On Saturday night, FIU left the field at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston feeling something the program hadn’t felt in years. The Panthers did more than simply finish a winning season for the first time since 2018. They made history.
The Panthers’ 56-16 win over Sam Houston State clinched a successful 4-0 November, FIU’s first ever four-game winning streak in Conference USA play. The victory also assured that the team’s first trip to the postseason since 2019 will be made on a winning note.
But what made it even more impressive was FIU’s unshakable resilience from start to finish. This is a program, under first-year coach Willie Simmons, discovering exactly what it can be, and with a struggling opponent on other side, in the form of the 2-10 Bearkats, the Panthers left no doubts.
FIU won’t learn of its bowl destination and opponent until later in the week. But that simply gives the Panthers more time to look back on their statistical success.
Quarterback Keyone Jenkins definitely played a part in that. In Saturday’s win, he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter, setting the stage for a team offensive performance of 594 total yards. Jenkins finished with 291 passing yards on 15 of 24 attempts, one rushing touchdown, and the steady leadership that has become his trademark.
Following the victory, he emphasized how the Panthers handled the situation, saying, “the most important thing for us was to continue to be consistent, and coming in at the half, make some corrections.” When asked what had made everything click, he kept his response short and to the point: “All I’ve got to say, is Willie Simmons.”
It was a simple statement, but it represented a shared belief throughout the locker room. Simmons has established the tone for this turnaround, and his players brought that standard to the field every week.
Simmons spoke after the victory over the Bearkats about a winning mindset that drove the team’s success through the season. “We continue to chase excellence,” he said. “Good football teams don’t look at the opponent. They don’t look at records. They just look at what we have to do every week to play our best football.”
Proving to the college football world the importance of a good coach, Simmons saw both potential and improvement in all aspects of his roster, and recognized how important this season was for his long-term vision at FIU.
“The way they’ve responded this season and every week was a new milestone,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of superlatives this year, but I’m more proud of how the team has played. So, I’m definitely excited about being able to end this season on a four-game win streak in November. Something that hadn’t been done in this program ever in history.”
Explosive plays followed FIU everywhere in Houston. Alex Perry had a strong game, totaling 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It was his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown, driving him to the second highest single-season touchdown record in program history.
Receiver Dallas Payne added 100 yards of his own, on four catches. All the while, in the backfield, Kejon Owens continued his record-breaking season with 124 rushing yards, becoming just the third FIU running back to exceed 1,000 yards in a single season.
Then came freshman running back Sterling Joseph, also known as “Juice” amid his teammates. Entering the fourth quarter, he turned the stadium into a foreshadowing of FIU’s future. He carried the ball just four times, but totaled 112 yards with two touchdowns. One of those scores, a 61-yard dash, marked the longest rushing touchdown ever recorded by an FIU freshman.
Simmons smiled as he spoke of the potential waiting in the wings for players like Joseph, adding that “we saw a glimpse of the future. With a guy like ‘Juice’ coming in and getting 100-plus yards on four carries.”
The defense matched the offense’s urgency. Dante Anderson, a defensive lineman who Simmons also lauded in his postgame press conference, recorded five tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles, an effort that rang throughout the locker room.
“Everybody’s just playing together, having fun,” Anderson said. “Just happy for each other’s success. … We made history here. So, [we’ve] got to go win the bowl game now.”
Jenkins also couldn’t help but notice the shift in the team overall. The goals changed during the season, but the commitment never wavered. “The first goal was to win conference championship, but that didn’t go as planned,” he said. “And the next goal, after that, was get bowl eligible, which is something this program hasn’t done in a while. And I feel like we did a great job accomplishing that.”
When asked which bowl game he preferred, he responded without hesitation: “Don’t matter. We made it. We bowling.” Then he added the expression that has become his personal purpose: “I just want to win for real.”
Simmons reminded everyone that this season was never meant to be the end. This was — and still is — a beginning.
“We’re building a championship program,” he said. “So, we expect bowl games every year. We expect to compete for championships. But we’re going to need continued support from everyone in Panther Nation.”
He made sure that his players appreciated the opportunity they had earned: “This is a great team win, and we’re excited to get back to Miami and celebrate it, and then rest up a little bit until we find out what’s next.”
What follows next is straightforward. FIU is headed to a bowl, and a shot at the first five-game winning streak in program history. A national stage awaits.
