The Rise of the Panthers

By Pete Pelegrin ’96

Kyle Field in College Station, Texas – Home of the 12th Man — is one of the most hostile stadiums to play in for an opposing college football team.

Yet that notion was lost on the FIU Panthers this past September.

That night on Texas A&M’s home field more than 80,000 people were the first to witness the rise of the Panthers in 2010. This was the year of firsts for FIU Football.

The Panthers would achieve the first winning season in the nine-year history of the program. FIU would also win its first Sun Belt Conference championship, earn its first bowl invitation and win its first bowl game in the Panthers’ first national TV appearance on ESPN.

The road to the 2010 championship season began three years ago in 2007 with a complete change in the culture of FIU Football. With an unyielding work ethic and meticulous preparation, the Panthers, under the leadership of coach Mario Cristobal and his staff, developed better talent, revamped their off-season workouts and practice regimen and cultivated an attitude that FIU can play with anyone, anywhere.

It began against the Aggies and then-Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jerrod Johnson. A defiant Panthers defense sacked Johnson six times and intercepted him four times to build a 20-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Although the Aggies needed a late rally to escape with a victory, many of the home team’s faithful predicted what the rest of the nation and eventually the Sun Belt Conference would realize. As the Panthers exited their locker room for the team buses, the Aggies fans greeted them and many delivered the same message to FIU: “You guys are going to win your conference this year. You guys are going to be in a bowl game.”

Soon, it was time for the Sun Belt to heed that prophecy. The Panthers out muscled and outran Western Kentucky and North Texas to open Sun Belt Conference play with two wins.

In a thrilling Homecoming game against ULM, FIU needed an arm tackle by T.Y. Hilton to help send the game into overtime. Warhawks linebacker Ken Dorsey was charging toward the end zone after an interception, but Hilton raced out of nowhere to make the stop late in the fourth quarter. The Panthers would win 42-35 behind Darriet Perry’s touchdown run in the second overtime.

Then on November 13 came the season-defining victory.

FIU had never beaten defending Sun Belt Conference champion Troy in the six games the two teams had played. Still, the fearless and resilient Panthers rolled into Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy and powered to their best offensive performance in program history.

FIU rushed for a program-best 448 yards and pounded the Trojans with a school-record 668 total yards in a 52-35 win that left the Panthers all alone in first place in the Sun Belt.

As Troy star receiver Jerrell Jernigan would say after the game: “FIU came in here and kicked our [butts], point blank.”

After the defeat of Troy, FIU’s defense recorded seven sacks and had three interceptions against Louisiana in an easy 38-17 win that set up a potential Sun Belt Conference title game against Arkansas State.

There the Panthers were put to the test by a gritty Red Wolves team. ASU led FIU 24-23 with less than two minutes left in the game when Hilton delivered in the clutch.

Hilton, whose nickname is “Goodbye” because of the speed that helps him out run defenses, caught a short pass from Wesley Carroll, weaved his way through the ASU defense and went 42 yards for the winning touchdown.

The Panthers won 31-24 and captured their first Sun Belt Conference Championship.

With the most wins (six) in the nine-year history of FIU football, the Panthers received an invitation to play the Toledo Rockets in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field. With the NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles snowed out, the Pizza Bowl was the only football game being played in the country on Dec. 26 and the only game on TV.

FIU’s first bowl game did not get off to the start the Panthers envisioned.

FIU fell behind 21-7 at halftime. In the locker room defensive lineman Jarvis Wilson and Hilton rallied their teammates to start playing “FIU Football.”

Down 24-7 in the third quarter and before a Toledo kickoff, Hilton told linebacker Toronto Smith: “Watch me return this kickoff.” Hilton sprinted past the Rockets and went 89 yards for the touchdown to ignite FIU’s comeback.

Wilson, who would be named Defensive MVP of the bowl game, played “FIU Football,” recording two sacks.

Yet despite the furious rally, the Panthers found themselves trailing 32-31 with 1:14 left in the game.

That’s when FIU orchestrated the greatest play in program history.

On fourth-and-17, quarterback Wesley Carroll completed a nine-yard pass to receiver Jacob Younger, who flipped the ball to Hilton coming across the field. Hilton would scurry eight yards for the first down.

“The Motor City Miracle” helped set up Jack Griffin for the game-winning 34-yard field goal that would cap off an awe-inspiring, historic season for the Panthers.

FIU Athletics sportswriter Pete Pelegrin has been covering FIU football since the program began in 2002. Check out his blog “The Prowl.”