Middle Tennessee vs. Florida International: Box score, stats, game summary and more ft. Keyone Jenkins

Neither Middle Tennessee nor Florida International will be heading for bowl games, but both teams put up impressive performances in their final appearances of the 2024 season on Saturday. On a hot start led by QB Keyone Jenkins, the Panthers claimed a 28-17 halftime advantage and held on for a 35-24 victory.

Middle Tennessee (3-9, 2-6 in CUSA) completed new coach Derek Mason's first season after nearly two decades with prior coach Rick Stockstill. FIU (4-8, 3-5 in CUSA) hasn't made a bowl since 2019 and will continue that streak despite an impressive victory to close the season.

Tight end Holden Willis helped keep the Blue Raiders competitive in the game but wasn't able to pull out the stops for a road victory to close the season.

Middle Tennessee vs. Florida International Box Score

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Middle Tennessee	0	17	0	7	24
Florida International	14	14	0	7	35

MTSU Passing Stats

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	Pass TDs
Nicholas Vattiato	21	33	256	2

MTSU Rushing and Receiving Stats

Player	Rush	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec	Yards	Rec TDs
Jaiden Credle	9	30	0	3	7	0
Nicholas Vattiato	7	28	0	0	0	0
Jekail Middlebrook	10	41	1	4	32	0
Terry Wilkins	1	8	0	0	0	0
Jayce Gardner	1	8	0	0	0	0
Holden Willis	0	0	0	6	123	2
Myles Butler	0	0	0	3	36	0
Javonte Sherman	0	0	0	2	38	0
Hayes Sutton	0	0	0	3	20	0

MTSU Kicking Stats

Player	XP-XPA	FG-FGA	Long
Zeke Rankin	3 for 3	1 for 2	35

FIU Passing Stats

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	Pass TDs
Keyone Jenkins	19	27	319	3

FIU Rushing and Receiving Stats

Player	Rush	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec	Yards	Rec TDs
Devonte Lyons	15	101	1	1	5	0
Dean Patterson	1	6	0	4	97	2
Lexington Joseph	11	20	1	1	19	0
Keyone Jankins	5	10	0	0	0	0
Amari Jones	2	4	0	0	0	0
C'Quan Jnopierre	1	-1	0	1	16	0
Ross Fournet	0	0	0	4	64	0
Eric Rivers	0	0	0	7	117	1
Kejon Owens	2	6	0	0	0	0
Antonio Ferguson	0	0	0	1	1	0

FIU Kicking Stats

Player	XP-XPA	FG-FGA	Long
Robert Czeremcha	5 for 5	0 for 0

FIU struck first, scoring on the game's opening possession and setting the tone. A pair of second-quarter TD passes from Keyone Jenkins to Dean Patterson extended FIU's lead to 28-7. MTSU pulled within 28-17 at halftime, with both scores coming on long passes to tight end Holden Willis.

The game stayed 28-17 until early in the fourth quarter when Jenkins found Eric Rivers on a 50-yard bomb.

While neither team is eligible for postseason play, FIU did finish the year with a victory and a strong game from Jenkins.

FIU: 1-yard TD run by Lexington Joseph (Czeremcha XPT), 7-0, 9:48 remaining in 1st quarter
FIU: 21-yard TD run by Devonte Lyons (Czeremcha XPT), 14-0, 2:02 remaining in 1st quarter
MTSU: 56-yard TD pass to Holden Willis from Nicholas Vattiato (Rankin XPT), 14-7, 10:40 remaining in 2nd quarter
FIU: 19-yard TD pass to Dean Patterson from Keyone Jenkins (Czeremcha XPT), 21-7, 8:04 remaining in 2nd quarter
FIU: 38-yard TD pass to Dean Patterson from Keyone Jenkins (Czeremcha XPT), 28-7, 6:14 remaining in 2nd quarter
MTSU: 37-yard TD pass to Holden Willis from Nicholas Vattiato (Rankin XPT), 28-14, 3:34 remaining in 2nd quarter
MTSU: 35-yard field goal by Zeke Rankin, 28-17, 0:26 remaining in 2nd quarter
FIU: 50-yard TD pass to Eric Rivers from Keyone Jenkins (Czeremcha XPT), 35-17, 11:01 remaining in 4th quarter
MTSU: 1-yard TD run by Jekail Middlebrook (Rankin XPT), 35-24, 7:23 remaining in 4th quarter