The losing streak stands at 25 in a row now after a comeback surge by the Hilltoppers comes up short, as Kawaun Jakes' pass to Willie McNeal was broken up in the end zone by FIU's Dez Johnson on fourth down.
RECAP
- The Hilltoppers continue their struggles on defense giving up 240 rushing yards on the day. The FIU offense was able to put together touchdown drives of 73, 97, and 60 yards in the first 22 minutes.
- The offense responded well after being down 21-0, relying on Kawaun Jakes to get them back in the game through the air. Jakes finished 14 of 31 passing for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. He struggled with his completion percentage and Coach Taggart noted that he missed some easy completions during post game.
- The Panthers defense locked in on the Hilltoppers running game, allowing only 2.6 yards per rush attempt. They also held Bobby Rainey to 94 yards on 28 carries with his longest run being only 12 yards.
- WKU missed a scoring opportunity with three seconds to go in the first half as coach Taggart elected to go for a touchdown instead of a chip shot field goal inside the FIU 5 yard line. Jakes pass sailed over Jack Doyle's head and they go into halftime down 21-7.
- I understand the play call, you score a touchdown and have a ton of momentum so I have no problem with coach Taggart making that decision. However, I would have kicked the field goal and got three points.
- The Tops could not take advantage of FIU's mental mistakes, the Panthers accounted for 16 penalties totaling 135 yards.
- The important factor coming out of this game is that the Hilltoppers did not quit when they were down 21-0 early in this game. Jakes accuracy is not great but he played well, made some good throws, and showed poise in the comeback attempt.
- When the Hilltoppers put together a complete game on both sides of the ball the nation's longest losing streak will come to an end. Louisiana Monroe comes to town next Saturday, let's see if we can put it all together and get a win.
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