentum was moving in their direction.

The Panthers were ultimately not able to convert the onside kick into points, and two 4th quarter turnovers sealed the game for UTEP. 

With the 27-14 loss, FIU falls to 0-4 in conference play.

Photo credit: Cameron Robertson/FAAZ Sports