FIU vs. Kennesaw State 2025 Recap: The Panthers Falter Against the Owls, 45-26

Facing off against Kennesaw State for “Vice Night,” the night was perfectly set for the Panthers to break out onto the scene. However, things went sideways for FIU on Tuesday night. Kennesaw State won the game 45-26, but the game was much closer than what the scoreboard indicates. Thanks to a combination of errors, missed calls, miscommunications, and missed opportunities, the Panthers could not get the job done. With that in mind, let’s dive into this FIU vs. Kennesaw State 2025 game recap.

FIU vs. Kennesaw State 2025 Game Recap

Miscues, Miscommunication, and Mistakes Ruin Vice Night

Vice Night could have been a smashing success for FIU on the field. Yet just like their other losses this season, the Panthers lost this game due to miscues, miscommunications, and missed opportunities.

Defensively, FIU did not play a bad overall game. They got stops at key points, made some big plays, and allowed the offense to narrow the score. However, they struggled with chunk plays throughout this game.

FIU gave up two separate 70-yard touchdown passes in this game. The first touchdown had the Panthers display an extremely poor tackling effort as a unit. Christian Moss’s touchdown was a broken play, as an injury to a defensive back helped spring the wide-open receiver. Outside of those touchdowns, miscommunications on the backend resulted in chunk gains for the Owls, allowing them to roll down the field and score points.

On the ground, FIU felt a step slow against the Kennesaw State scheme. This forced the second and third levels of the Panthers’ defense to clean things up. Add in poor tackling efforts on a handful of plays, and there is a clear reason that Kennesaw State strung together countless scoring drives.

On offense and special teams, FIU’s worst enemy was itself. The Panthers committed seven penalties amounting to 55 yards, and they were basically all back-breaking.

An illegal man downfield penalty wiped out a chunk play to Jackson Verdugo. A face mask penalty on Kejon Owens wiped out an immediate red zone opportunity that could have narrowed the score. Multiple false start penalties set FIU back behind the chains.  Additionally, FIU had five separate drops throughout the game. Two of those came on the last drive of the third quarter. If Devonte Lyons or Maguire Anderson catch their intended targets, there is a great chance that FIU made the game a one-score affair at halftime.

FIU also had a special teams blunder, missing a 23-yard field goal that would have made it a 24-20 game in the third quarter. Outside of the offensive mistakes, this was arguably the biggest game-changer for the Panthers, as Kennesaw State’s touchdown a few plays later effectively put this one out of reach.

Head coach Willie Simmons spoke about the mistakes the team made in this game and how it affected the outcome.

“Offensively, we had too many missed opportunities. We had some explosive plays, KJ (Owens) had a big time game, Lyghtz (Keyone Jenkins) threw for the most yards he has all year. But again, too many missed opportunities. We had the most drops we had all season and had penalties on linemen down the field … I told the team in the locker room, we are really going to be sick when we watch this film on Thursday. We left a lot of opportunities on the field.”

Simmons, regarding the defense, said that it was a “tale of two weeks” and that the Panthers “did not play their brand of football” on defense.

“We have to assess who we are and what we are doing. We have to be better. It starts with me, and I have to coach better. I always say you are either coaching or allowing it to happen, and too many things consistently happened tonight that cannot happen in football games. If it continues to happen, that is coaching. We really have to assess coaching and things of that nature to make sure we are doing the right thing.”

FIU has shown some flaws that need to be fixed. Communication has been a struggle, leading to breakdowns on both offense and defense. Penalties have hurt the team in key situations, stunting momentum. The execution has not been at a high level, which is usually caused by the team being in a hole from other mistakes occurring.

To achieve their goals in 2025, FIU needs to find a way to become more consistent week-over-week. The remainder of their schedule will help determine how close the Panthers are to being the best version of themselves.

The Run Game Continues to Roll

Running back Kejon Owens had yet another phenomenal game for the Panthers, racking up 166 rushing yards and notching 7.6 yards per carry. PFF had the senior running back with 100 yards after contact, five missed tackles forced, and four runs of 10 yards or more.

Owens looked elusive, quick, and powerful once again. He not only displayed his trademark vision but also showed an ability to get skinny and create big plays out of tiny gaps. The running backs’ speed looked even better during this game, and he passed protected at a high level when called upon.

