FIU football gets big plays and performances but falls to Liberty in season opener

FIU made up for lost time, at least initially.

The first play of the FIU Panthers’ long-delayed 2020 football season was a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Lexington “Flex” Joseph, who tied Richard Leonard’s 2012 school record with that play.

From there, however, host Liberty (2-0) did most of the damage, defeating FIU 36-34 in a thriller on Saturday afternoon at Lynchburg, Virginia.

FIU, which delayed the start of its season due to the pandemic, will next play on Oct. 10 as Middle Tennessee visits for the Panthers’ home opener.

As for Saturday, in a game that now has the distinction of being the latest start of a season in FIU history, there was a huge performance by senior running back D’vonte Price.

After waiting three years to become FIU’s starter, Price scored three touchdowns, rushing 13 times for a career-high 148 yards. He averaged an impressive 11.4 yards per rush.

In addition, the mystery regarding who would succeed NFL draft pick James Morgan as FIU’s starting quarterback was seemingly solved … by the third QB used by FIU.

Redshirt freshman Stone Norton played the entire second half, completing 9-of-13 passes for 120 yards and two TDs. He didn’t turn the ball over, but he took four sacks.

Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager was the first QB used by FIU coach Butch Davis. But Bortenschlager went just 1-for-3 for 11 yards.

Redshirt junior Kaylan Wiggins was FIU’s second QB, completing just 1-for-4 for 5 yards. Wiggins, FIU’s best running QB, averaged 11.7 yards on three carries.

FIU had a chance to tie the score with 4:30 left in the game. But a two-point conversion pass to JJ Holloman was brought back due to a holding penalty. On FIU’s next conversion try, Norton’s low-but-catchable throw to tight end Rivaldo Fairweather went incomplete.

The Panthers had one more shot at a possible win. Taking over at their own 25 with 2:00 to play, Norton hit Sterling Palmer for 8 yards. However, Norton’s next three plays ended FIU’s chances as he was called for intentional grounding, threw incomplete and then took a sack on fourth down.

Liberty was led by quarterback Malik Willis, running back Joshua Mack and wide receiver DJ Stubbs.

Willis, formerly Auburn’s second-string QB, completed 24-of-30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 85 yards (6.7 average), but he suffered an injury to his left arm and missed the final 4:30 of the game.

Mack fan for 107 yards (8.2 average) and one touchdown. And Stubbs caught eight passes for 119 yards and one touchdown, which was a spectacular one-handed catch.

FIU opened the scoring on the return by. Joseph, a sophomore running back from Miami Central. Joseph got good blocking, found a hole, and then it was a race. He didn’t get touched until a defender dove at his ankles at Liberty’s 8-yard line.

Liberty also scored on its first possession, driving 75 yards on five plays. The payoff was a 24-yard TD pass that Willis lofted over FIU defenders to Noah Frith.

Bortenschlager’s first drive with the Panthers was a three-and-out dud, including a sack and an incomplete pass.

That set up another Liberty TD drive, this one capped by Peytton Pickett’s 2-yard sweep around the left side.

On its next possession, FIU tied the score 14-14 on Price’s 30-yard run, which started up the middle before he cut back to his right. Price ran six times for 56 yards on that eight-play, 82-yard march.

Liberty took a 24-14 lead in the third, getting a 27-yard field goal and Stubbs’ 14-yard, one-hand grab in the back, left corner of the end zone.

But FIU dominated the rest of the third, scoring two touchdowns and holding Liberty to a field goal, taking a 28-27 lead into the fourth.

Norton, who went three-and-out on his first collegiate drive, handed off to Price for a 65-yard TD run to close FIU’s deficit to 24-21.

Then, after a Liberty 21-yard field goal, Norton hit Bryce Singleton on a perfectly thrown, over-the-top 45-yard touchdown pass on a post pattern.

Back came Liberty, however, as Mack ran for 2 yards and a 33-28 lead. Liberty’s two-point try was stopped with 12:27 left in the fourth.

After an FIU punt, Willis, on a third-and-7 play, broke a few tackles and ran 67 yards, setting up a 27-yard field goal and a 36-28 lead.

FIU came back, thanks in part to a 65-yard kickoff return by Joseph. Norton then tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Price, but FIU failed on its aforementioned two-point tries.