Five Czeremcha Field Goals Sink New Mexico State
Robert Czeremcha kicked five field goals (40, 52, 33, 21 and 48 yards) and Florida International needed exactly one touchdown to go with them. That adds up to 22-3 over New Mexico State, and it is a fine way to win a game if you do not mind the scoreboard looking like a typo.
FIU got on the board first, with Anthony Carrie punching in a 1-yard run late in the first quarter, and never gave the lead back. New Mexico State answered once, with a 26-yard Kyah Francone field goal in the second quarter that made it 7-3. That was the Aggies' entire night. FIU then added a field goal before the half, two in the third quarter and two in the fourth, the last one with 1:06 left to close it out.
The yardage was almost a coin flip: New Mexico State had 230 total yards to FIU's 220, and 123 passing yards to FIU's 120. The difference was what happened with the ball. The Aggies threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, three giveaways, while FIU turned it over once. FIU also ran it 44 times to the Aggies' 28 and wore the clock down with it.
FIU moves to 3-2. New Mexico State falls to 2-4 and has now scored three points in a game it could not afford to lose.
Fantasy-wise this was a game for backs, and the points were not exactly piled high. James Jones led everyone with 13.8 Promethium points in a losing cause, and the two FIU runners behind him each set a season high. Kickers, as ever, had the real day. (Yes, the kicker.)