Not to be left out, Anthony Carrie impressed in limited touches. The running back notched 44 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, forcing one missed tackle and registering 17 yards after contact. Carrie runs with decisiveness, speed, and burst whenever he is called upon. He took advantage of great blocking to score a touchdown untouched early in the game. If not for a great tackle by Kennesaw State’s Baron Hopson, he would have had a second score late in the game. Not only is Carrie the perfect complement to Owens, but he is also more than capable of carrying the rushing attack when needed.

Owens and Carrie are dynamic players, the offensive line opens up solid lanes, and the play-calling is very effective. Specifically, the game plan against Kennesaw State showed a renewed willingness to use jet motion (due to tight end injuries), which helped open up rushing lanes even more.

Questions surround this FIU offense, and for good reason. But if any aspect should be relied upon to provide a floor, it is this rushing attack powered by Owens and Carrie.

Weapons Emerge in FIU’s Passing Attack

After some progress last week, the FIU passing attack started to emerge even more against Kennesaw State on Tuesday night.

Quarterback Keyone Jenkins finished the game with 296 yards and a passing touchdown while completing over 60-percent of his passes. He was decisive, accurate, and on time for most of the game, allowing the Panthers to consistently move the ball down the field. The Miami native has started to find his groove again within the offensive scheme, which is great news for the Panthers.

Alex Perry paced the Panthers with 11 targets, seven receptions, and 75 yards. Whether he was getting schemed touches, creating separation, or making contested grabs, Perry did his job as the FIU’s No. 1 wideout for the majority of the game. Maguire Anderson produced at a high clip, too, notching 49 yards on five receptions. He made some impressive diving catches and displayed solid hands, showing his reliability as a target for the Panthers.

On the emergence side of things, Kyle McNeal, Eric Nelson, and Jackson Verdugo showed that they need to be more involved in the offense going forward.

McNeal, despite only having two receptions for 37 yards, showed some impressive speed and route running while on the field. He created some of the better separation down the field for FIU, while also having the skill to make things happen after the catch. Verdugo showed smooth route running for his position against the Owls.

Nelson showed that he may have the highest overall potential on the Panthers’ offense. The wideout not only recorded three receptions for 37 yards, but also his first career touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Nelson looked twitchy, explosive, and dynamic with the ball in his hands. He created separation with his routes and made catches through contact. He even showed a willingness to block when on the field, recording an 81.8 PFF run blocking grade. That potential for Nelson is, at times, counteracted by an abundance of emotion and energy. HC Willie Simmons, when asked about Nelson postgame, spoke honestly about the wideout.

“Eric’s already the most talented guy we have in the receiving core, but he’s a redshirt freshman, and he’s young, got a lot of growing up to do, but he is talented … he is a very emotional young man, so he needs to channel it and stay where his feet are. If he stays healthy and continues to grow, he has a bright future.”

Things were not perfect for FIU’s passing game in this game. Jenkins almost had a brutal interception and hesitation in the pocket that hurt some passing plays. Multiple receivers had drops, along with miscommunications that could have resulted in more points.

Yet for the majority of the game, the FIU passing attack was clicking at its best level of the entire season. The playcalling was crisp, and the execution was at a high level, leading to the unit’s success. If they can keep building upon this game, the Panthers could be very dangerous for the remainder of 2025.

FIU vs. Kennesaw State 2025 Recap: Other Notes

Baron Hopson is a monster in the middle of the Kennesaw State defense, especially in the run gam. It was very fun to watch the linebacker fly all over the field and make plays for the Owls. He is vital to his team’s defensive success; without him, it’s hard to say if Kennesaw State slows down the FIU rushing attack. Keep an eye on this player going forward.

Brian Blades II, Victor Evans III, and Mister Clark played well for the Panthers. They not only play great coverage, but also play great run defense. It may not always be perfect on the back end, but these players, along with Jessiah McGrew and Shamir Sterlin, form a very fun group for the Panthers.

2026 NFL Draft: Stock Risers

Kejon Owens, RB – FIU

Another week, another great performance from Kejon Owens. The standout running back showed off more straight-line speed and overall athleticism this week en route to another 100+ yard performance. If he continues to show multitudes to his game, though, that upside could easily start to increase.

Baron Hopson, LB – Kennesaw State

The centerpiece of the Kennesaw State defense. He was quick to attack downhill in the run game, cleaning up plays that would have been big gains without him involved. Hopson also showed some nice coverage prowess, notching a pass breakup in the process. He has been a force all year for the Owls. Hopson could be a fun early down linebacker going forward, pending athleticism testing.

Looking Ahead

After the loss, FIU travels to Springfield for a showdown against Missouri State on Wednesday, October 29.