FIU Plays Penn State Strong Despite 34-0 Loss in Week 2

The FIU Panthers fell 34-0 to Penn State on Saturday in Week 2 of the Willie Simmons era. The final score may look bad. However, it doesn’t tell the full story. FIU fought hard and held tough throughout, but Penn State’s talent, size, and speed eventually took over.

FIU vs. Penn State 2025: Week 2 Recap

Holding Their Own

Going into this Week 2 matchup, many were wondering just how competitive FIU would be against Penn State. Penn State is ranked No. 2 in the country, and arguably has the best defense and running back duo in the nation.

Going into a tough environment, FIU held their own and only found themselves down 10-0 at half. The Panthers stopped two fourth-down conversion attempts in the first half and blocked a field goal attempt going into halftime.

The Panthers’ defensive line played especially well in the first half. They clogged the running lanes and only gave up 93 yards rushing during that time frame. On paper, 93 yards is a good amount to give up in a half. However, it really could have been a lot worse.

Quarterback Keyone Jenkins had a costly interception with 13:35 left in the second quarter. The Panthers were driving down 7-0 and found themselves deep in Penn State territory. However, Jenkins’ errant pass on a screen play, allowed Alonzo Ford Jr. to intercept it. Jenkins would finished 15-of-28 for 127 yards passing with an interception.

On the opening drive of the second half, Penn State had a long 5-minute drive. However, it only resulted in a Ryan Barker field goal, bringing the Nittany Lions’ lead to 13-0.

On the Panthers’ ensuing possession, FIU running back Kejon Owens broke off a 16-yard run to the right side. If not for a shoestring tackle by safety Zakee Wheatly, Owens scores a touchdown and the Panthers cut the lead to 13-7. On the next play, Kyle McNeal was wide open on the sideline, and once again Wheatly was able to close and knock the ball away.

The Panthers chose to keep everything in front of them on the backend and made Drew Allar complete passes underneath. However, the quarterback did complete a 42-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Ross with less than five minutes in the third quarter. That touchdown pass brought the lead up to 20-0.

Once the score reached 20-0, Penn State controlled the game until the finish. They turned up the pressure and had Jenkins running for his life at times. The PSU offensive and defensive lines started to wear on FIU and took over the game.

Kayton Allen broke off a 67-yard TD run with 3:40 left in the game, and his running mate Nicholas Singleton added a touchdown with 1:22 remaining.

FIU Physicality and Gameplan

Even though the Panthers did not come out with a win, what we saw on the field was promising. Penn State was supposed to roll over this smaller and less talented FIU team. That was not the case for the majority of the game.

The FIU defensive line was able to hold its own and clogged the middle of the field. Penn State was forced to do outside runs and receiver screens towards the sidelines after not having any success up the middle.

Besides the long touchdown to Devonte Green, the Panthers kept everything in front of them. They were able to rally and make tackles before giving up first downs. The defensive tackling was the most impressive part of the Panthers’ game on Saturday.

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers’ offensive line created movement, and running backs were able to find lanes. Kejon Owens finished with 15 attempts for 78 yards, while Devonte Lyons added eight attempts for 39 yards. As a team, they ran for 141 total yards.

FIU knew what they were facing in the Penn State defense, especially with Dani Dennis-Sutton. They ran away from him most of the game, and really got the Nittany Lions on the move.

While the offensive line started to give up pressure towards the end, that is to be expected. Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles brings more pressure than anyone, and it started to fluster Jenkins late in the game. By then, the difference in talent was too much for FIU to overcome.

What’s Next for FIU?

The 34-0 loss doesn’t show the entire picture. FIU played the Nittany Lions tough and held their own. While they ran out of gas late, the program has a lot of positives going into the Shula Bowl matchup in Week 3. Yes, there are still plenty of things FIU can clean up, but they should feel confident before welcoming Florida Atlantic into Pitbull Stadium on Saturday.