MIAMI, Fla. - Ray Lawry rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown but FIU quarterback Alex McGough passed for 390 yards and three touchdowns as FIU defeated Old Dominion University football 41-12 Saturday night in Miami.
ODU trailed 17-6 at halftime and Zach Pascal took the first play of the second half 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 17-12, but FIU scored 24 unanswered to pull away for the win.
The following drive, FIU drove 45 yards on seven plays but the Monarch defense held the Panthers to a 32-yard Austin Taylor field goal to make the score 20-12.
ODU went three and out and on its next possession FIU took just two plays to go 68 yards and scored on a McGough to Clinton Taylor 38 yard touchdown pass for an FIU 27-12 lead.
FIU tacked on two more scored, a one yard plunge from Alex Gardner and a McGough to Jonnu Smith 13 yard touchdown pass.
FIU got on the board with a 10 play, 46 yard drive capped off by a four yard touchdown pass from Alex McGough to Jonnu Smith to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
The Panthers added to their lead with an Alex Gardner one-yard touchdown run off of a long punt return by Richard Leonard to make the score 14-0.
ODU cut into the lead with a 57-yard touchdown run from Ray Lawry to make the score 17-6. The drive lasted five plays for 75 yards and the extra point was blocked.
The Monarchs tried an onsides kick but fell on the ball a yard short. Austin Taylor kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 17-6.
ODU took their final drive all the way to the FIU one, but a carry by Lawry was stopped on the last play of the half. ODU tried a pair of pass plays to Travis Fulgham and Jonathan Duhart. The pass to Duhart was caught, but he was out of bounds.
McGough finished 31-of-39 for 390 yards and three scores while Jonnu Smith had 10 catches for 183 yards and two scores for FIU.
David Washington was 13-of-24 for 125 yards for ODU while Vincent Lowe and Marques Little had four catches apiece.
NOTES – Today’s game captains were Tyler Burns, Jonathan Duhart, TJ Ricks and Bunmi Rotimi … David Washington started his second career game at quarterback. He started the first play at QB last season at Vanderbilt before Taylor Heinicke played the rest of the game … Senior linebacker Malique Johnson started his first game of the season for ODU … Eri’Reon Hayes caught the first pass of his career in the 2nd quarter with a 13-yard catch and also earned the first start of his career … Ray Lawry’s 57 yard touchdown in the first half was his eighth rushing touchdown this season … Jeremy Cox had the longest run of his career with a 39-yarder in the first quarter … Zach Pascal’s 75 yard touchdown run was the longest run and first rushing touchdown of his career … Zach Pascal’s 47 yard completion to Eri’Reon Hayes was the first of his career, and ODU’s longest pass of the day … TJ Ricks led the ODU defense with nine tackles … Martez Simpson had seven tackles and a sack ... Pascal's 75 yard run was the second longest in school history, second only to Gerard Johnson's 81-yarder in 2013 ... Satchel Ziffer's 64 yard punt was the longest of his career and fourth longest in school history.
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